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Why Devotion Still Matters in a Secular World
Devotion is one of those words that tends to arrive with baggage. In a secular context it is often heard as belief without evidence, loyalty without discernment, or submission disguised as virtue. It can sound like something that belongs to another era, another psychology, another world. And yet, within Vajrayana Buddhism, devotion is not an…
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Take the step from the Yoga Mat to the Meditation Cushion
Movement as the first teacher Long before meditation becomes something we think of as a practice, the body has already begun to teach us how to be. Yoga and dance that both have been big parts of my life introduces attention and presence as a relationship. Sensation speaks, breath responds, effort negotiates with ease. Here,…
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How to Deal With Toxic People by Setting Boundaries With Loving-Kindness
Few things drain our energy like repeated exposure to toxic behavior—constant criticism, emotional manipulation, or uncontrolled anger. Psychology often describes three common reactions: we fight back, we shut down, or we avoid and withdraw. All three are understandable. All three cost us something. The Dharma points to a fourth way. The Gift You Don’t Have…
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How to Stay Peaceful and Compassionate in an Unstable World
In a world that feels unstable, it can be hard to remember that peace is a choice we can return to. Staying peaceful and compassionate is not about avoiding anger, grief, or difficulty. It is about recognizing them, seeing them clearly, and deciding, moment by moment, not to let them control us. There is a…
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My Renunciation at Christmas Time
I was still a child when I first felt the tug toward renunciation—though I didn’t have the full language for it then. I had already encountered Buddhism, just enough to sense that life is shaped by causes and conditions, by samsara’s looping patterns, and by the quiet power of choosing differently. Something in me understood—instinctively—that…
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When Strength Isn’t Enough: A Lesson from the Great Monkey King
AI image A story from the Jataka Tales — the early Buddhist tradition of teaching through past-life stories The Jataka Tales are among the oldest narrative teachings in Buddhism. They describe the Buddha’s previous lives—not as a distant figure, but as someone cultivating wisdom, compassion, clarity, and responsibility over countless lifetimes. One of these stories…
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Giving Thanks to a Departure Marked by Quiet Gratitude
The Pause Before a Threshold There are mornings when the world seems to pause just long enough to remind us what matters. The air is quiet, the light soft, and even familiar paths feel charged with possibility. My last day at Gyuto Monastery was one of those mornings. It was not an ending, but a…
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How to Find Warmth in the First Snow
Outside, snow falls steadily, folding the world into white. Sound softens, muffled by trees and rooftops. Frost gathers on branches and windowsills, bending the light into subtle patterns. Each breath carries a quiet stillness, a gentle weight in the chest that draws attention inward. The first snow offers a pause, a threshold between what has…
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The Play of Illusions in Global Leadership and Our Collective Life
We live in a moment when our world is not only asking to survive, but quietly—and sometimes urgently—hoping to flourish. In such times, the subtle play of illusion that moves through our collective life becomes easier to notice. It is not as something “out there.” It does not belong to a particular group of leaders.…
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Mindful Living: The Way to Experiencing Wisdom in Your Daily Life
Seeing the Strength in Your Shortcomings Since deepening my practice, I’ve noticed certain qualities arise and recede within experience. Buddhism describes these through the five Buddha families. Anger, attachment, pride, confusion, and jealousy are not mistakes to be erased. They are signposts pointing toward clarity, openness, confidence, insight, and appreciation. The so-called “shortcomings” and hidden…
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Quantum Leaps and the Quiet Space Before Your Shift
Reflection on Transformation Through the Five Buddha Families The Dance of Your Mind’s Potential Sometimes change arrives not as a slow unfolding, but as a sudden opening — a quantum leap. One moment we are circling the same habitual thoughts. The next moment, we are standing in a wider field. We wonder why we ever…
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Finding Clarity Amid Uncertainty: Cut What Is Ready, Leave What Is Not
Sitting in the Unknown As a Buddhist practitioner, I have learned that uncertainty is not an obstacle — it is the ground we walk on. We cannot predict the storms of life, but we can learn to meet them with steady attention, to sit with what arises, and to trust that clarity can emerge in…
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Why the Buddhist Meditation Path is Good in the Beginning, Good in the Middle, and Good in the End
The Path Begins in Realization The Buddha’s teaching is often said to be “good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end” — and that is exactly how I’ve experienced meditation. It begins with grounded clarity, deepens through compassion, and culminates in the fearless recognition of mind’s potential. Each stage contains…
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Awakening or Automation? The Dharma of AI Leadership
AI Generated Image The Mirror We Built Artificial intelligence is a reflection of the human mind — but not the mind in its totality. It mirrors a selected few of humankind: those who design it, fund it, and define its priorities. It does not create greed, attachment, or compassion; it amplifies the tendencies already present…
