Articles about poetry and how it can inspire and enrich our lives.
“It has often been remarked that there is a side at which genius and madness touch, and even pass over into each other, and indeed poetical inspiration has been called a kind of madness: ‘amabilis insania,’ Horace calls it,” Arthur Schopenhauer famously wrote in “The World as Will and Representation.” Poetic amabilis insania descended on … Read more
. I start every morning with lovingkindness meditation, a Buddhist practice aimed at countering negative thoughts about yourself and others. The first step is to concentrate on your own happiness: “May I be well, may I be happy.” Next, you do the same for a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and, finally, … Read more
Many practice meditation to have special experiences. While they do occur from time to time, they’re not the goal itself. “Meditation practice should result in an improvement in the way we are, how we relate to others, and how we deal with outer circumstances,” Bhikkhu Analayo wrote in “Satipatthana: A Practice Guide.” This is a … Read more
Mindfulness meditation can anchor you in the present moment and free you from the torture of negative thinking. That’s why I started practicing it back in 2014. At the time, I felt unhappy: everything I did or achieved did not bring lasting satisfaction. What kept me going was the hope or possibility of some improvement … Read more