Do you utilize the Richnesses and the Freedoms in your life?

Start by reflecting on everything you have, your wins, possessions, belongings, etc. And continue comparing these with the most fundamental and vital prerequisite for practicing the Dharma, which is the specific richnesses and freedoms that are so hard to find. That which gives us the opportunity to practice right now. Nothing is more valuable than theContinue reading “Do you utilize the Richnesses and the Freedoms in your life?”

My path towards greater alignment

( This blog article was originally published on the Golden Age Models blog, and has been re-edited here for the Sky Dancer World blog) Like with all significant transitions, I remember leaving lay life to pursue the life of a monastic as an initiation rite of sorts. My awakening heart was calling me out intoContinue reading “My path towards greater alignment”

Walking in the fearless footsteps of the Buddha Dharma in Sweden

Many years ago, when I was still a nun, I had the incredible opportunity to meet with the dharmic heroine Gudrun Hegardt. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us, but she acted as an essential anchor for the Dharma to come alive in our dark snowy land of the north during her days. Without her fearless progress,Continue reading “Walking in the fearless footsteps of the Buddha Dharma in Sweden”

སྒྲོལ་མའི་བསྟོད་པ། In Praise of Tara

Tara, also known as Drolma in Tibetan, is a Bodhisattva or Buddha of compassion in action, a protector who comes to our aid to relieve physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. She is not like most of us human beings who, yes, can admit to her virtue of being a helper, but at the same time,Continue reading “སྒྲོལ་མའི་བསྟོད་པ། In Praise of Tara”

The Laughing Buddha

When I was little, I had this little colorful Buddha statue. It wasn’t a statue of the serene sitting Buddha, but rather a Buddha statue of what’s generally considered “the laughing Buddha,” usually represented as a fat laughing man standing up with his arms stretching towards the sky. I used to delightfully glance at himContinue reading “The Laughing Buddha”

In a changing world everything is possible

Enlightenment is sprung out of our willingness to consider what is broken, painful, and tragic as precious. Our broken, painful, and tragic stories are the heart of the matter —’no mud, no lotus’ as Ven.Thich Nhat Hanh has said, and ‘there is a crack in everything – that is how the light gets in,’ asContinue reading “In a changing world everything is possible”

Is that so?

A young girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who the father was. At first, there was a resistance to confess. Eventually, the anxious and embarrassed girl finally pointed to Hakuin, the Zen master whom everyone previously revered for living such a pure life. When the outraged parents confronted HakuinContinue reading “Is that so?”

Sati – Remembering Now

So, what is wrong with translating Sati as Mindfulness? Well, part of the early translations suggests that it has to do with remembering.  So, what exactly are we supposed to remember? ‘Sati‘ – is the seventh acre of the Buddhist wheel called ‘the eightfold path.’ And in its completeness, the eightfold path includes Right view, right motivation,Continue reading “Sati – Remembering Now”

No Time to Lose

As ten thousand years of climate stability are ending, the call to develop inner stability has never been more apparent. Time is now, so let’s not waste it but move into action!By being many who can embody a trustworthy path of stability and compassion, we can help many others in our global community. We haveContinue reading “No Time to Lose”

The most dangerous thing in the world

The 17th Karmapa has said that : A lack of love can cause people to have no help when they need help, no friends when they need a friend. So, in a sense, the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. We think of weapons, violence, warfare, disease as terrible dangers, and indeed theyContinue reading “The most dangerous thing in the world”