Tag Archives: dana

July 2017 full moon – Gratitude

Just last week, I finished a one-month retreat at the Insight Meditation Society’s Forest Refuge in Barre, Massachusetts, led by Sayadaw U Vivekananda.  What a relief it was, to temporarily put down some of the burdens I didn’t even know I was carrying, and to have such a powerful opportunity to “disentangle the tangle” (asContinueContinue reading “July 2017 full moon – Gratitude”

4 July 2014 – celebrating two years of “homelessness”

Just realised today is the second anniversary since I had to leave the US, which means I’ve been technically homeless and living out of this suitcase (the silver sub) for two years now!  Sending much gratitude to all the people who have given me a roof over my head – thanks to all of you,ContinueContinue reading “4 July 2014 – celebrating two years of “homelessness””

Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving

Greg Scharf and volunteer cook Donald Elniff enjoying cake dana at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre Right now, I’m assisting my friend Greg Scharf teach a two week retreat at the Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre in New South Wales, Australia.  And right about now, the annual three-month retreat at the Insight Meditation SocietyContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 4: Giving and Receiving”

Generosity part 3: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

This TED talk by a musician, Amanda Palmer, on “The Art of Asking” really resonated with some of my own recent experiences of giving and receiving.  It’s not a classical Buddhist “dana talk” – it even features some brief nudity – but her courage in being willing to connect with a diverse cross-section of people,ContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 3: The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer”

Generosity part 2 – Christmas

More on generosity – this time from the English monk Ajahn Sucitto. He asks some great questions in his latest blog: “So how well does the notion of the self-centred human, motivated by profit and personal gain, stand up in this light? What is noticeable is that when given a free choice, people incline towardsContinueContinue reading “Generosity part 2 – Christmas”