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Category Archives: Your Wise Brain
Empty The Cup
Are you full to the rim? The Practice: Empty the cup. Why? Once upon a time, a scholar came to visit a saint. After the scholar had been orating and propounding for a while, the saint proposed some tea. She … Continue reading
Remember The Big Things
What matters most to you? The Practice: Remember the big things. Why? In every life, reminders arrive about what’s really important. I’ve recently received one myself, in a form that’s already come to countless people and will come to countless … Continue reading
Rest
Busy, busy? The Practice: Rest. Why? This practice is definitely a case of teaching what you need to learn: I’ve been working through a big bucket of tasks lately with little chance to rest. (I console myself with knowing that … Continue reading
Put No One Out of Your Heart
What is an open heart? The Practice Put no one out of your heart. Why? We all know people who are, ah, . . . challenging. It could be a critical parent, a bossy supervisor, a relative who has you … Continue reading
Tune Into Others
What Are They Feeling? The Practice Tune into others. Why? Imagine a world in which people interacted with each other like ants or fish. Imagine a day at work like this, or in your family, aware of the surface behavior … Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
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Drop The Case
Who are you prosecuting? The Practice Drop the case. Why? Lately I’ve been thinking about a kind of “case” that’s been running in my mind about someone in my extended family. The case is a combination of feeling hurt and … Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
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Don’t Take it Personally
Is it about you? The Practice Don’t take it personally. Why? Here’s an updated parable from the ancient Taoist teacher, Chuang-Tzu: Imagine that you are floating in a canoe on a slow-moving river, having a Sunday picnic with a friend. … Continue reading
See the Person Behind the Eyes
Who is behind the mask? The Practice See the person behind the eyes. Why? Most of us wear a kind of mask, a persona that hides our deepest thoughts and feelings, and presents a polished, controlled face to the world. … Continue reading
Posted in Buddha's Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson, Your Wise Brain
Tagged frustration, heart, hopes and fears, mask, smile, thoughts and feelings
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Keep Hope Not Fear Alive
This recent series of posts has used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — a major feature of the brain’s negativity bias … Continue reading
Confronting the Negativity Bias
My previous post used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful — since that helped keep our ancestors alive — so we are … Continue reading
