No Equipment Necessary: Reverse Elbow Plank With Leg Lifts

Looking for a tough exercise that will work your shoulders, legs, and abs? Then have I got the move for you. The hardest part about this exercise is keeping your hips up while you lift your legs. Plus this move will challenge your core.

To find out how to do this move read more.

• Begin on your back, with your legs straight and your torso propped up on your elbows.
• Now press into your feet and lift your bum off the ground. Try to keep your body in one diagonal line.
• When you're ready, alternate between lifting your right leg up and then your left. Move with control, and keep the movements slow and steady. The entire time, make sure you're continuing to lift your hips.
• Complete 8 to10 lifts on each leg, eventually working up to 15 on each side. Take a break and do one more set.

The Plank is a great way to work your abs, arms, and back. All you need in order to do this version of the plank is your own body weight. Here's how you do it:

• Get face down on the floor resting on your forearms and knees.
• Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows.
• Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.
• Keep your back flat — don't let it droop or you'll be defeating the purpose. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank.
• Hold as long as you can. Aim for 20-30 seconds in the beginning and work your way up to one minute, as you get stronger.
• Repeat three times.

HONEST PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS, TOO

1. The Enlightened Universe: The Age of Spiritual Machines
   Listen to eminent author, inventor, and futurist Dr. Ray Kurzweil speak with ease and eloquence about the challenging task of keeping pace with the exponential rate of technological change occurring on the planet.
( Read more... )

"My husband is no longer my friend."

"The only time he pays attention to me is when he wants sex."

"He is never there for me when I need him the most."

"When he hurts my feelings he doesn't apologize."

"He lives his life as if we weren't married; he rarely considers me."

"We're like ships passing in the night, he goes his way and I go mine."

"My husband has become a stranger to me, I don't even know who he is anymore."

"He doesn't show any interest in me or what I do."


Women tend to be more concerned about their marriages than men. They buy most of the books on marriage to try to improve them and initiate most marriage counseling. They often complain about their marriages to their closest friends and sometimes to anyone who will listen. And they also file for divorce twice as often as men.

Why do women seem so dissatisfied with marriage? What do they want from their husbands? What bothers them so much about marriage that most are willing to risk their families' future to escape it?

Why do women leave men?

Each day I am confronted by women who are extremely frustrated with their marriages. They usually express no hope that their husbands will ever understand what it is that frustrates them, let alone change enough to solve the problem. From their perspective, marital problems are created by their husbands who do little or nothing to solve them. Wives tend to see themselves as the major force for resolving conflicts, and when they give up their effort, the marriage is usually over.

When I talk to their husbands, they usually have a very different explanation as to why their wives feel the way they do. They often feel that the expectations of women in general, and their wives in particular, have grown completely out of reach. These men, who feel that they've made a gigantic effort to be caring and sensitive to their wives, get no credit whatsoever for their sizeable contribution to the family. They feel under enormous pressure to improve their financial support, improve the way they raise their children, and improve the way they treat their wives. Many men I see are emotionally exhausted and feel that for all their effort, they get nothing but criticism.

The simpler role of husbands in decades past has now been replaced by a much more complex and confusing role, especially in their relationship with their wives. Some conclude that women are born to complain and men must ignore it to survive. Others feel that women have come to expect so much of men that they are impossible to please, so there's no point in even trying. Very few men, these days, feel that they have learned to become the husbands that their wives have wanted, and the job seems to be getting more and more difficult.

Grounds for Divorce

Men's perceived failure to satisfy their wives is punctuated by the fact that women file for divorce twice as often as men. In other words, their unhappiness with marriage often results in divorce.

The most common reason women give for leaving their husbands is "mental cruelty." When legal grounds for divorce are stated, about half report they have been emotionally abused. But the mental cruelty they describe is rarely the result of their husband's efforts to drive them crazy. It is usually husbands being indifferent, failing to communicate and demonstrating other forms of neglect.

