Interviews

On poetry that reaches us wherever we may be

With senior dharma teacher Dr. Larry Ward I was delighted to explore openness to all people, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Miracle of Mindfulness, and poetry that takes us into our depths.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

• On being held by unseen arms and training our eyes to look on people with openness: 3:27
• Poetry that opens a door to the mystic dimension: 8:49
• Rain, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Miracle of Mindfulness: 12:13
• Each verse as an entry point into our depths: 16:28
• The poetry dialogue that Larry is putting together and how poetry is emptiness, in the sense that it is nonlocal and able to reach us wherever we may be: 20:12

Photo Credit: Jovelle Tamayo

Dr. Larry Ward is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. He brings twenty five years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work as director of the Lotus Institute and as an advisor to the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Drucker School of Management. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation. Larry is a knowledgeable, charismatic and inspirational teacher, offering insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that express his dharma name, “True Great Sound.”

Learn more about Larry on the Lotus Institute website: https://www.thelotusinstitute.org/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Kindness, Spirit, and True Nourishment

With master healer and spiritual teacher Debra Mastura Graugnard I was delighted to explore kurals 991, 992, and 1000 from chapter 100 of THE KURAL, “Having Kindness.”

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

• Openness to all people and the root meanings of kindness in both Tamil and English: 6:27
• Protection, the breath of spirit, and how kindness meets kindness: 12:36
• What does “birth in good family” really mean? 24:16
• True riches and true nourishment: 34:16
• A question from Debra: How has translating this book changed your life? 42:54

As the founder of Joyfully Living Wellness, Debra Graugnard has made it her lifelong mission to help others free themselves from self-defeating beliefs and behaviors.

Purpose-driven and extensively trained in spiritual and energetic healing, natural and holistic self-care, Debra gently and compassionately guides her clients, primarily women, on a journey to profoundly and intimately know themselves – body, mind, heart, and spirit.

“To truly heal, you must align your habits, beliefs and emotional patterns with your inner knowing, your divine spirit and your connection with All That Is.” – Debra Graugnard

Learn more about Debra on her website:
https://joyfullylivingwellness.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

From chapter 100, “Having Kindness.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Digestion, moderation, and eating as spiritual practice.

With my longtime friend Ellen Kittredge I was delighted to explore the insight that food is medicine and that moderation can lead to greater fulfillment and joy.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

• The possibility of relating to food and to eating as spiritual practices: 7:22
• Mindful eating and the parasympathetic nervous system: 14:32
• Finding a balance point in life, transforming addictive tendencies, and discovering equanimity: 24:08
• A question from Ellen: Where does liberation from the cycle of birth and death fit into the concerns of THE KURAL? 33:23

Ellen Kittredge is a Nutritional Counselor, Minister of Walking Prayer, and practitioner of earth-based healing modalities. While her primary focus is supporting her clients with maintaining optimal health through sound nutritional guidance, she has also has trained in a variety of other healing techniques, including extensive study over the last 10 years in earth-based healing practices with Nature Priests/Mystics in the High Andes of Peru.

Learn more about Ellen on her website:
https://ellenkittredge.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

From chapter 95, “Medicine.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston