In a recent conversation, a friend asked me the difference between reading books and scrolling on a phone: “If you lament the bus riders with their eyes locked on their screens, might you not...
I picked up the guitar at the age of 17. As a teen, I loved hard-rock music: Bryan Adams, Steven Curtis Chapman, Eric Clapton, Metallica, and many more. The brawn and sizzle of an overdriven guitar...
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through the repetition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so goes the carol. But is it really? December days are dreary and dark. Rain presses down, and the chill of winter...
A few summers ago, the plants on my rooftop patio wilted after a long heat-spell. I was busy preparing my dissertation defence and neglected to water them consistently. Baking in...
As a counselling therapist, I listen to people everyday. It’s a demanding skill that requires constant practice. Listening is the crux of my profession, but it also feeds my soul and nourishes...
Shakespeare described the human form as a “mortal coil” that we shuffle off in death. For Hamlet, life is a dreary work that holds neither mirth nor meaning. To slip the mortal coil is to...
When set in the very midst of troubles one should say: Perchance some day the memory of this sorrow will even bring delight. Seneca, Letters From a Stoic. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form...
Mindfulness has enjoyed a stellar career in the last 30 years. Rooted in Buddhist meditation, mindfulness is now widely practiced in schools, hospitals, companies, and therapy offices...