Another reason for divorce reported almost as much as mental cruelty is "neglect" itself. These include both emotional abandonment and physical abandonment. Husbands that work away from the home, sometimes leaving their wives alone for weeks at a time, fall into this category.

When all forms of spousal neglect are grouped together, we find that it is far ahead of all the other reasons combined that women leave men. Surprisingly few women divorce because of physical abuse, infidelity, alcoholism, criminal behavior, fraud, or other serious grounds. In fact, I find myself bewildered by women in serious physical danger refusing to leave men that threaten their safety.

Simply stated, women leave men when they are neglected. Neglect accounts for almost all of the reasons women leave and divorce men.

I have little trouble convincing most men that verbal and physical abuse are legitimate reasons for their wives to leave. And there has been increasing social pressure on men lately to avoid hurting their wives physically and verbally, which makes my job even easier.

But neglect is a much tougher sell, and it is also much more difficult to overcome than abuse. While it is the most important reason women leave men, it is hard to convince men that it is a legitimate reason, something they should avoid at all costs.

Some of the common complaints I hear from women is, "He ignores me except when he wants sex, he sits and watches television when he could be talking to me, he rarely calls me to see how I'm doing, he hurts my feelings and then never apologizes: Instead, he tells me I'm too sensitive."

Most husbands are mystified by these complaints. They feel that their wives demand too much, and that most other women would be ecstatic if married to them. Their wives have become spoiled, take their efforts for granted and have unrealistic expectations.

Do women expect too much of their husbands or are men doing less for their wives than they should? I've proven to husbands over and over again that their wives usually do not expect too much of them, and when they understand and respond to their wives' frustration, the complaining ends and a terrific marriage begins.

What's more, their wives are not expecting more effort from them. Instead, they expect efforts in a different direction. It isn't more difficult to please women these days, it simply requires a change in the priority of effort.

What are women looking for in men? They want a soul mate, someone they trust who is there for them when they have a problem, who takes their feelings into account when decisions are being made. Someone to whom they feel emotionally connected.

A Man's House

I use a house as an illustration to help husbands understand how their wives feel. Each room in the house represents one of the husband's roles in life. There is a room for his job as a production manager, there is another for golf, another for his new sports car, one for his garden, one for his children, one for church, and, yes, one for his wife.

As he makes his way through an average day, he visits various rooms when he is faced with the role the room defines. And when he's in a certain room, the others are blocked out of his mind so that he can focus his undivided attention on the role he plays at the time. He does his best when he's not faced with distractions, and prefers to deal with each problem with all his energy and creativity so that he does the best he can in each role he plays.

The wives of most men are only one of many rooms in this imaginary house. It represents the "husband" role. When they are in that room, they usually try to give their wives undivided attention and make a special effort to meet their needs. They also go to that room to have their own needs met, particularly the need for sex.

What frustrates wives most is that they are relegated to only one room in their husbands' imaginary house instead of every room. In other words, they want to be integrated into a man's entire life, not relegated to one corner. Without such integration, there can be no emotional bonding, no uniting of the spirit, no feeling of intimacy and, in many cases, no sex.

To help husbands learn to avoid this unpleasant outcome, I have tried to show them how to become and stay emotionally connected to their wives by inviting them into each room of their house. They learn to become more than the role of "husband" to their wives. They learn to integrate their wives into every aspect of their lives.

When I counsel a husband, I explain that he is to invite his wife into each room of his house. Regardless of his role or responsibility, his wife should be considered in each decision he makes. Once the invitation is made, the results are startling!

When a husband invites his wife into each room of his house, she helps change his priorities. She reminds him that her feelings are very different from his. As a result, he begins to live his life in a way that is compatible to her needs and values.

He learns how to avoid habits that cause his wife to be unhappy, and he learns how to meet her most important emotional needs. He also learn how to give his undivided attention to her and schedule time to be alone with her.

The Policy of Joint Agreement

To help men integrate their wives into each room, I have encouraged husbands to follow the Policy of Joint Agreement: Never do anything without an enthusiastic agreement between you and your spouse.

