love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love,” the great Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hahn admonished in his terrific treatise on how to love — a sentiment profoundly discomfiting in the context of our cultural mythology, which continually casts love as something that happens to us passively and by chance, something we fall into, something that strikes us arrow-like, rather than a skill attained through the same deliberate practice as any other pursuit of human excellence. Our failure to recognize this skillfulness aspect is perhaps the primary reason why love is so intertwined with frustration. That’s what the great German social psychologist, psychoan... posted on Jan 12 2016 (18,354 reads)

another thing I appreciate about your spirituality: you don’t slap a smiley face on everything. Ramos-Stierle: [Laughs] We are so conditioned to react to the things we like or don’t like. If there’s something I like I want more of it; and if there’s something I don’t like I want to make it go away; the famous “fight or flight” response to a tense situation. How do we create neuropaths so that we could live from an understanding that we arelove? Then we could react to nothing, but respond with love to everything, moment by moment. What is the key for dismantling all that madness that comes from believing that happ... posted on Aug 23 2016 (17,303 reads)

of the Source, of this place of pure being. Because stories are what bring the unborn into life, allow their songs to be heard and understood. Stories are what weave us into the many colors of existence, and take us by the hand and lead us into the circle of life’s dance. And at this time—when we are surrounded by all the signs of a civilization that has lost its way, that has forgotten what is sacred—it is vital that we recognize there is a new dance beginning, a new note of love that bonds together humanity and the web of life.  Every culture has its creation stories, whether they are of the Garden of Eden of Judeo- Christianity, or the Great Light of the Skywoma... posted on Sep 20 2020 (6,874 reads)

following is a transcript of an interview between Krista Tippett and Maira Kalman syndicated from On Being. Krista Tippett, host:“The subject of my work,” Maira Kalman says, is “the normal, daily things that people fall in love with.” She is a visual storyteller, and to be in conversation with her is a little like wandering into one of the cartoons you might see in The New Yorker and which she might have drawn. Millions of us have been prompted to smile and think by Maira Kalman’s work in a museum or the recent illustrated revision of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style or a New York Times blog or her lovel... posted on Feb 14 2019 (6,407 reads)

experiment we call life. This constant dialogue between reality and illusion, moderated by our use of language, is what poet and philosopher David Whyte explores in Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words (public library) - a most remarkable book “dedicated to WORDS and their beautiful hidden and beckoning uncertainty.” Whyte - who has previously enveloped in his wisdom such intricacies of existence as what happens when love leaves and how to break the tyranny of work-life balance - constructs an alternative dictionary inviting us to befriend words in their most dimensional sense by reawakening to the deepe... posted on May 12 2015 (30,127 reads)

follows is the transcript of an interview between Tami Simon and Lynne Twist syndicate from SoundsTrue. You can listen to the audio recording of the interview here. Tami Simon: Welcome to Insights at the Edge, produced by Sounds True. My name’s Tami Simon, I’m the founder of Sounds True. I’d love to take a moment to introduce you to the new Sounds True Foundation. The Sounds True Foundation is dedicated to creating a wiser and kinder world by making transformational education widely available. We want everyone to have access to transformational tools such as mindfulness, emotional awareness and self-compassion, regardless of financial, social or phys... posted on Mar 12 2022 (2,948 reads)

follows is the transcript syndicated from an OnBeing interview between Krista Tippett, Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows. You can listen to the audio version of the interview here.  Krista Tippett: If you have listened to On Being for any period of time, you have probably heard me invoke Rainer Maria Rilke. His works of prose and poetry are enduringly beloved — the Sonnets to Orpheus; the Duino Elegies; the Book of Hours. But none of his words have carried more persistently across time than his Letters to a Young Poet. It’s a small volume of ten letters Rilke wrote between 1903 and 1908 to a young military cadet and would-be poet, named ... posted on Jul 9 2021 (4,318 reads)

genius of nonviolence for our century — nonviolence not as a withholding of violence, but as a way of being present. And it was a great pleasure to bring him together with Rami Nashashibi, a kindred force in the Muslim world. Lucas is based in Amsterdam. Rami’s center of gravity is the South Side of Chicago. They both are evolving the fascinating nexus of local and global. And they have much to teach us all about the lived practicalities and tensions of the “strong, demanding love” to which Martin Luther King, Jr. called the world of his time, a call I hear many of us longing to pursue in ours. LUCAS JOHNSON: One of the biggest, I think, challenges with King&... posted on Aug 19 2018 (5,322 reads)

is a big deal. TS:Well then, you're familiar with what we do here at Sounds True and you might also be familiar with the fact that this is really a new arena of inquiry and discussion, for us to be gathering our audience to talk about the relationship between our personal spiritual journey and the outer world in which we live. I'm thinking of how many people with a deep spiritual practice woke up, in a sense, at the 2016 election. Better late than never. Here we are, and I'd love to know from you, Van, how you see the connection here at the beginning, between our personal spiritual journeys and outer change in the world. VJ: This sort of convergence between spirit... posted on Mar 5 2019 (8,043 reads)

in. One thing I learned about you is that you were a Zen monk for eight years in a monastery where silence was practiced. So tell us. I mean, it’s very unusual and it brings up a lot of curiosity. So first just share a little bit about why you decided to be a monk and what that process was like for you, and then what was it like for eight years? CM: Well, Tami, I’ll start by acknowledging that I did not mean to be a monk. I really didn’t. I had no idea that my love of practice would lead to being a monk when I was going on various meditation retreats. It wasn’t until my teacher at the time turned to me in one of our one-on-one guidance appointments th... posted on Jan 17 2023 (2,892 reads)

