Aloha Sangha

Kuan Yin is an archetype of compassion in Buddhism. Sometimes portrayed as female, or male, or androgynously, they manifest the impulse to help suffering beings.

Compassion in Buddhism: Why does Kuan Yin have so many hands? » Aloha Sangha Kuan Yin is an archetype of compassion in Buddhism. Sometimes portrayed as female, or male, or androgynously, they manifests the impulse to help suffering beings.

Summer is here and there is LOT going on-> The Buddhist meditation in Honolulu calendar feautures events of interest to folks curious about practicing meditation within a classical Buddhist setting.

community events >> aloha sangha You’ll find here a listing of groups practicing Buddhist insight meditation in Honolulu, as well as special events, retreats or guest teachers.

Perhaps we need to chill a little, and settle into the slow simple life that’s already here. And embrace this moment, without trying to improve or tweak anything.

a slow, simple life » Aloha Sangha Perhaps we need to chill a little, and settle into the slow simple life that’s already here; embrace this moment, without trying to improve or tweak anything.

We all just want to be happy and feel at home in our own lives, but, as the song goes, we are looking in all the wrong places.

traveling lightly » Aloha Sangha There is a story by Mark Twain about someone who dies and goes to "heaven" and gets a pair of wings and a harp. At first, they used the wings as a way of

Mindfulness allows us to live into all that cannot be solved. It’s also a gateway to the peace of the present moment.

living into what cannot be solved » Aloha Sangha Equanimity is not some fantastic state far off state. It’s actually right here, right now as an aspect of your regular, ordinary awareness, reading this.

This meditation is a self-discovery. We uncover the treasure of our very own being. We lose interest in listening to the voices shouting at us about our deficiencies.

the most important thing » Aloha Sangha Someone once asked Suzuki Roshi, the pioneering Zen teacher from Japan who founded the Zen Center of San Francisco in 1969:

What makes the difference are the qualities of heart we bring to our everyday experiences. It’s a seeing, a knowing, that is utterly pure. A quiet aliveness without the stirring of expectation.

a quiet aliveness » Aloha Sangha What makes the difference are the qualities of heart we bring to our everyday experiences. . A quiet aliveness without the stirring of expectation.

The mind throws up resistance to the process of liberation- but we can metabolize this, allowing deep change and a graceful opening into a timeless, refreshing, presence.

meeting our edge » Aloha Sangha The mind throws up resistance to liberation- but we can metabolize this, allowing deep change and a graceful opening into a timeless, refreshing, presence.

Check out our summer calendar- there is something here for anyone who is interested in, or simply curious about, Buddhist meditation.

community events >> aloha sangha You’ll find here a listing of groups practicing Buddhist insight meditation in Honolulu, as well as special events, retreats or guest teachers.

Meditation turns special moments on their head. It turns out we don’t need special moments to savor the openness to experience.

openness to experience » Aloha Sangha

Even after forty years of meditation, I catch my mind running around on a mental hamster wheel trying to figure out some vital issue, which, after a mindful pause and some reflection, turns out to be rather trivial.

walking away from the hamster wheel » Aloha Sangha We can imagine what happened in the past and what might happen in the future. Our cognitive power propels us to the top of the food chain on this planet, and

In the present moment we discover a spontaneity beyond time, where there is no aging, no measuring, no comparing to what was, and no worry about what will be.

this is why we meditate » Aloha Sangha

The poems I have gathered here have offered me spiritual companionship over the years, offering glimpses of wisdom, compassion, peacefulness, and good cheer, helping me over many an edge in my meditation practice.

mindful poems » Aloha Sangha » 1 Combine reading mindful poems with other techniques in your toolkit. You can read a poem before meditation, or use it as a focal point during your practice.

