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Use this google link to find videos for Milgrim and Zimbardo

March 18, 2013 by Namaste Consulting Inc

http://www.google.com/#q=abc+news+primetime+milgram&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ei=yqhHUYO1A6OMygHyg4HYBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoBA&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=c79932c9af0a9218&biw=892&bih=636

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

This Man On His Journey

December 1, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

English: The Red ribbon is a symbol for solida...

Image via Wikipedia

Before me sat an angry young man,

Confused and wounded.

A soldier fighting too many enemies

And not know who they really were.

Before me sat an angry young man,

wanting his way in all that he did.

And not knowing what path to take to find his way in the world.

This young man,

reluctantly tried

to keep his armor from getting scratched by me.

Me, a worthy opponent he knew not what to make of,

let alone believe.

He struggled and fought and tried every trick.

And flashes of magic seemed to finally come, though sparingly at first.

A stumble, a trip, but still on his path

with book in hand, soon beginning to understand what it was all about.

Here sat before me

A handsome young man,

believing in miracles when he could remember that they were all around.

This young man, who had walked behind me,

unable to trust or love,

struggling to walk on the path,

was soon by my side.

We walked hand and hand

as fears were conquered and dreams became more real.

This angry young man is no more.

He opened himself up to all that Is

and his spirit began to soar.

This striking your man now knows

each day, that the greatest battle to fight is to Be each day.

Now god and miracles are not foreign land.

And strangers and enemies do not exist,

for we all are One,

no enemy left, except the past,

which melts away with each passing step.

And now this man

has become a soul friend.

Someone to be proud of

and stand by until the end

No longer his enemy,

no longer his guide,

blessed to see the

miracle of his growth and the wonder of this man on his journey.

By:  Jennifer R. Stevens,

for all my dear friends who have died of AIDS long ago and recently.

And to my only and dearest brother. . . You are not forgotten.

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

For a Sane Society

August 30, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

We need to revive appreciation for the traditional model of a practitioner who lives a life of simplicity and humility, sincerity and endeavor, kindness and compassion. We must choose teachers with these qualities, cultivate these qualities in ourselves, and guide our students in developing them.

- Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, “Shopping the Dharma“

Posted in Mindfulness & Buddhism | 1 Comment »

The Nine Contemplations of Atisha — One

August 22, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

All of us will die sooner or later

Ironically, my first night of sitting in contemplative silence, meditating on this assertion, All of us will die sooner or later, with what feels like the start of the flu.

We have a fragile, impermanent existence. . . and illness, pain, aging all are like mindfulness bells ringing to remind us to be present here and now because we have nothing more than the present moment!

I got on my cushion in the evening and tried to get comfortable.  I was wrapped up in a blanket to keep warm.  I keep my apartment on the cold side because I find it helps with things like inflammation and pain.

I chuckled to myself that my hands were as cold as a corpse, so maybe that was a good sign for sitting with this true reality of impermanence.  And I sat with my skull mala in my hands, hoping that would ground me to the experience.

All of us will die sooner or later. . .

I’ve often wondered, out loud and to myself, if in our bliss to find our life partners, we stopped to ponder that one day one of us would die and the survivor would be left to mourn, how many of us would really go through the pain of love?  Could we even ponder this every day of a relationship and still be able to be loving?

Like someone once said, I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be present to my dying.  I have to imagine that most people have a hard time thinking of their loved one dying.  It’s not a pleasant thought and it certainly feels like a lonely thought.

All of us will die sooner or later. . .

I’ve done the Nine Contemplations as a meditation series for myself before this time.  I’m always amazed at the richness that comes with it, however, when I am sick and doing the meditations.

It’s one thing to say you have an awareness of aging and dying. . . it’s another thing when your breathing is labored and you don’t have the energy to get yourself out of bed for a glass of water or juice.

My cold hands clutched the skull mala that I own.  I use it when I do meditations on dying.  As the turquoise carved skulls go between my fingers and as my back gets a little achy from trying to hold it upright while sitting on the cushion (when all I want to do is be in bed), I think to myself. . . I wonder what’s really the harder thing to do . . . living or dying. . .

All of us will die sooner or later. . .

there is no getting around it.

there is no hiding from it.

From our literature to our movies, we are constantly reminded that we will say goodbye. . .

not in a sappy love song sort of way though. . .

but in an unraveling of the spirit from the mortal flesh. . .

a pulling away of light from our neurotic grasping. . .

a severing the deep ties to all that we are attached to in this life as we re-enter the world of no-thing-ness.

All of us will die sooner or later.

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Posted in End-of-Life, Mindfulness & Buddhism | 3 Comments »

Being Alive

August 18, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

To acknowledge that you are dying is to recognize that you are alive.

~~ Dean Rolston, Memento Mori: Notes on Buddhism and AIDS

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Posted in End-of-Life, Mindfulness & Buddhism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

Wise Words During an Election Cycle

August 17, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

“People tell me they’re saddened by the ugly, uncivil polarization they see in public life, and the isolation and loneliness they feel in private.  They hunger for cooperation, connection, and community.  Meditation, which teaches kindness, compassion, and patience, is a clear, straightforward method for improving relationships with family, friends, and everyone else we meet.”

Sharon Salzberg, Happiness

I don’t know if we are ever so polarized as during an election year.

Human beings label things, pick sides, need to be right, and have fear.

Meditation teaches us how to label without judgment, to follow the middle path, and to let go of fear for a more compassionate relationship with the world.

I am really excited that I have the opportunity to teach at a local community college and mindfulness is one of my first agenda items.  It’s a skill that we should teach in first grade but if they can be inspired, as I was in my sophomore year, than maybe we have a chance for real change and happiness.

Thanks to Sharon Salzberg for an amazing book and profound and simple wisdom.

Peace, Jen

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Allowing Space

August 16, 2012 by Namaste Consulting Inc

Ani Pema Chödrön

Ani Pema Chödrön (Photo credit: albill)

It is never too late for any of us to look at our minds. We can always sit down and allow the space for anything to arise. Sometimes we have a shocking experience of ourselves. Sometimes we try to hide. Sometimes we have a surprising experience of ourselves. Often we get carried away. Without judging, without buying into likes and dislikes, we can always encourage ourselves to just be here again and again and again.

from “When Things Fall Apart:Heart Advice for Difficult Times”, page 27.
Heart Advice weekly quotes from Pema Chodron, courtesy of Shambhala Publications.

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Posted in Mindfulness & Buddhism | 1 Comment »

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