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Expanding Our Circles of Loving-Kindness in a World of Cries
Loving-Kindness in a World That Feels Too Restricted Love is rarely as simple as we might want it to be. It arrives quietly, insistently, sometimes in forms we do not recognize. We celebrate romance, cherish those closest to us, and yet often glance past the vast, unfolding field of beings who share this world with…
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Brytningstid: Embracing Change and Letting Go with Autumn’s Grace
There’s a hush that arrives before the leaves surrender their green. A pause so small it’s almost imaginary—like the breath before someone speaks a truth they’ve kept hidden for too long. The sun’s angle grows tender, the shadows lengthen and hesitate. This threshold between seasons—what in Swedish we call brytningstid—is not a clean cut but…
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How Convenience Turned Us into Birds Flying Into a Clear Glass Window
We live inside a paradox. The modern world has gifted us more convenience than any era before. Food arrives with a tap. Conversations happen across continents in seconds. Knowledge, once preserved in monasteries and libraries, now rests in our pockets. It should feel like liberation. Instead, many of you, leaders not the least – tell…
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Why are you acting like a Robot? Reclaim Your Humaness Through the Power of Sati
The Morning Begins with Awareness of Your First Breath The first breath of the morning is a doorway. On one side lies sleep, on the other, the day. What we do in that threshold matters. If the first thing we reach for is a glowing screen, we lose control of our mind. This happens before…
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What does Buddhism Say About Love, Trust, and Partnership?
In Buddhism, love is not an object you stumble upon, clutch tightly, and fear losing. It is not a trophy for the fortunate, nor a prize for the deserving. Love is metta—loving kindness—an essence already present within every living being, though often buried beneath layers of fear, desire, and misunderstanding. When the Buddha spoke of…
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Living the Bardo: Continuity and Presence
Photo © Photographer Recently, I was asked to hold space at a great gathering. The theme: transitions. Bardos. The rawness of impermanence. Hundreds of people came.Rows of bodies, breathing.Eyes open, eyes closed.Hands resting, hands folded. The room hummed quietly, with the weight of expectation, of curiosity, of searching. Do you like what you are reading? Sign…
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Leading with Balance:Buddhist Tools Every Modern Leader Needs
Leadership today requires more than strategic thinking; it demands inner stability. In Vajrayāna Buddhism, wellbeing is not separate from leadership — it is the ground that allows wise, compassionate, and transformative action. Rather than being another task to manage, wellbeing arises naturally when leaders embody timeless values: ethical clarity , mindful awareness, and compassion. These…
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Devotion to the Buddhist Path: Reflections from an X-Nun’s Life
To become a Buddhist nun—or monk—is to step into a life that unravels everything familiar. It is not a change of clothes but a vow that shapes every detail of existence. Before I was ordained, I sought the guidance of several masters. Two questions followed me everywhere: Where are you going to live? and How…
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Remembering Now — The Hidden Depth of Mindfulness
Mindfulness — the word rolls off the tongue like a diet soda: light, mildly flavored, unassuming. Behind it, however, lies something far richer, subtle, and enduring. In Buddha Shakyamuni’s original instruction, the Pāli term Sati doesn’t nudge you to “stop and smell the roses.” It means to remember now — to hold this living moment…
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What Life as a Buddhist Nun Taught Me About Living with Bare Minimum
© Photographer I once owned only two sets of clothes. One set was on my body. The other was dripping on a line. I washed them in cold water, in a plastic bucket. No sun to help them dry. Just wind, time, and the bite of Himalayan air. I wore my outer robes for weeks…
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Leadership as Sacred Space: Buddhist Teachings for Conscious Impact
“You do not have to live in the world you are given.”— Margaret Atwood In a culture obsessed with doing, measuring, and maximizing, leadership is often reduced to performance. Metrics replace meaning. Urgency outshouts wisdom. But what if leadership is something else entirely — not a role, but a sacred space? In Buddhist philosophy, particularly…
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Three Gentle Shifts Toward a Buddhist-Inspired Lifestyle
I didn’t stumble into Buddhism after a crisis or dramatic life event.There was no breaking point, no overnight awakening. I was a teenager—already drawn to the philosophical and contemplative—and Buddhism felt like a language I somehow already understood. Not in its rituals or cultural expressions at first, but in its view of mind, of suffering,…
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Sacred Sound in a Shifting World: A Buddhist Minister Reflects
It was one of those rare Swedish summer days when the sun actually stays and the sky feels like it might never let go of the light. I took the boat out to one of the islands in the Stockholm archipelago. The sea was full of movement—waves catching light, wind skimming the surface. Later that…
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Interdependence Day — A Jataka Tale for the 4th of July
AI Generated image While fireworks crackle across the summer sky and families gather to celebrate independence across the United States, there’s an ancient story from the Buddha’s past lives that offers a gentle nudge toward a deeper kind of freedom — one rooted not in separation, but in connection. Here in Europe, we may not…
