children, he shared custody and parenting responsibility with his ex-wife. He hoped that meditation might help to reduce his level of stress. Beyond this he was interested in enlightenment because his readings in Zen told

as if anxious to go. THE DELUDED TEMPERAMENT BEFORE TRANSFORMATION The deluded or confused temperament is constructed

Aversion, anger, and hatred are states of mind that strike against experience, pushing it away, rejecting what is presented in the moment. They do not come from without. This insight is a reversal of the ordinary way we perceive life.

From the smallest organisms through complex life-forms to human beings, the creation of boundaries and the perception of separateness is universal. The gift of Buddhist psychology is to take us to the next step, the evolutionary capacity to see beyond the separate self. The functional self, even at its most healthy, is not who we are.

” “What is thought?” ask the Buddhist texts. “Thought is your friend. Thought is your enemy. No one can harm you as much as unwise thought. No one can help you more than wise thought. Not even the most loving parent.” Our life is shaped and determined by our thoughts.

When we have been through a process of purification and can concentrate steadily, the body, the mind, and the whole of space can appear as being filled with light.

Buddhist psychology offers meditations, cognitive strategies, ethical trainings, a powerful set of practices that foster inner transformation. But it starts with a most radical vision, one that transforms everyone it touches: a recognition of the innate nobility and the freedom of heart that are available wherever we are.

Concentration develops from our wholehearted dedication to a subject or activity. As we develop the ability to concentrate, our steadiness and focus grow. We find ourselves able to be more fully present with our whole being. Through concentration our intuition and vision open, and we experience what Western psychologists describe as “flow,” being

t a standard military portrait taken of marine private, first class, Dion J. Stephenson of Bountiful, Utah, and so they used his prom picture and you can see the hook on the strap of his bow tie…. After you look at these pictures, the war becomes difficult to follow, because to be decent, you have to stop and love them and mourn their passing, and