All too often, life feels like it is out of my control, and I’m pulled (sometimes painfully) to force things to go my way. How can I go with the flow of life, instead of fighting against it?

In a painfully divided world, how can I engage in tough discussions without opening myself up to the anger and anxiety that can often accompany them, or to vilifying those who disagree with me and closing down possibilities for growth or positive change?

Work can really stink. People can be rude, bosses can be demanding, deadlines can be stressful, and at times it can make life feel meaningless and not our own.

In other words, it is a TERRIFIC place to practice living mindfully.

What does it mean to dwell in the Awakened Abode of Joy, and how can I experience joy when I know that all happy experiences eventually end?

The classical texts speak of four “Awakened Abodes”, being loving-kindness, inner peace (or equanimity), compassion, and joy, but rarely discuss how to get there. So… how do we get there?

We can often look for solutions to what causes us to suffer by projecting outward: “If only ___ would be different, or if only ___ would (or wouldn’t) happen, then I’d be OK”, but there is another path to true peace: looking inward.

We are who we have been conditioned to be, but is that all we are?

We’re driven towards things and experiences that feel good and away from those that feel bad, but even great ones don’t last (and can leave us feeling empty). Is there another way?

Why are we so driven to chase after how we’re thought of, and what can we do to find peace no matter what anyone thinks?

May you live fully. May you love freely. May you give completely.

We already have the most important wisdom inside of us already - we just need to remember it.

A common teaching in Buddhism is that the end of our suffering comes when we can let go of all our attachments… but what about my kids? Or my freedom? Or my attachment to letting go of attachments?

In a world of so much suffering, strife, and divisiveness, is the pursuit of my own happiness selfish? Aren’t there more important things I should focus on?