Is Meditation Painful?

Buddhist teacher Mushim Patricia Ikeda suggest alternatives when meditation becomes too painful.

Don’t Like Meditating?

Lila Kate Wheeler, author and trainer at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, answers what to do if you don’t like to meditate.

Practicing for Myself?

A Mahayana Buddhist who is encouraged to practice for the benefit of all sentient being feels like they are only practicing for their own benefit. Venerable Thubten Chodron answers.

Meditation Leading to an Unstable Mind?

Josh Bartok, a Zen teacher, suggest what to do if meditating leads to an unstable mind.

Still a Schmuck?

A reader asks Sylvia Boorstein: “What’s the point of practice if it’s not making me a better person?”

Overwhelmed by Emotions?

Author and lay Zen teacher Susan Moon is asked: “Should I stop meditating when emotions begin to overwhelm me?”

Practicing on Your Own?

An isolated practitioner asks dharma teacher Mitchell Ratner where to look for community.

Too Busy to Meditate?

As part of our #MeditationHacks series, Vinny Ferraro, senior faculty of Mindful Schools, instructs a parent too busy to maintain a meditation practice, asking: Are there moments in your day when you could check in with yourself?

Not Trying Hard Enough?

Tenku Ruff, a Zen priest, answers the question about finding the balance between trying too hard and not trying hard enough.

Nothing to Fix, Nowhere to Go

What reveals itself when you do nothing at all? Vanessa Zuisei Goddard on the practice of “just sitting.”