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5 Ways to Lead From Inner Wisdom—Even in Flip-Flops
Your Leadership Doesn’t Take Time Off Summer offers a rare invitation: to slow down, to let go of structure, to reconnect with something deeper than deadlines. Yet even in rest, life continues to unfold—sometimes gently, sometimes unexpectedly. A decision must be made. A message arrives. A loved one struggles. Or perhaps the shift is internal:…
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From Fear to Clarity: What Buddhism Teaches About Anxiety and the Mind
The Faithful Companion of the Constructed Self Fear is a faithful companion of the constructed self. While the monkey mind clings to imagined futures, perceived threats, and the fragile sense of self we spend so much energy protecting. And when fear is left unchecked—when it loops through our inner dialogue, unresolved and unnamed—it quietly germinates…
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Explore What Meditation Paths are Best for You: Theravāda, Mahāyāna, or Vajrayāna
In our modern meditation landscape, the word meditation has taken on many shapes. We see apps, retreats, and hashtags offering everything from stress relief to spiritual awakening. But behind all this modern accessibility lies an ancient, nuanced map of meditation traditions—each with its own depth, method, and view. As someone who has walked this path…
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Even Birds Forget: A Bodhisattva Story About Collective Strength
The Clever Quail and the Net of Habit Sometimes we forget how strong we are—especially when we forget each other.The Buddha once told a story of a flock of birds caught in a hunter’s net.It’s one of the Jataka tales. These are stories of his past lives. Like all good Dharma tales, it is not…
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Death as a Teacher: A Buddhist’s Reflection on Dying and Returning
Recently, I joined a podcast to speak about death. (If you understand Swedish you can listen to it here. ) Both symbolically and philosophically. But primarily—as the inescapable fact it is. It’s not a subject I shy away from. In my world, death is a companion, not a threat. I’ve sat with people who were…
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Forget Inner Peace: The Buddhist Path Is About Something Much Bigger
Let’s begin gently. Buddhism is not a soothing balm for temporary discomfort, though it may offer relief. It is not a technique for stress relief, nor a quiet corner of escape. It is a path—ancient, profound, and transformative. While moments of calm and clarity may arise, they are not the final destination. They are like…
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The Joy of Cooperation Through The Power of Interdependence
In a world increasingly marked by fragmentation, learning how to truly work together may be one of the most urgent and liberating practices we can undertake. Not just for productivity, but for peace. Not just for efficiency, but for awakening. Cooperation isn’t just a practical skill—it’s a spiritual one. It’s the act of remembering we…
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Light the Fire for the Leadership You Actually Want to Embody
Image generated by AI. In Sweden, spring arrives with fire. Each year on Valborg, bonfires blaze across hillsides and town squares — ancient rituals meant to chase away darkness, to clear space for new growth. It’s not just tradition. It’s a deep, bodily knowing: that the old must be offered up before the new can…
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Triyana: From Quiet Stirring to Powerful Transformation
It began, as so many things do, not with a plan, but with a loud stirring — the kind that hums beneath the surface until it can no longer be ignored.A bold inner call that rang out with the knowing that something essential must be shared. And so, Triyana was born from that knowing. The…
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Uma: The Subtle Axis of Tibetan Yoga — and Why We Sit Up to Break Free
The Hollywood actress Uma Thurman is actually named after the central channel in the subtle nervous system — Uma (དུམ་མ།). Her parents are Vajrayana Buddhists, and her name reflects this deep symbolic lineage. So next time you hear her name, remember it’s not just Hollywood — it’s also inner wisdom! In my two latest workshops,…
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The Role of Mentorship in Conscious Leadership: Why You Need a Guide
Leadership is often framed as a role that demands relentless drive, sharp decision-making, and an unwavering focus on results. For women in leadership, these demands frequently come with additional pressures—balancing expectations, navigating biases, and holding space for both professional excellence and personal integrity. Yet, the most powerful leaders are not those who sacrifice their wellbeing…
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The Benefits of Combining Buddhism and Psychology without Blending Them
Today, I had the pleasure of sharing a live conversation on Instagram with yoga teacher and healthcare practitioner Rebecka Latoś. It was the final session in our teacher series, and we dove into a topic that’s both relevant and thought-provoking: the relationship between psychology and Buddhism. We explored how these two fields, often seen as…
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The Time is Now: How Meditation Builds Resilience in Uncertain Times
Together, we share this moment—not just as individuals walking separate paths but as interconnected beings in a world that is shifting faster than ever. Uncertainty looms, and many feel the weight of change pressing heavily upon them. Some fear what might be coming, others hesitate, waiting for clarity. But waiting is an illusion. Time is…
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How to Lead Beyond Your Title: The Key to Authentic Leadership
