On New Year’s Day 2019, a steady and committed group of us from the VIMS community once again sat together in the barn at 14 Green Street to silently welcome and begin our life in this new year. Staying with our annual tradition, we preceded our meditation with a reading of several different translations of…

A caring awareness leads to life; Heedless avoidance is the path to death. Those who are aware are fully alive. While those who are heedless, Are as if already dead. The wise, being fully alive, Rejoice in a caring awareness And abide delighting In this capacity. Dhammapada vs. 21-22* On January 1, 2018, at the…

While in the midst of hate to dwell free from hating is happiness indeed. While in the midst of those who are troubled, to dwell untroubled is happiness indeed. While in the midst of those who are greedy, to dwell free from greed is happiness indeed. Verses 197-199 Dhammapada Sharon Salzberg, in her new book…

This is the Underlying Context: Thank you. You are wonderful! I love you. These three sentences––thought, whispered, spoken aloud to professional caregivers, to VIMS sangha members, to other friends, neighbors, family; to myself, to parts of my body, aspects of my mind and heart; to the garden, the street, the barn, chairs, beds, bathroom, and…

I had an interesting conversation about faith recently with Asma Elhuni. She is the lead organizer for the Upper Valley Interfaith Project (UVIP) [ http://www.unitedvalleyinterfaithproject.org/ourstaff/ ], the local interfaith social justice group of which Valley Insight is an active member organization. Asma is Muslim. New to the Upper Valley, she is the wife of the…