Buddhist Philosophy

What Devotion Really Is, Part 2 – Cultivating Devotion and Sometimes Saying No

In modern culture, we seem to have lost the traditional regard for our mentors. In the old days, you apprenticed to a trade. Your master was not necessarily the easiest person to get along with. But they did teach you a trade, a way to eat, and you felt sincere gratitude, even love. This gratitude for mentors was a part of every human civilization.

Buddhist Philosophy

What Devotion Really Is, Part 1 – Devotion Beyond Concepts

What is devotion? Is there something about the guru/disciple relationship that makes it unsuited to the modern world? If this relationship is truly essential to swiftly making progress along the path, how can we do so safely, especially in light of some of the stories we have recently had to hear about?

Preferences
Buddhist Philosophy

Preferences, Habit, Practice

Preferences dominate our thinking most of the time whether we consciously note them or not.  We carry them into our meditation practice. But is that smart? We like or we dislike–often intensely. And if we are practicing meditation, we may be surprised to notice that we spend a lot of time pursuing or discussing our own preferences. Moreover, we may invest preferences with a lot of power.

Often, we decide that we don’t like a particular practice. And then we decide we shouldn’t continue it. Some people react strongly against ritual practices, for example–and think that they are happier just sitting in meditation quietly. But is that really so easy?

Buddhist Philosophy

The Dignity of Present-Moment Awareness

By Erric Solomon In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale’s prototypical self-help book, The Power of Positive Thinking, was unleashed upon the American public. This massively popular

Buddhist Philosophy

Inside the Radically Happy book

In this video, Phakchok Rinpoche and I describe how our new book can positively impact your life. Transform you mind and change the world!

Buddhist Philosophy

Listen Here: Radically Happy Audiobook

Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon have collaborated on Radically Happy: A User’s Guide to the Mind.  Many people have questions–what does the book discuss? What does the title mean? In this regular blog feature, co-creator, Erric Solomon shares more about how to be Radically Happy

Buddhist Philosophy

Why Did We Write Radically Happy?

A couple of months ago I blogged about how I met Rinpoche. We left off with my wife and I riding off into the sunset,

Buddhist Philosophy

What is Radically Happy?

What Radically Happy is in less than 90 seconds! Order your copy of Radically Happy via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound or wherever good books are sold. Phakchok

Buddhist Philosophy

How to Keep Juggling No Matter What

In the midst of a total emotional breakdown, I got a phone call from one of my meditation teachers. It was 5 a.m. my time, but he was calling from Europe. “Erric! Right now everything is fine, don’t think about yourself too much!” Then he laughed.

Buddhist Philosophy

How to Thrive in the Midst of a Hectic Day? The Magic of Many Practices

It’s clear that to learn to cope, grow and thrive, we need a few different strategies, which means we need to combine a variety of practices that help us get used to being fully present in the face of whatever arises in our mind with practices that help us be kind and caring.

3 problems with looking for happiness logo
Buddhist Philosophy

Radically for Happiness

If we look honestly at our lives, we can see that one our major preoccupation is acquiring the things and attempting to create the circumstances