Accessible, free, and deep: a short course in Buddhist meditation. Experience the simplicity and depth of early Buddhist meditation.

introduction to Buddhist meditation » Aloha Sangha » 1 as practiced in a thriving Western community following the early Buddhist teachings

What a marvel, what a special thing it is to be conscious, to be aware, and to know that we’re aware- this is the essence of mindfulness practice.

the essence of mindfulness practice » Aloha Sangha

Rather than striving to get rid of stress and confusion, we recognize how mental states act as a false barrier to our very own natural calm, focus, and joy.

be happy, meditate » Aloha Sangha Mindfulness meditation is not just another way to fix what we feel might be broken in our lives. Maybe you struggle with low moods, motivation, or existential

We meet for meditation this Thursday, January 25, 2024--> why not join our free weekly drop-in class? It meets Thursdays in Palolo Valley from 6 to 7:30 PM. Always free, bring a friend.

Mindfulness in Honolulu: Free weekly classes Aloha Sangha offers free weekly classes exploring mindfulness in Honolulu, in their home in Palolo Valley since 1998. All are welcome.

Meditation helps us put down the baggage we carry around so we can travel lightly in this world.

the most important thing » Aloha Sangha Someone once asked Suzuki Roshi, the pioneering Zen teacher from Japan who founded the Zen Center of San Francisco in 1969:

Experiment infusing your meditation time with playful qualities such as curiosity, lightness, interest, awe, delight and zest.

mindfulness as play» Aloha Sangha Experiment infusing your meditation time with playful qualities such as curiosity, lightness, interest, awe, delight and zest-->mindfulness as play.

This is our work. To kneel down into the moment, to kiss the ground of our common experience, and discover peace and joy in the shared nature of being as the mind settles down and the heart relaxes.

to live wisely, and able to love » Aloha Sangha What does it mean to practice Dharma in the home stretch of 2023, with all the wars, hate crimes, refugee crises, and environmental catastrophes all over the

We meditate this Thursday, November 16, 2023--> why not join our weekly mindfulness drop-in class? It meets Thursdays in Palolo Valley from 6 to 7:30 PM. Always free, bring a friend.

Meditation Hawaii: Free Meditation Classes in Honolulu Aloha Sangha offers free mindfulness meditation sessions and classes suitable for beginners since 1998 at our home in Palolo Valley. All are welcome.

When we sit with awareness of our body sitting and breathing, we tap into a basic human sanity that is freely available to all of us.

basic human sanity » Aloha Sangha The ongoing events in Gaza are hard to take in. I am sorry to bring this up, but I can’t shake these feelings. If I could draw a picture of my inner being, it

As I contemplate the latest news about the Israel-Hamas war, is meditating for an hour in the morning even relevant?

our private nirvanas in times of war » Aloha Sangha As I write this, the world seems even more precarious than last week. It’s difficult for me to write today. It’s as if the sorrow fell overnight like a

When I mindfully contact the fear I feel as I think about the Israel-Hamas war, the bars in the prison of my own mind bend a little, giving me some breathing room to process it all.

hello darkness, my old friend » Aloha Sangha The other day I came across a very short poem by the 11th century Japanese woman poet Izumi Shikibu, and it struck a chord:

When you don’t feel compassion as you scroll through the daily newsfeed horror show- just be aware of not feeling particularly compassionate.

what if I don't feel compassion? » Aloha Sangha When we don’t feel compassion as we scroll through the daily newsfeed horror show- just be aware of not feeling particularly compassionate.

If your mind could text you while you are meditating, what would it text? ... I think it’s been 30 minutes already, why has the bell not sounded? Or … This is sooooo boring? What’s for dinner?

uncomfortable in meditation? >> Aloha Sangha If we get uptight about feeling uncomfortable in meditation, just remember this simple instruction- give careful and kind attention to whatever arises.

Want some priceless meditation advice? Become intimate with your moment by moment experience, whatever it is, and wake from the spell of perpetual postponement.
https://www.alohasangha.com/now-or-never/

meditation advice: it's now or never » Aloha Sangha Want some priceless meditation advice? Become intimate with your moment by moment experience, whatever it is, and wake from the spell of perpetual postponement.

"Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of life. Though you have broken your vow a hundred times, ours is not a caravan of despair."

not a caravan of despair » Aloha Sangha The meditation teacher Karen Maezen Miller, in a piece published in Lion’s Roar, rightfully calls us on this thought, while describing how the domestic lives