Hopwood approaching Lindisfarne, 500 miles into his journey. Credit: Glynis Long. Four years ago I set off on a walking journey through England. I was looking for the love stories of the land, meeting with people on the path, in the fields, in the pub, in the villages and towns. Along the way I shared my stories with the people I encountered and they shared theirs with me, creating time and space to explore the notion of love together. As the work progressed I began to record some of these powerful and compelling stories, creating an online audio collection so that more people could share in the experience. But as I stepped out of my front door on a cold and clear Ap... posted on Jan 14 2017 (13,183 reads)

by Bharat Chauhan The love you bear for yourself is never unrequited. You are the generous giver and the sole receiver. You do not have to wonder if your sentiments will be echoed or your kind gestures returned. You need only love yourself fully. The love we bear for ourselves is guaranteed, each return exceeding its investment. Perhaps you're longing to experience this kind of love from someone you care about, or maybe your heart aches from loving someone who cannot fully love you back. The more we seek love like this, the harder we struggle, and the less we come to love ourselves. But who is more worthy of the careful attention and thoughtful affection we so readily dole... posted on Apr 5 2018 (39,202 reads)

is a speaker, workshop facilitator, and retreat leader. She is a former organization development consultant, and the founder and director of the Morning Star Singers Comfort Choir, a volunteer choir that brings song to people experiencing health challenges. A native Minnesotan, she is currently living on the wild and scenic St. Croix River in west Wisconsin. Welcome, Barbara. Thank you for being with us today. Barbara: It's such an honor, Mia. I thank you for having me. Mia: I love getting to see you again. I enjoyed our conversation a few days ago, and I'm so excited to see you today. I just want to start with: Can you tell us more about where you live, your home? B... posted on Apr 28 2023 (2,447 reads)

the grades students get in schools in the US. The idea is that this may help them eventually compete better in a global workplace. But what if we have gotten it upside down? Are more resources really the missing ingredient in helping people improve themselves? Growing up in India, I had a hard time with most of my subjects, especially math. One day, after looking at my grades, my father had a heart-to-heart chat with me. He said, “The way to crack your subjects is to fall in love with them. When you start loving what you are learning, it will no longer look like work. Everything will fall in place after that. Just fall in love.” I was in sixth grade around then, and... posted on Mar 3 2012 (19,333 reads)

of work-related questions from impatient colleagues who have been awaiting their arrival. For others, it might start off with a series of cheerful greetings from co-workers, questions about how their family members are doing or perhaps an offer to grab a quick cup of coffee before the daily work deluge begins. According to Wharton management professor Sigal Barsade, there is reason to believe that the latter scenario — which illustrates what she refers to as “companionate love” in the workplace — is not only more appealing, but also is vital to employee morale, teamwork and customer satisfaction. Companionate love is shown “when colleagues who are ... posted on Dec 2 2014 (21,920 reads)

mother behind her. A long line of women who had pushed through the fire before me. I took a breath; I pushed; my son was born. As I held him in my arms, shaking and sobbing from the rush of oxytocin that flooded my body, my mother was already preparing to feed me. Nursing her baby as I nursed mine. My mother had never stopped laboring for me, from my birth to my son's birth. She already knew what I was just beginning to name. That love is more than a rush of feeling that happens to us if we're lucky. Love is sweet labor. Fierce. Bloody. Imperfect. Life-giving. A choice we make over and over aga... posted on Mar 31 2018 (1,998 reads)

wisdom on how to live from James Baldwin, Ursula K. Le Guin, Leo Tolstoy, Seneca, Toni Morrison, Walt Whitman, Viktor Frankl, Rachel Carson, and Hannah Arendt. If we abide by the common definition of philosophy as the love of wisdom, and if Montaigne was right — he was — that philosophy is the art of learning to die, then living wisely is the art of learning how you will wish to have lived. A kind of resolution in reverse. This is where the wisdom of lives that have already been lived can be of immense aid — a source of forward-facing resolutions, borrowed from people who have long died, having lived, by any reasonable standard, honorable and generous live... posted on Jan 2 2022 (7,314 reads)

follows is the transcript of an Awakin Call with Matthew Fox. You can watch the video recording of the call, or listen to the audio here. These transcripts, as with all aspects of Awakin Calls, are created as a labor of love by an all-volunteer team located around the world. ]   Host: Aryae Coopersmith Moderator: Rahul Brown Guest: Matthew Fox Rahul Brown:  Matthew Fox really needs no introduction. He's regarded as one of the foremost influential spiritual figures of modern day. So, Matthew, if it's OK with you, I would just love to just jump right into our conversation. Thank you so much for joining us. It's a real honor to have you here to... posted on Sep 8 2022 (3,019 reads)

League Boots” by Zoë Keating] I cannot imagine a more brilliant, wise, and kind conversation partner about all of this than the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy. He’s a renowned physician and research scientist, and for years he’s been naming and investigating loneliness as a public health matter, including his own experience of that very human condition. And it is beyond rare to sit with a person holding high government office who speaks about love with ease and dignity, and about the agency to be healers that is available to us all. There is so much here to walk away with, and into. This conversation quieted and touched a room full of rauc... posted on Apr 14 2023 (3,847 reads)

that was not real. It was not grounded in what is real because it was not grounded in that ancient relationship between the human and the living Earth and the recognition of the sacred. It was not grounded in the recognition of the sacred. So we first have to recognize that we are walking in something that is not real and then turn to something that is real. To recognize that we have ignored the sacred creation of nature, and then turn towards it, with respect and, ultimately, with love. Because this is a story of love as much as it is a story of forgetfulness and remembrance. It is also a story of love. Because at the heart of that ancient primordial relationship that existed, ... posted on Jun 1 2023 (3,053 reads)