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“We can gradually drop our ideals of who we think we ought to be, or who we think we want to be, or who we think other people think we want to be or ought to be.”
~ Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist teacher, author, nun, and mother who inspires millions worldwide with her down-to-earth message of practicing peace in turbulent times.
Mindfulness meditation
has a 2,600-year history, beginning when an itinerant seeker — who became known as The Buddha — first shared it as a path to find freedom from life’s struggles. Since then, this timeless practice has travelled from East to West, earnestly passed from teacher to student, all the way down to us today.
Meditation is something anyone can learn and benefit from. It is a secular practice, open to everyone. It helps quiet a restless, racing mind, offers steady ways to navigate life’s obstacles, and nurtures deep self-compassion and kindness for others. Today, a vast body of academic research supports what practitioners have known for ages: it holds immense benefits for both mental and physical health. Grounded in a personal vow to be of service, I offer these resources:
Weekly guided meditations on zoom – now in its sixth year: 35 minutes of gentle guidance interspersed with silence. Offered at various times. No sign-up necessary. Free of charge.
A self-serve library of audio recordings for you to listen to, download, or share with friends.
“Gifts of Kindness” — a free ebook containing 195 prayers, blessings, and verses from myriad religious and secular traditions to be read online, downloaded, and printed. All to bring comfort to the bedside of anyone experiencing illness, pain, suffering, or the end of life.
May you be happy.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all leader be guided by wisdom and compassion.
Ancora imparo. (Still I am learning).
Leonardo da Vinci, expressing curiosity and humility at age 87.
A slow-learning student in the Vipassana and Zen traditions, I received the name Daishin (“boundless heart”) from Chozen Bays, Roshi during monastic practice at Great Vow Zen Monastery. Guided by a life vow To Be of Service, I went on to train in end-of-life spiritual care and, for the last 20 years, guide meditation groups in community and corporate spaces, and weekly via Zoom.
My background includes ten years in the hospitality industry starting as an apprentice aged 14, working aboard ships and in posh hotels, leading to emigration, mature-student studies in counselling psychology (Dipl), adult education (MEd), and educational leadership (EdD), alongside decades as corporate trainer-of-trainers, wine-tour guide, textbook author, trainee monk, spiritual care worker, and elder-care volunteer.
Currently, aged 83 and living with cognitive decline and early-stage Alzheimer’s, my meditation practice remains my guiding star. 🙏 I bow in gratitude to my parents, teachers, and loved-ones, throughout space and time.