The Eightfold Path is composed of eight primary teachings that Buddhists follow and use in their everyday lives:
What is Plein Air?
Note: If you already think that plein air painting is painting a scene in the outdoors while outdoors, then you can skip this post. At first look, it would seem that the answer to the question “What is plein air?” would be as obvious as the answer to the question “What is cooking?” but it is not so obvious to everyone. In fact, there seems to be some confusion about it. But let’s put the plein air question aside for a moment and ask “what is cooking?” and see if there is a clue in that question to the truth […]
The Mindful Masters of Plum Village
In Buddhism, the most important practice is mindfulness, a continuous awareness of the Eightfold Path. Mindfulness has taken on a more secular meaning in modern times: awareness of the moment itself. This is a difficult thing for us monkey-minded creatures. In the modern practice of mindfulness, we are to constantly remind ourselves to be aware of the world around us, of our breath, of the birds singing, the grass growing, the cars grumbling by on the frantic streets, and even the taste of the food we eat. Imagine being aware of our dinner as we eat it. It’s almost laughable. […]