A true leader is not appointed by an organization’s management team. Leadership is not defined by titles, positions, or authority—it is defined by presence, influence, and alignment with shared values. People naturally follow those who inspire them, guide them, and reflect the qualities they admire. Whether they hold an official title or not, a real…
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The Feminine Qualities That Lead the World to Strength & Interconnectedness
Tomorrow, March 8 is a day to celebrate women, but in truth, every day is an opportunity to recognize the immeasurable strength, wisdom, and compassion we bring into the world. From a Buddhist perspective, the feminine principle represents deep wisdom—prajñā—that cuts through illusion and nurtures all beings with boundless compassion. In my meditation classes I…
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Celebrating Losar Today: Embrace Change, Wisdom, and New Beginnings
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is a time of fresh beginnings, reflection, and renewal. Rooted in ancient traditions, this celebration marks not just the start of a new year but an opportunity for deep spiritual transformation. As we step into this new cycle today, we are reminded of the impermanence and ever-changing nature of life.…
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Finding Strength in Difficult Times: A Guide to Hope and Healing
There are moments when life feels unbearably heavy, when even the smallest step forward seems impossible. In those times, it may help to remember that just as the moon wanes and waxes, so too does our experience of suffering. No feeling, no hardship, no moment is permanent. Consider the changing of the seasons—harsh winters give…
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Loving-Kindness Beyond Romance: A Buddhist Perspective on Love
Valentine’s Day is often framed around romantic love—grand gestures, flowers, and the idea of finding “the one.” But from a Buddhist perspective, love is much broader, deeper, and more available than that. True love is not limited to a partner or a specific relationship—it is a boundless state of being, cultivated through metta, or loving-kindness.…
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Seasons of the Heart: Moving Mindfully into Spring with Joy & Hope
As winter loosens its grip and we step into the vibrant embrace of spring, there’s a palpable shift both in nature and within ourselves. The world awakens from its slumber—buds unfurl, days stretch longer, and a fresh sense of renewal colors our everyday lives. This season of hope and lightness invites us to pause, breathe,…
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How to Lead by Example Through Adopting the Paramita of Patience
Leading with the Paramita of Patience In the rush of responsibilities and ambitions, the essence of true leadership can become clouded. Leadership is not just about efficiency and outcomes; it is about creating space for wisdom, clarity, and connection. Among the great qualities that cultivate such leadership, the Paramita of Patience—Kshanti—holds a special place. The…
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Outer Circumstances Need Not Confine Us; Profound Freedom Lies Within
We are not trapped by our circumstances, nor by the thoughts and emotions that surge through us. The key lies in using our intelligence to explore the mind and discover that the solution to our suffering exists within us. Training in equanimity means allowing thoughts and feelings to arise and pass without clinging to or…
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Your Leadership Reimagined: A New Year with the Three Buddhist Doors
As a leader, you hold the power to shape the culture, impact, and future of your organization. With the start of a new year, there is no better time to reevaluate your approach to leadership and lay the groundwork for personal and professional growth. Drawing inspiration from Buddhist principles, the concept of the Three Doors—thought,…
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From Earth to Earth…
In my early twenties, I had a personal close up encounter with death that became a close call to ceasing to exist from this current human life altogether. I had been back and forth to a hospital for reoccurring emergency surgeries due to undefined stomach pain for some months. Eventually, during the third surgery preparations…
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From Earth to Earth…
In my early twenties, I had a personal close up encounter with death that became a close call to ceasing to exist from this current human life altogether. I had been back and forth to a hospital for reoccurring emergency surgeries due to undefined stomach pain for some months. Eventually, during the third surgery preparations…
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Challenges with bringing the Dharma to the West
After some years of studying, receiving empowerments, and being close to the masters in India and Nepal, in particular my main Lama, the Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, I went back to the West with his blessing. At first, I came to live in New York, at Karma Triyana Dharma Chakra, the Gyalwa Karmapa’s main…
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Challenges with bringing the Dharma to the West, Part 1
After some years of studying, receiving empowerments, and being close to the masters in India and Nepal, in particular my main Lama, the Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, I went back to the West with his blessing. At first, I came to live in New York, at Karma Triyana Dharma Chakra, the Gyalwa Karmapa’s main…
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A global citizens outlook
Knowing no borders nor clinging to a creed or fixed state of mind. Moving with the wind, faster than the speed of light. Reaching beyond and bringing it home. Welcoming all, both intellectual and drone. I’m here because I have something valuable to share. I’m making myself available to the ever-expanding net of equality through…
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Lama Chimey 