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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 — since 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 drawn from religious and secular traditions to be read online, downloaded, and printed. All to bring comfort to the bedside of anyone experiencing 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.
About
A late-coming and slow-learning student in the Vipassana and Zen traditions, I received jukai and the name Daishin (meaning “boundless heart”) from Chozen Bays, Roshi at Great Vow Zen Monastery in 2002. I have since guided meditation groups face-to-face with Fernwood Zendo, in community and corporate spaces, and via Zoom.
My background includes ten years in the hotel business starting at age 14, followed much, much later by emigration, graduate studies in counselling psychology (Dipl), adult education (MEd), and educational leadership (EdD), alongside decades of teaching at a hotel school, self-employed train-the-trainer work, textbook publishing, hospice spiritual care, and volunteering in care homes.
Currently, aged 83 and living with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease, my meditation practice remains my guiding star. I bow in gratitude to my parents, teachers, and loved-ones, throughout space and time.