Blog Posts

Mind Management

1/6/2026

Too often we have "monkey minds" which do not consider carefully enough the consequences of an action before it is taken. While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions. That is the law of Karma which operates through the universe. People have experienced tremendous sadness because of careless thinking and acting saying "I didn't mean for it to turn out like this." The way to avoid such troubles and tragedies lies in mind management. It is important to think things through, consider all options and take the most skillful action. Only then are the odds in our favor that the consequences will be positive rather than negative and disappointing.
-Victor M Parachin, Buddhist Wisdom for Beginners

Generosity

1/3/2026

Buddhist tradition notes that the Buddha himself taught three fundamental types of generosity. First, material generosity, which involves sharing money and other material things with others. Secondly, emotional generosity, which the Buddha described as "making others feel unafraid." We do this when we spend time with a person who has just experienced a traumatic event such as the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, or with someone who has had a loss to death, or with someone who has been "downsized." Thirdly, there is the generosity of sharing wisdom with others such as leading a meditation group, offering a spiritual workshop, making a presentation about higher values and ethics.

The Buddha often taught about the importance of generosity because it is not only helpful to the recipient of our generosity. We ourselves are greatly helped when we act generously.
-Victor M Parachin, Think Like the Buddha

The Root of Meditation

12/30/2025

Consider these words . . .
meditation,
medicine,
medic,
medication.
They all come from the same Latin prefix "medicus" which means to care or to cure.
-Victor M Parachin, Sit a Bit

Breathe Better to Feel Better

12/27/2025

"Breath is the link between the mental and physical disciplines. It makes the mind calm, lucid and steady." -Swami Vishnu Devananda
Not only do most people take breath for granted but many people do not breathe properly. Consistent ineffective breathing eventually results in fatigue, stress, anxiety, illness and a wide variety of other health issues. To determine if you are a good breather or a weak breather, take a few moments and pay attention to your breath. As you inhale and exhale sense whether your breathing is shallow and rapid or smooth and steady? Because both body and mind are affected--negatively or positively--by the way we breathe, it's important to do so properly.
-Victor M Parachin, Buddhist Wisdom for Beginners

Free Yourself from Attachment

12/23/2025

Attachment is a major theme in Eastern thought, especially in Buddhism. The Buddha specifically taught that it is attachment that leads to suffering. We suffer not because an unpleasant event has taken place in our lives, but because we add to that event the huge burden of emotions and fantasies: anger, resentment, hostility, entitlement, fear, grief, etc. The Buddha taught that freedom from attachment is the cure for suffering. "For him who is wholly free from craving, there is no grief, much less fear."
-Victor M Parachin, Eastern Wisdom for Western Minds

Attitudes are More Important than Facts

12/20/2025

Those who are grieving should think about that truth--attitudes are more important than facts. The fact is that you have lost a loved one to death. The grief is hard, and the journey is lonely. Yet your attitude can triumph over the fact about loss. Adopt the attitude that you will overcome, that you will transform pain into gain, that you will become an enlarged person as a result of this hard experience.
-Victor M Parachin, Healing Grief

Live Like a Zen Monk

12/16/2025

This Zen proverb of six words is mindfulness in a nutshell: When walking, walk. When eating, eat. It reminds us to do one thing at a time; to do it slowly; to do it deliberately; and to do it completely. This can and ought to be expanded into daily life. Here are some ways:

- When listening to a friend, listen.
- When mowing your lawn, mow.
- When loading the dishwasher, load.
- When sitting with your cat, sit.
- When driving, drive.
- When working, work.

By approaching daily living this way, you'll discover the joy of living like a Zen monk because your daily mindfulness will bring you calm, peace, perspective and tranquility.
-Victor M Parachin, Think Like the Buddha

An Important Life Lesson from Mother Earth

12/13/2025

Whenever you find it hard to keep going because the challenges are discouraging, think about our planet earth. Mother Earth experiences monsoons, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanoes. Each time any of those strikes, earth experiences destruction. And yet, the earth heals herself over time. Grass returns, flowers bloom, young trees grow. Mother Earth knows how to work in harmony with life's circumstances. Persistently and consistently she finds ways to self-heal.
-Victor M Parachin, Sit a Bit

Mindful Birthdays

12/9/2025

Note from Janet: Victor's birthday is this week and here is a post that explores a Buddhist view of birthdays.

Here are three specifically Buddhist (mindful) ways to celebrate a birthday:
First, remember, with appreciation, the woman who gave you birth. Whether your mother was adequate or not is irrelevant. The fact is, she kept you alive and nurtured your growth when you could not do it for yourself. . . . Secondly, do an act of kindness for an animal. On special days, Buddhists worldwide will go to a market and buy a live creature destined for slaughter--a fish, goat, sheep, turtle, bird--and release it in an appropriate area. . . . Another way to embrace animal compassion on a birthday is by making a significant donation to an animal shelter. Thirdly, create a more mindful birthday by contributing a gift of money to a needy individual or civic organization. By so doing, a birthday isn't just "all about me" but also about others.
-Victor M Parachin, Buddhist Wisdom for Beginners

Small Acts Make a Big Difference

12/6/2025

It's all too easy to discount our efforts and minimize our effectiveness on the planet because most of us are not creating global change--negotiating peace treaties, ending wars, discovering new vaccines, etc. Yet, the Buddha wisely reminds people not to overlook tiny good actions. Our small acts can, indeed, make a big difference. A tiny seed can, in time, produce a huge tree. A small act of compassion can relieve a great distress. The journey that covers an enormous landscape always begins with the first step. The Buddha taught, "Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel."
-Victor M Parachin, Eastern Wisdom for Western Minds

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