This policy helps men take their wives' feelings into account whenever they make a decision. They avoid thoughtless habits, learn to meet emotional needs with mutual enjoyment and resolve their conflicts. All of this creates marital compatibility and emotional bonding.

The word "anything" in the policy applies to all the activities of a husband that go on in each of his rooms. So whenever he follows it, he learns to think about his wife's reaction to everything he does, not just what goes on in the "husband" room.

Some argue that just an agreement would be a big help, why insist on enthusiastic agreement? It's because I want couples to avoid agreements that are coerced or self-sacrificing. I want couples to learn how to come to agreements that take both of their interests into account at once. I have encouraged couples to continue to negotiate until they arrive at an enthusiastic agreement because they're the ones that stand up to the test of time.

Most men complain that if they invite their wives into every room of their imaginary houses, their wives will take over completely and they will lose all their peace and freedom. They imagine their identities shriveling away and finding themselves a shadow of their former selves.

But the Policy of Joint Agreement prevents that unfortunate outcome. Joint agreement means that both husband and wife must be enthusiastic together, and no one risks losing their identity or subjecting themselves to slavery when they themselves must be enthusiastic about each decision. The goal is to become united in purpose and spirit, not to overpower or control each other.

How Easy Is It?

Couples that are already emotionally bonded have little or no trouble following this policy because they have already learned how to behave in sensitive and caring ways in each of their life's roles. But emotionally distant couples have great difficulty with the policy at first. They are accustomed to doing what they please regardless of it's effect on each other, especially when they play certain roles. But if they follow the policy for even one day, they begin to see how their thoughtlessness has created emotional distance.

As couples apply the policy to each of their daily plans and activities, they begin to feel cared for by each other and are encouraged by each other's thoughtfulness. Over time, their emotional bonding becomes more and more firm, and the policy becomes easier and easier to follow as they become soul mates.

Men who follow the Policy of Joint Agreement think about their wives throughout the day, because as they make decisions they ask themselves how their wives would feel. Phone calls are made whenever there is any doubt. As time passes, these men become increasingly sensitive to their wives' feelings.

If men consider their wives feelings in each decision they make, asking their wives when there is any uncertainty, they create a compatible lifestyle. The Policy of Joint Agreement helps create understanding, emotional bonding, intimacy and romantic love in marriage. Men that learn to take their wives feelings into account meet their most important emotional needs. They also learn to overcome the selfish habits that make their wives so unhappy, because these habits do not meet the standard of mutual agreement. Over time, they experience what every couple hopes to create in marriage: A loving and compatible relationship.

A woman doesn't leave the man who has invited her into every room of his house. That's because she doesn't stand outside the rooms of his house feeling like a stranger. She is welcomed into his entire home as his cherished life partner.

Breakfast Quinoa with Dried Cherries, Raisins, and Pecans
Since this is a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast that is great for a post-hike boost

Makes 2 main or 4 side servings
Yields about 2 1/2- 3 cups

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon Smart Balance light buttery spread, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 cup dried cherries
1/8 cup mixed raisins
1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted

To toast the pecans, place in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan handle in a back-and-forth a few times for about 2 minutes, or until nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant.

In a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Pour the uncooked quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve; rinse and drain. (This helps remove some slight natural bitterness from the grains). Add the rinsed quinoa to the sauce pan, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa absorbs the water, puffs up, and turns translucent. If the water has evaporated before the quinoa is cooked, just add a bit more water. They should maintain a slight crunch when cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium-low heat, add butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir until melted. Pour over cooked quinoa, and add dried fruit and nuts. Toss until combined. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Chickpea Soup with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil

(Makes about 6 servings

1 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), soaked at least 8 hours or overnight in cold water
6 cups homemade chicken stock or 4 cans chicken broth (you could make this a vegetarian soup by using vegetable broth)
1 yellow onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, diced very small
1 T olive oil (or less, depending on your pan)
1 can diced tomatoes with juice (I like Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes)
3-4 cups chopped baby spinach (measure before chopping)
2-4 T chopped fresh basil

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Soak chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 hours in cold water. Drain chickpeas and discard water, and pick out any loose skins that have come off.

