7 results for tag: Thomas Merton

Thich Nhat Hanh Passed To The Next Dimension

There are about two handfuls of people who have shaped the course of my life beyond friends and family. Tich Nhat Hanh was one of them. We can add Martin Luther King Jr., Dalai Lama, Louise Hay, Thomas Merton, Mevlana Julaluddin Rumi, G.I. Gurdjieff, John Lennon , Mikao Usui, Mahatma Gandhi, and my former Teacher and Mentor Rev Betsy Browder. to this list. Today he passed to the next dimension. He and Louise Hay are where my journey into meditation began in 1990. There were not many books one could find on meditation at the time. Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, and You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay are the two that made the most sense to me. I felt like they were key to a door that I somehow knew existed without any rhyme or reason to think there was such a door. I do not think I am being theatrical in saying that they saved my life. ...

Learning To Meditate

Learning to meditate is hard. This is my experience with learning to meditate. I was coming up on six months clean and sober. My sponsor's sponsor, which I jokingly used to call my grand sponsor, was coming up on 40 years sober. I used to enjoy talking with old Bill often. He was kind, respectful, direct, and openhearted. These were all qualities that I had desired, but I did not know how to express them myself or know many people who did, for that matter. So I used to like to talk with him whenever possible. He was one of the few people I trusted even a little. One night after a meeting, Bill came over and sat next to me. He smiled that soft, gentle smile that typically made me feel safe, if only momentary. On that particular Friday night, I was not able to tap into his smile in order to shift the sadness, desperation, and frustration I was experiencing. Bill noticed this immediately. He leaned over and put his right hand on my left elbow, "How are you doing, young man?". Bill was old enough to forget pretty much everyone's name, and we were all either Young Man or Young Woman, regardless of age or any other identifying factors. I let out a deep sigh and felt my belly clinch, "I'm not doing so good, Bill. I go to meetings, I talk to my sponsor, I hang out with all my recovering friends, I pray every night before I go to bed, and every morning when I wake up, I still feel miserable. I feel like it's never going to get better for me, and there's nothing I can do about it." ...

How To Listen to Your Intuition

When you are trying to make an important decision, everyone you ask in some form or another will recommend, "Listen to your intuition". This is excellent advice, but often not helpful. If you knew how to listen to your intuition, would you be asking your friends and family for advice in the first place? Probably not. I think it is pretty clear that most people will agree that if you listen to your intuition, the process of making decisions will become clearer, simpler, and more successful. For most people, the challenge is not wanting to listen to your intuition; it is knowing how to effectively listen to your intuition. I invite you to join me as we explore different methods on how to listen to your intuition. How To Listen to Your Intuition - Providence Life Caching and Reiki Counseling - Intuition mind gift Einstein ...

Why You Don’t Need To Be Right All The Time

The need to be right can, at times, feel like a drug. Our culture often reinforces this need to be right all the time through the media, politics, and our education system. But what if you found out the reasons why you don't need to be right all the time? Is knowing the potential consequences of needing to be right all the time enough to create space for letting the rest of the 7 billion people who you share the planet with also be right sometimes?...

What’s The Point?

What’s the Point? The other day, I met with a young couple who are going through a pretty difficult stretch in their relationship. Amongst the various struggles, the one that was the loudest for me during and after our session was their collective sense of “What’s the point?” I think all of us as individuals, couples, families, and as a society have, on some level, experienced the question, “What’s the point?”...

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey

Last week, I participated in a solo, two-day meditation retreat at Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, just north of Newport.  I was grateful for the opportunity to pray, meditate, sit, and chant with the monks at Portsmouth Abbey.

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - The Chapel

Meditation Retreat at Portsmouth Abbey - Providence Life Coaching & Spiritual Training - portsmouth abbey chapel outside

Suppose you have never visited a Benedictine Monastery before. In that case, they wake early in the morning, typically around 5:00 a.m., beginning the day with the first of seven "Offices", or times of communal prayer through chanting. As a guest, you are welcome to join them for as much or as little of their daily routine as you feel moved. I did not choose to take part in the early morning prayer time. Instead, I stayed in my room for silent prayer and meditation. I went there for silence and meditation....

Spiritual Training in Humility: The Janitor Part I

“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.”   Ezra Taft Benson

Spiritual Training on Humility: The Janitor Part I

It was the Winter of 1993-1994. I had only once visited the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, Labsum Shedrup Ling, in Washington, New Jersey. A good friend and I decided we’d spend New Year's together on a retreat at the center. The retreat focused on The Buddhist Lineage, which I had no idea what that meant upon arrival. Before I dive in, I would like to mention that I knew very little about Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism in general when we signed up to take part; my friend did. I just knew that I had an Inner Connection with Buddhism. The first time I noticed him was during the first shared meal. He sat somewhat distant from most guests, but I could tell he lived there. He wore plain grey pants and a shirt that most janitors wear. He seemed almost disinterested in the events and happenings around him. The man appeared to be enjoying his meal as if content and grateful just to be there. The first thought I had while watching him was, "WOW! If this is what their janitors are like, I can't wait to see the monks! I am going to become a Buddhist." He helped clean up as if he does it every day, and part of what he does there. He showed people where to find things as a typical worker would do at any place else. But there was something very different about this janitor. He was simple and radiant in his way of being, smiling simply but beautifully with sincerity. I noticed myself staring and observing him beyond what is socially acceptable, but I couldn't stop myself. He was exceptional in a way that I had not known before. I was in awe of how this man carried himself and the Inner contentment that was his being. I remember thinking, "Where do they find janitors like this in Tibet?" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he was an older Tibetan man, possibly in his sixties, with those facial features that only men and women who have walked this earth for a while and have learned more than the rest of us express. The lines on their faces seem more profound and richer, as if each one is telling a story. ...