Leonardo Da Vinci taught his students to gaze at random abstract designs in clouds or textured mud walls. “Draw what you see,” he instructed them. I often take his advice. It’s easy to discover delightful sky-dragons or cloud castles in the air. Staring in a meditative state makes boundaries dissolve and re-form; my vision changes. …
When my meditation group decided to meditate and swim with dolphins off the coast of the Big Island, Hawaii, I immediately signed up. What could be more exhilarating and divine? On a warm spring day, amid sparkling blue and turquoise waters, we putted away on a small boat and, within several miles, located an amenable …
Our family adopted a cockatiel, James Bird, when he was a baby. He instantly imprinted on my six-year old son and me; we were family for life. He loved to mirror our sounds and volume with loud chirps while he rode on my son’s back as if he were a pony, my son shouting with …
A Treasured Spiritual Bond When I lived in the desert outside Las Vegas, my beloved dog, Cory, an Akita/Collie mix (with a curly tail and long nose), loved to wander through the sandy scrub-brush for miles, no doubt searching for small critters. He was a large, mellow guy, white, black and orange patches of fur, …
Adventures in Meditation-Land I could only hold the cross-eyed enlightenment position for less than a minute. After I had developed compliant muscles, my mind decided that, after thirty seconds, it wanted to lower the eyes so I could decide what outfit to wear that day. Or what smart retort I could give to a friend …
I study meditation with two lamas, one from Tibet and one from Bhutan, who run a meditation center together; they love students to ask questions. For years, intimidated by their vast wisdom, I froze, unable to ask anything. But one day I wondered if they truly had no thoughts in their minds when they meditated. …