Put chickpeas in heavy soup pot with chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chickpeas are tender. This will depend on how fresh the dried chickpeas were, but for me it took about an hour. Use a spoon or stock skimmer to remove any foam that appears.

When chickpeas are tender, heat olive oil in heavy frying pan, then saute onions about 5 minutes, until fairly soft. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add onions and garlic to soup pot with diced tomatoes. Let soup simmer on low heat about 30 minutes.

Add chopped spinach to soup (adding a bit more water or chicken stock if needed) and simmer 15-30 minutes more. I used my beloved Braun Immersion Blender at this point to slightly break up the ingredients. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can put about 1/3 of the soup into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times. You can skip this step completely too, if you'd like a chunkier soup.

Stir in chopped basil and cook 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste and serve hot. This is wonderful topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (If you have some parmesan rinds, throw them into the soup while it's cooking for even more flavor.)

Red Curry with Chicken & Bamboo Shoots (Gaeng Phed Kai Sai Nawmai)

This authentic spicy coconut milk based red curry uses homemade red curry paste. Flavored with both fresh and dried spices, kaffir lime leaves and fresh sweet basil leaves it is a harmonious dish with chicken. Finish the cooking with the addition of fish sauce to taste and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast

• 1 can bamboo shoots, sliced

• 3 tbsp red curry paste

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 2 fresh red chili, sliced diagonally

• 1/2 cup Thai sweet basil leaves (bai horapah), torn

• 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 1/2 tsp palm sugar

• Thai sweet basil leaves (bai horapah) for garnish

Preparation

Wash the chicken, slice diagonally into 1/2 cm thick, 3 cm wide and 3 cm long pieces. Thinly slice the bamboo shoots (if not already sliced).Pour 1 cup of coconut milk into a wok. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Add the curry paste, stir until red oil comes to the surface. Add the chicken and saute until it turns white and is cooked through.Add the remaining coconut milk, follow with the bamboo shoots. Season with fish sauce, sugar, and salt and bring back to a boil. Sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and sweet basil leaves. Turn off the heat. Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with sweet basil leaves before serving.

Notes: If Thai sweet basil is not available, either omit or substitute other fresh herbs such as coriander or European basil. See our Thai ingredients page for more details.

Raw Cauliflower Ceviche

1/2 head of cauliflower
1 or 2 tomatoes, depending on taste
1 cucumber
1 onion
1 bunch of cilantro
1 or 2 carrots depending on size
1 or 2 serrano chiles (depending again on taste)
Juice of 4 lemons/limes
Salt + pepper to taste
1 avocado

Cube the tomatoes and cucumbers (small cubes would be preferable)
Chop the onion into small sized pieces (cubing also works)
Shred the carrot(s) either by hand or using a shredding food processor
Chop the serrano chile and cauliflower, making them into small pieces
Dice the cilantro
Combine all of these into a bowl, add the lemon/lime juice (the more the better! :) )
Add salt + pepper to taste.
top with chopped avocado
This finished raw "ceviche" can be served on flax crackers (to act as chips or tostadas) or eaten as a delicious salad by itself! The finished lime juice mixed with the veggies + chile + salt/pepper is amazing!

"Don't worry about what the world wants from you. Worry about what makes you come more alive, because what the world really needs are people who are more alive." -Laurence Le Shan

Spring Sesame Ginger Asparagus Stir-Fry

Sesame stir-fry sauce:

2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ cup water or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Stir-fried vegetables:

1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 bundles medium-thick asparagus, stem ends trimmed, spears cut into 2-inch lengths on the diagonal (about 30 asparagus)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
8 scallions, sliced into 2-inch lengths

To make sauce: Dissolve the cornstarch in the water or broth. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.

