Buddhism

Social Activism Liberated from the “Us versus Them” Mentality – Metta Meditation

Blog 2023, Environmental Healing, Mind Body Medicine / By

*I gave this talk on July 29, 2023, at an Interfaith Prayer Ceremony standing beneath Luma the Cedar, in Seattle, on traditional, unceded Coast Salish land of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshot, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, and Tulalip people. Good evening. My name is Jordan Van Voast, I’ve been a practicing Buddhist for around 30 years. I don’t …

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Mental health recharge (March 17-22)

Blog 2023, Community Acupuncture, Mind Body Medicine, Peace / By

The world never stops but we can at any time. I do every day – snatching a quiet reflective breath whenever I think of it, or perhaps 20 minutes before breakfast. But sometimes, it is good to take more time, to go deeper, to spend time with your loved ones so that relationships are fresh and alive and not running on AI.

Meditation – More than Simply Powerful Self Care

Blog 2019, Blog: 2013, Mind Body Medicine, Peace / By

Human experience, perceived and filtered through the deeply conditioned and unconscious belief in a separate, inherently existent self, is pure fiction. The ultimate goal of meditation, from a Buddhist perspective, is to remove these faulty perceptual filters, and to free the individual from the confusion and negative consequences of being lost in delusion. Wisdom is …

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Crisis Intervention and the Path to Freedom

Blog 2018, Mind Body Medicine, Peace, Stories / By

“There is no path to peace, peace is the path.” Gandhi Reading the story of how one woman, tuned in to trauma dynamics, helped deescalate a hostage situation, brought back memories of my own brush with a potentially violent situation.  Unfortunately, the incident last week at a Trader Joe’s in California resulted in an innocent …

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My Chakras are Blocked, Can Acupuncture help?

Blog 2018, Mind Body Medicine / By

I frequently get questions about whether acupuncture can help certain conditions. In general, the answer is usually yes, with some caveats.  The number one reason people seek acupuncture is to alleviate pain. Acupuncture works great for that. In my own case, I had reconstructive knee surgery in 1990. Afterwards, the surgeon said that out of …

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Kundalini Syndrome – Beyond Bliss and Technology

Blog 2015, Blog: 2013, Environmental Healing, Mind Body Medicine, Peace, Stories, Sustainability / By

Learn to love your enemies, practice deep sharing with all life, develop true understanding of the truth of interconnectedness with all life. Walk on.

A Zen Pilgrimage to South Korea

1 Comment / Blog 2015 / By

Zen meditation uses koans to help one learn not to be deceived by language, or the confused mind that superimposes concrete, separate identities on things. When one learns not to be deceived by language and deceptive mental habits, there is freedom.

A Fearless Heart, An Evening with Geshe Thupten Jinpa in Seattle, May 13

Blog 2015, Mind Body Medicine, Peace, seattle / By

Spiritual freedom, and even worldly happiness are subject experiences which are difficult to quantify, and impossible to transfer to another. As the saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Nonetheless, modern scientific research continues to make huge strides in understanding the neurological and emotional benefits of mental states like mindfulness and compassion.

Racial Equity and Diversity Awareness

2 Comments / Blog: 2013, Mind Body Medicine, Race / By

“Diversity work is like running a marathon”. “Diversity work is like drinking a glass of water.” “Diversity work is like standing at the edge of a cliff”. “Diversity work is like entering a hornet’s nest”. There are no right answers and depending upon where one stands, all of them hold pieces of the truth. Where do you stand?

Taming the Dragons – the Medical Effects of Radiation

1 Comment / Blog: 2013, Mind Body Medicine, Sustainability / By

In Eastern Medicine, and Buddhism, there is a very wide understanding of the universe and reality which balances light with dark, death with life. In Autumn Light, I discussed these perspectives a bit and I hope to add to that in the coming days and weeks as time permits. Meanwhile, please consider this information with care. The implications are profoundly disturbing and you may be confronted with deep level fears and grief – our inner dragons that we need to train.

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