Meet My Mom

Here’s my mom on her 98^th birthday, October 12, 2012, at a Chinese restaurant in her neighborhood Redondo Beach. I and my friend Ann Buck  are taking her out to lunch. Her vibe and comment tell the whole story. (To learn a little bit more about Ann, check out what our mutual friend Jennifer Grey says here.)

Below you'll find some audio clips of my mom reminiscing about my childhood. On the right is her current photo and on the left is how she looked when I was a little boy in the 1940s. You can see where I got my good looks. J  

I have very little natural ability or natural inclination towards meditation. In early life I was unusually wimpy, whiny, and fussy. Also, I was perennially impatient. On top of that, I had a proclivity to be destructive, including towards myself (when I'd get frustrated, I'd bang my head on the sidewalk). I was also pretty mean (just ask my brother).

I actually like for people to know what a poor meditation candidate I am based on the tendencies of my early life. I take it as a positive. If a person like me can be successful, anyone can be successful. You'll hear some of the details in Clip #1. (FYI, a bunch of Yiddish words appear in this dialogue; here are links to their spellings and meanings: kvetch, sitzfleisch, schpilkes, naches.)

Clip 1 (03:48)

In Clip #2, my mom continues to talk about my earlier life and the influences on me, and the changes that I went through. We talk about a famous natural reserve in Arizona called Madera Canyon and the ginormous grasshoppers I used to collect there. My mom also talks about early influences from the Cornell University Department of Entomology, which molded my young mind in a scientific direction.

Clip 2 (03:59)

Although there were some rocky points early on, I'm pleased to say that my relationship with my family of origin has been absolutely wonderful for decades. After my dad passed away in the early 80s, my mom asked me to teach her mindfulness. She's been practicing on her own and coming to retreats ever since then. It doesn't get any better than that!

My brother Howard, my mom, and me as of 2010.

My brother and me at a very early age.

My mom and my dad.

My grandmother holding my mom in front of their house.
I'm guessing the photo is about 100 years old.
The spot where the house was is now under one of the LA freeways. Anicca!

Update: My mom passed away on the morning of Friday, January 31st, 2014. 

זיכרונה לברכה

Buddhist Geeks Conference 2013

Some of you may know I gave the keynote presentation at the inaugural Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011. I'm happy to be presenting again in August of 2013. 

This year I’ll be offering a number of presentations, the first of which is a 20-minute TED-style talk. I’ll also be dialoguing with David Vago on the research we started at Harvard last year. This will be the first opportunity for the two of us to make a joint presentation on these findings. We’ll be doing this through a new format called BG Dialogue, a 90-minute discussion including a live question and answer period from the audience.

You’ll find some more specifics on registration below.

All the best,

Shinzen

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Buddhist Geeks Conference

August 16-18, 2013

Boulder, Colorado

This year’s list of presenters includes Reggie Ray, Marianne Elliott, Rick Hanson, Diane Hamilton, Kenneth Folk, Sofia Diaz, Lodro Rinzler, David Vago, and many more....

|| Register here || 

Get your Early Bird Ticket before May 31^st and save $75.

Give Concentration, Clarity, and Equanimity to School Children

I wanted to let you all know about an opportunity to make a positive impact on the future.

Imagine school children learning Basic Mindfulness techniques every day as part of their school's standard curriculum. Imagine how their lives will be different because of the attentional skills they've acquired before graduating high school.

Well, actually there's no need to imagine . . . It's happening right now.

Many of you know Soryu Forall, Ted Holtz, Harrison Heyl, and some of the others at The Center for Mindful Learning. Many of you also know about the program they have for school classrooms, "Modern Mindfulness for Schools." Every day in Vermont, school children are practicing mindfulness techniques with language for young kids. For example Concentration, Clarity, and Equanimity are simplified to the action verbs Focus, Explore, and Welcome.

Now they've created a kickstarter.com campaign to make the program available online, anywhere. They're asking for help. Only a little more work is required to allow people anywhere in the English speaking world to sign up and pay online. (. . . and I hear the German translation may already be in the works.)


You can help by visiting their kickstarter page and choosing one of the rewards.

The objective numbers coming out of the program show how effective it is, as the chart below indicates:

The subjective reports from the educators involved in the program are stellar:

I have been using the new mindfulness program and I am LOVING it!! I have incorporated the skills and techniques across the day as we build our classroom community! When you come to visit the next time, I'm sure you'll immediately notice in my classroom enormous signs painted by the children that say Focus, Explore, Welcome!!! It is all so exciting!   

-- Helen-Anne Cafferty, Teacher, Smilie Memorial Elementary, Bolton, Vermont

Here is the link again if you want to make a contribution and see more details:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1456951202/learn-to-teach-mindfulness-to-kids?ref=live

On Kickstarter, your account is only charged if we reach our fundraising goal. Otherwise, CML will not receive any of the pledges and your pledge will be returned to you. Thanks.

All the best,
Shinzen