“To be loved means first of all to be recognized as existing.” Thich Nhat Hanh By Jill MacCormack What does it mean to love and be loved? I cannot say for certain but I do know that what the great Vietnamese peace activist, poet and mindfulness meditation teacher, the late Thich Nhat Hanh said, th…

By Steve Staniek I spent 40 years in Health Physics, protecting workers and the public against nuclear risks, and by the time I retired I was a stressed-out wreck. We moved to the country where I began to study shamanism as a path to healing. I took a couple of basic shamanic courses from FSS, and b…

Recently I told Debra Muzikar (editor of the Art of Autism blog) about the book I wrote on Buddha Shakyamuni’s life entitled “Symphony for India Buddha and Freedom.” In this book, Siddhartha behaves like a person on the autism spectrum since early childhood. Debra asked me to write an article on wh…

“Mindfulness has freed me from years of sadness and frustrations that I originally thought were because I was autistic but now I feel that those past experiences with sadness and frustration were because I did not know how to be mindful and create my own happiness,” Travis Breeding By Tr…

Buoyed by science behind neuroplasticity and how contemplative practice can alter the structure of one’s brain, I began to practice meditation religiously. By Tom Clements I was raised without religion. I don’t believe in a higher power. Throughout my life I have preferred to remain in doubt and to…

During my years, I had been stuck in a cycle of isolation and of desire. I’d wanted things I couldn’t have. I was invariably failing to search for things I couldn’t attain. But now, I had a means to break free from this habit. The key to liberation was within me and the first step was to accept who …