The Mirror of the Mind
by Atenea Garza Levy For years I didn’t understand why my grandmother answered, “Hearts are mirrors,” every time I told her I loved her. I spent quite some time thinking what that could mean, and then I decided to stop, because I was only circling around the same...Transformation
One of the Retreatants from Afar wrote us about an unexpected result of her Dharma practice. Mary Grace teaches school and is a wife, mother, and grandmother in addition to being a Dharma practitioner.
A Parent’s Letter to His Children
Henry Baey was on the pilgrimage following the International Buddhist Congregation in Delhi, in November, 2011. His visit to the ruins of Nalanda University affected him deeply, sparking the following email to his sons who were back in Singapore. Whats App to Yi-Wei...How to Wake Up or How to Cultivate Bodhicitta?
Daniela Mieritz adjusts to Abbey life with the help of bodhicitta: “When some teachers of the past reflected on the rarity of human existence they did not even feel like sleeping, they could not bear to waste a single moment. They put all their energy into...Thanksgiving
Ken moved to the Abbey is July, ’11, and took anagarika precepts to begin preparing for monastic ordination. He wrote this for his family in Florida to contemplate on Thanksgiving Day. Giving thanks for what we have has many benefits. Through our cultivating sincere...Except for All Turkeys
The anagarikas at Sravasti Abbey offer this Thanksgiving poem to all our friends (by Terri Chambers [Ven. Tsultrim], Jonathan Owen, Ken Matthews, Daniela Mieritz [Ven. Jampa].
Challenging Ourselves
Becky applied to attend a course at the Abbey. In her application she said that she had a drink several times a week. We responded by asking her to stop drinking completely at least a month before coming to the Abbey so that she didn’t have to deal with changing this...From Enemy to Brother
Kevin sent us this touching story, which is a perfect example of how artificial the categories of friend, enemy, and stranger are. When we look beyond superficial appearances and human-made boundaries, into people’s hearts, we see that we are all the same in wanting...The Value of Constant Reminders
Cheri has been following our Bodhisattva Breakfast Corner talks for some time and wrote this note to the Abbey