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Happy Halloween! Today also happens to be the final day in October, and all month I’ve been practicing the paramita called discipline. I wrote the other day about how the impression I’m left with is that discipline is beautiful. And part of what’s beautiful is that…
“Ethical discipline is an adornment which suits everyone.” – Geshe Sonam Rinpoche At the beginning of this month, the one word I wasn’t expecting to use to describe discipline is beauty. One of the most surprising things I noticed in my readings on practicing discipline was…
It can feel so overwhelming to experience a wave of big emotions. And sometimes, we respond by shutting down. In other words, we hold a protest. Sometimes we protest by demanding that they go away, or at least go underground. Other times we choose to avoid them,…
I’ll be honest- this past week of practicing discipline has been less than stellar. A number of factors–some I controlled, some I didn’t– led to me falling out of the rhythm of my schedule completely. But I wouldn’t be a good soul ninja if I didn’t…
The more I learn about and practice martial arts, the more I realize this is true: real strength is quiet strength. I know this is a strange thing to say when we’re surrounded by a culture that thinks real strength is bully strength, bravado strength. But…
Halfway through my month of practicing discipline, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about rest. By rest, I mean not only taking a break, although that’s valuable. I mean rest in the Jewish sense of the word. In other words, Sabbath. Sabbath is called a day…
Most of us tend to think of regret as a negative thing. It’s what lingers after a bad decision. But regret can be beneficial for us, even helpful. Here’s why we can call it the gift of regret: Regret shows your conscience is in the right…
A number of years ago, I decided to give running a try. Running has never been my thing. I don’t mind sprinting in a game, but the idea of just…running…never appealed to me. The first few times I ran, it was so terrible I went to…
Practicing discipline is often described through the five precepts of Buddhism. Many people take these five vows as a way to commit themselves to ethical daily life. But even for the rest of us, they provide helpful insights into shila/discipline. And remember, the overall focus of…
Here’s something I’ve learned already about practicing shila: discipline and meditation go hand in hand. Meditation is the foundation of the practice. I know I just talked about this in yesterday’s post, but everything I’m reading about shila emphasizes that cultivating a stable mind is the…
