Do not recall. Do not think. Do not anticipate. Do not meditate. Do not analyze. Rest naturally. These six brief instructions were given by the Indian Buddhist teacher Tilopa over a thousand years ago. At first glance they may seem impossible or even confusing. How can we stop recalling, thinking, anticipating, or analyzing? And what…
Posts by G. R. Lewis
How much of our stress comes from needing to know? We want to know what will happen next, whether we are making the right decision, how other people feel about us, and whether our plans will succeed. Much of our anxiety arises not from uncertainty itself, but from our discomfort with uncertainty. We search for…
Recognizing the Hook Most of us know the feeling. Someone says something sharp to us and we replay it all day. We feel lonely and immediately reach for distraction. We become anxious, angry, defensive, or consumed by craving. A single moment catches us, and suddenly the mind is spinning stories, rehearsing conversations, feeding emotions, and…
Why Balance Matters Most of our days are filled with ups and downs, happy one minute, stressed or sad the next. These emotional swings come from how we react to life, often making things harder than they need to be. In Buddhism, balance isn’t about being perfect or emotionless; it’s about finding a stable center…
Love as Our Deepest Nature In the Buddhist tradition, it is said that a future Buddha will appear in this world, known as Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of Love. The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, foretold that this Buddha would arise far in the future, thousands of years from now, when the Dharma has faded from…
Starting Exactly Where We Are It is easy to believe that spiritual life begins once we are calmer, less reactive, or more disciplined. We imagine that when our circumstances improve or our emotions settle down, then we will practice sincerely. Until then, we feel as though we are preparing to practice rather than actually practicing.…
Why Habits Matter Most of our life is lived through habit. We wake up the same way, think the same thoughts, react in familiar patterns, and move through the world on well-worn tracks. Habits give structure to life, but they also quietly shape who we become. In Buddhism, habits are not merely psychological tendencies. They…
In a World of Division, the Middle Way Late in autumn, as the last leaves had fallen and only a few lingered on the branches above the Shoyoan Teien Zen garden, I found myself speaking words that arose extemporaneously. They were shaped by a reading, the season, and the stillness of that moment. During a…
Awakening unfolds as we orient ourselves through view, rest in awareness through meditation, and allow wisdom and compassion to express themselves naturally in how we live together. Buddhism is often described as a path of awakening, but at its heart it begins with a simple and compassionate insight: our deepest nature is already whole. Even…
In the Buddhist path, suffering (dukkha) is often seen as an unavoidable part of life—something each of us meets again and again in different forms. Whether it appears as frustration, loss, or confusion, it often feels like a solid wall blocking our peace. Yet Buddhism teaches that this wall is not as real as it…