It’s a useful step on any meditation journey to build the skill to meditate without following an audio guide. We can simply sit and be. So I created these 10, 15, and 20 minute silent… Read More »Silent meditation guides with bells at the start and end
Since your Guide’s life fits in three bags, and I often need to carry those bags, it’s important that I keep my belongings light and limited. So it might surprise people to learn that I… Read More »Review: The Bluecony IKUKO travel meditation bench
It seems that most people haven’t even heard of the Mahabodhi temple or the town of Bodhgaya. You won’t hear referenced with the likes of Jerusalem or Mecca. India is full of incredible monuments, temples,… Read More »The Mahabodhi Temple is worth a visit
Buddha’s Five Remembrances, as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a guided meditation for working on illness and death, accepting loss, and touching the reality of being human. This is NOT a beginner meditation.… Read More »Guided Meditation: The Five Remembrances
On your Guide’s adventures exploring meditation retreats around the world, I was always looking for an opportunity to attend a meditation retreat at Plum Village, the Buddhist retreat centre established by Thich Nhat Hanh in… Read More »Attending the Plum Village International Business Retreat
Before we get into the question of whether meditation retreats can trigger mental illness, I’ll share a personal experience from an intensive meditation retreat: The first time I ever lost all sense of my body… Read More »Can meditation retreats trigger mental illness?
Huángbò Xīyùn (trad. Chinese: 黄檗希運 or Huang Po in older English-language works) was an influential Zen master in 8th and 9th century Tang Dynasty China and the teacher of Línjì, whose teachings we explored previously: Linji… Read More »Huangbo Travel Quotes
Linji (trad. Chinese: 臨濟義玄) lived in China during the 800s, was a student of Huangbo’s, and founded an eponymous school of Chan Buddhism (known as the Rinzai School in Japanese Zen Buddhism) which remains one… Read More »Linji Quotes for Travel
Dogen Zenji (Japanese: 道元禅師) founded the Soto Zen lineage of Buddhism in Japan during the 1200s. Dissatisfied with the politics and social posturing at the temple where he’d trained since childhood, Dogen traveled to China… Read More »Dogen Quotes for Travel
A solo trip to Granada for walking mindfully in the magical streets and exploring a self-guided retreat focused on Loving Kindness Meditation.