The thing Buddhism gets right.

 Much can be said about the Buddha's teachings, about the importance of meditation, wisdom, compassion, how we are all interconnected. Of course, many other spiritual traditions share these same attributes. Here is what Buddhism really gets right:

The focus of the practice is on our own mind. 

This practice is going to take awhile. 

You are not to jump right to benefitting others and compassionate activity. You should not get lost in working in projects outside yourself. Bring the focus inside, learn to recognize your own needs, your own wounds, your own limitations. 

As you learn to open your own mind, to heal your own heart, you naturally become more open and available to others. 

You can't shortcut this step. There is no escaping this requirement, if you try to avoid it then it will always be a limiting factor in your life. 

You are the limit, and the throttle. 

Guiding intention.

I have been thinking a lot the past few weeks about what this blog means to me and why I even bother to share it with others. Often times it seems like I am writing into a void for the sole purpose of clarifying my thinking. Other times I find myself needing to share something, so putting it out into the world where people can interact with it seems like the right thing to do. As I have been contemplating more and more as of late on the significance of writing, I have come up with a sort of guiding intention:

May I be more open, available and responsive every day, 
and inspire others to be the same. 

Along the way I hope to translate the important (and life changing) principles of the Buddhist practice tradition into simple, practical tools and ideas people can use in their daily life. I'll continue to refine, reimagine and recreate those tools and practices to reveal their relevance for modern life. 

If that resonates with you, then I hope you will keep reading and share your insights and struggles along the way. If you have stuck with me this long, thank you, it means a lot to me. I look forward to the journey ahead, and any time you have a question or insight or something to share, just hit reply and I'll be on the other end.