To make vegetables: Heat oil over high heat in a large sauté pan or wok. Add the asparagus, red peppers and scallions. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and continue to stir-fry 4 minutes until asparagus is crisp-tender and a sauce forms and thickens in pan. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving (without tofu): 133 calories, 49 percent calories from fat, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0.24 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 4 g total fiber, 7 g total sugars, 11 g net carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 291 mg sodium

Per serving (with tofu): 228 calories, 49 percent calories from fat, 12 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, ).24 mg cholesterol, 17 g carbohydrates, 5 g total fiber, 7 g total sugars, 12 g net carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 295 mg sodium

Pesto

Use best ingredients (fresh basil, good olive oil and cheese) - remember that different basils have different tastes. More delicate if you add a few tablespoons of butter or heavy cream. Refrigerates for a few days, or you can prepare to cheese point and freeze for a few months. Practice improves it.

• 4 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves, washed, dried on paper towels

• 1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts) or mixed - toasted (optional)

• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, more to taste

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, more or less to taste

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese or all Parmesan or pecorino

OPTIONAL: TOAST pine nuts (not walnuts) in small heavy pan over low heat moving around, stirring or shaking pan as they can burn from one moment to the next.

PUT basil, pine or walnuts, salt, garlic and olive oil in blender.

BLEND at high speed till smooth. You may need to stop the blender a few times to scrape down the sides.

YOU can either add the cheese at this point and blend a few seconds more, or remove from blender and mix in the cheese by hand.

DRAIN the pasta, put in warm serving bowl, and mix in the pesto sauce while still hot.

WHENEVER you prepare pesto for pasta, save some of the water in which the pasta has cooked and add a tablespoon or two to the sauce before tossing it with the pasta.

IF refrigerating, place in jar or container covering exposed surface of pesto sauce with a film of olive oil (pesto turns very dark otherwise), cover with a tight fitting lid. The same procedure applies to freezing pesto.

ZUCCHINI AND PESTO LASAGNA

• 1/2 lb. dried imported Italian lasagna

• 1 cup pesto

• 16 oz. fresh ricotta cheese, let stand to room temperature

• 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt

• 6 medium or 8 small zucchini

• 1 28-oz. can imported Italian crushed tomatoes

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

• 2 tbs. olive oil

• salt

• pepper

• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Saute garlic in olive oil in lidded sauce pan until garlic is pale gold. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes.

Cook lasagna according to package directions. Rinse in cold water. Drain on towels.

Blanch zucchini in abundant salted boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes (according to size of zucchini). Rinse under cold water. Slice lengthwise in 1/4 in. strips.

Combine pesto, ricotta and yogurt and blend until smooth.

Take a 9 in. x 13 in. glass baking dish and spread a small amount of tomato sauce over the bottom. Place a layer of lasagna noodles next, then spread 1/2 pesto-ricotta mixture over the noodles. Next, make a layer of zucchini strips. Spread tomato sauce over the zucchini, then add another layer of lasagna noodles. Spread the remaining pesto-ricotta mixture over the noodles, then make another layer of zucchini strips. Spread tomato sauce over the zucchini, then add another layer of lasagna noodles. Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven until golden brown on top (about 5-10 minutes). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining tomato sauce. Garnish with additional grated cheese and julienned basil leaves. Serves 8 to 10.

Prepare all ingredients before hand; You will have no time later.

Kulich

8 egg yokes

4 egg whites

2 cups of milk

and 3/4 cups sugar

3 packs of yeast

1 shot of vodka

1 lb. sweet butter+1 shot of vegetable oil

about 7 cups of flour

3 Tbsp. vanilla essence

3 Tbsp cardamom

3 Tbsp grated lemon peels

1 - 2 cups dry pineapple cut in small pieces

For form you can use half gallon juice cans. Line forms with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Preheat oven to 350 degree, when put in the oven, reduce to 325

Watch for doneness after hour and 15 min.

For testing use wooden stick, if it come out dry-it is done.

1. on pineapple or raisins pour vodka and set aside

4 egg whites put aside too.

