John Thomas Dodson
Running the Coronavirus Marathon
I have never run a marathon, but I have helped others who were running them. I’ve driven the car to meet a runner at numerous rest stops...
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John Thomas Dodson
- Apr 20, 2020
- 3 min
Waiting in Quarantine
Last year didn’t look like this. In 2019 friends could sit together around a table and laugh, share stories, and dance the night away....
John Thomas Dodson
- Apr 1, 2020
- 2 min
The Solitude or Loneliness of Quarantine
Solitude is not loneliness, and each one of us is experiencing either one or the other during these days of quarantine. To be alone is to...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jul 24, 2019
- 3 min
Becoming a Mind Whisperer
Sustaining your attention on the breathing really develops awareness but when you get lost in thought or restlessness, that's all right...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jun 27, 2019
- 5 min
5 Minutes on Breaking Habits
Often, when we are confronted by some problem which arises again and again, we think we have somehow been fooling ourselves about any...
John Thomas Dodson
- May 23, 2019
- 3 min
The Work of the Crucible
The human heart is the crucible of the cosmos. When you realize this, a shift in consciousness occurs. You begin to see that inner life...
John Thomas Dodson
- May 7, 2019
- 2 min
Working with Resistance
There is no need to judge ourselves for being resistant; rather, we should just recognize the self-pity or fear or apathy, see these...
John Thomas Dodson
- Mar 19, 2019
- 4 min
The Habit of Being Me
Awareness: you don't create it, you recognize it....It's like this--the mood is like this, the body is like this, the breath is like...
John Thomas Dodson
- Feb 16, 2019
- 3 min
Unlearning unworthiness
The person we want most to love us is ourself. But when we attempt to bring love to ourself, ..., we discover that we sometimes think we...
John Thomas Dodson
- Feb 11, 2019
- 3 min
Beginning again (and again)
The heart of skillful meditation is the ability to let go and begin again, over and over again. Even if you have to do that thousands of...
John Thomas Dodson
- Feb 4, 2019
- 2 min
Taming without aggression
In spite of your concerted effort to keep the mind on your breathing, the mind will likely wander away. It may go to past experiences and...
John Thomas Dodson
- Feb 4, 2019
- 2 min
Observing not self
You can observe whatever you are conscious of, through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. All the things you are conscious of...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jan 31, 2019
- 2 min
A Good Meditation
In our meditation, we learn from both successes and failures. People fail all the time. Mindfulness of the breath is one of the most...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jan 30, 2019
- 2 min
Values and Actions
The path of awakening begins with a step the Buddha called right understanding. Right understanding has two parts. To start with, it asks...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jan 27, 2019
- 2 min
On Change
The essence of our experience is change. Change is incessant. Moment by moment life flows by, and it is never the same. Perpetual...
John Thomas Dodson
- Jan 26, 2019
- 1 min
Let's Begin Here
The word 'meditation' covers many mental experiences, but the goal of Buddhist meditation is to see things as they are; it is a state of...