2. stir egg yokes with 1 and half cup of sugar

and vanilla essence

3. 1 cup flour, cardamom, grated lemon peels and the rest of the sugar mix well, then pour hot milk on it stirring until there will be no clumps.

4. In small bowl put yeast, spoon of sugar and half cup of flour mix well then pour half cup of warm water on it stirring well, let raise a little.

5. When step 3 will be warm, put yeast in it, mix , then egg yokes alternately with 3 cups of flour (by spoons) stir well.

6. melt butter with vegetable oil then put in alternately with other 3 cups of flour in the dough

7. Now with big spoon or with hands, kneed until dough will not stick to your hands. Takes about 1 hour.

8. Weep egg whites and fold into the dough and the rest of ingredients

(pineapples, raisins)

9. Let raise double in size

10. Kneed dough to original size and it is ready to put in the forms. dough have to be in the form half of the size of the form, let it raise quarter, then put in the oven. It will raise there another quarter. Reduce temperature to 325 degree.

"Now, one of the mechanisms of society in the control of individuals is: 'Criticism is good for you. We are giving you constructive criticism.'

"Now, if you give a person enough constructive criticism, he'll cease to exist. If you give an artist enough constructive criticism, he will utterly cease to 'art.' ...

"Now, the field of the arts must be of all things the most self-determined of any of man's activities. An artist who is not operating on his concept and his own interpretation, or a group of artists which are not operating on their interpretation of the material universe and the human race and the dynamics in general, will not produce art! This accounts for Hollywood.

"Now, when we have, then, constructive criticism, we only have a vicious method of reducing an individual's self-determinism, his ability and his reasoning powers—to keep him from producing."

Mindfulness in Plain English

Suffering is a big word in Buddhist thought. It is a key term and it should be thoroughly understood. The Pali word is dukkha, and it does not just mean the agony of the body. It means that deep, subtle sense of unsatisfactoriness which is a part of every mind moment and which results directly from the mental treadmill.

The essence of life is suffering, said the Buddha. At first glance this seems exceedingly morbid and pessimistic. It even seems untrue. After all, there are plenty of times when we are happy. Aren't there? No, there are not. It just seems that way. Take any moment when you feel really fulfilled and examine it closely. Down under the joy, you will find that subtle, all-pervasive undercurrent of tension, that no matter how great this moment is, it is going to end. No matter how much you just gained, you are either going to lose some of it or spend the rest of your days guarding what you have got and scheming how to get more. And in the end, you are going to die. In the end, you lose everything. It is all transitory.

--Henepola Gunaratana

Present-time Awareness

Mindfulness is present-time awareness. It takes place in the here and now. It is the observance of what is happening right now, in the present moment. It stays forever in the present, perpetually on the crest of the ongoing wave of passing time.

If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory. When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is mindfulness. If you then conceptualize that process and say to yourself, "Oh, I am remembering," that is thinking.

--Henepola Gunaratana, from Mindfulness in Plain English

When we trust with our open heart, whatever occurs, at the very moment that it occurs, can be perceived as fresh and unstained by the clouds of hope and fear. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche used the phrase "first thought, best thought" to refer to the first moment of fresh perception, before the colorful and coloring clouds of judgement and personal interpretation take over.

"First thought" is "best thought" because it has not yet got covered over by all our opinions and interpretations, our hopes and fears, our likes and dislikes. It is direct perception of the world as it is. Sometimes we discover "first thought, best thought" by relaxing into the present in a very simple way.

--Jeremy Hayward, in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Vol. IV, #3

The Three Jewels

The Buddha is a being who is totally free of all delusions and faults, who is endowed with all good qualities and has attained the wisdom eliminating the darkness of ignorance. The Dharma is the result of his enlightenment. After having achieved enlightenment, a Buddha teaches, and what he or she teaches is called the Dharma. The Sangha is made up of those who engage in the practice of the teachings given by the Buddha...

One of the benefits of refuge is that all the misdeeds you have committed in the past can be purified, because taking refuge entails accepting the Buddha's guidance and following a path of virtuous action.

--His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Responding Freely