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March 14, 2016

When the Walls Come Down: Family Forged in a Catholic Worker House

Written by Kristen Brunelli

Homelessness is present on the streets of Denver each day. So are stories of resilience, compassion, and dignity even through life's most difficult trials. A live-in volunteer at a Catholic Worker house realizes that we find home in those with whom we journey through our toughest moments.

March 13, 2016

Some Things Just Hurt

Written by Sharon Salzberg

Working through discomfort doesn't mean denying our suffering. Instead, Sharon Salzberg suggests a better way to move forward: allowing ourselves to feel pain without judgment, and accepting the validity of our own emotions.

February 24, 2016

Embrace the Shadow and the Light

Written by Parker J. Palmer

To love life in its fullness is the key to wise living. Parker Palmer with a poem on transforming suffering and restoring life.

January 11, 2016

Denial Is Tricky

Written by Sharon Salzberg

When we strip away various veneers, what are we left with? Sharon Salzberg on the practice of letting go of denial and the uncomfortability of avoidance.

December 8, 2015

Seeing Anger

Written by Sharon Salzberg

Becoming fixated on a problem at the office or an injustice to others can often lead to intense anger. But, how do we avoid the narrowness of this emotion and not let it consume us?

November 30, 2015

Empathy Is a Moral Issue

Written by Sharon Salzberg

There's much confusion between sympathy and empathy. Our columnist tells the story of a wise elder whose suffering led her to become a model for how to have a meaningful life.

November 18, 2015

Heartbreak and Hope: Three Questions about Suffering

Written by Parker J. Palmer

In the wake of the Paris attacks, Parker Palmer highlights the importance of "wounded healers" and what we can do to let heartbreak open ourselves to suffering and the kindness necessary for social change.

October 22, 2015

Beyond Happy

Written by Omid Safi

What would it take for us to look under the skin of happiness and make haste to being whole? Rather than looking to the self-help aisle, where might we look?

October 12, 2015

Seeing the Second Option: What’s In Avoidance

Written by Sharon Salzberg

What is the opposite of dukkha? Total rightness? Sharon Salzberg on the contorted postures we hold and the pain that arises out of the ungovernable nature of events in our lives.

October 5, 2015

The Light Burns Brightest in the Darkest Places (Video)

Written by Jeff Severns Guntzel

A classic love song takes on new meaning in the light of darkness. A war correspondent hears Ry Cooder's version of "Dark End of the Street" as an ode to suffering and the light that shines on.

August 29, 2015

The Landmark of Aging with Grace

Written by Mary Jo Bennett

To be confronted with a serious illness is to be confronted with a fear of death for most of us. How do we balance hope with realism? And how do we age with grace? Drawing on Atul Gawande's book, Mary Jo Bennett highlights some ways our culture is evolving in its relationship with death.

August 27, 2015

Surprised by Joy

Written by Omid Safi

Suffering can be a backstop for unexpected joy. A lyrical "Rumi"ination on shadow, gratitude, and the light of the stranger.

August 17, 2015

Forgiveness Can Be Bittersweet

Written by Sharon Salzberg

Forgiveness is not easily granted. But, summoning the deepest compassion for ourselves and others may allow both parties to move on without bitterness. Through the bittersweet story of her friend, Sharon Salzberg imparts a lesson about the shifting course of relationships and a path to peace.

August 13, 2015

We Wait Too Long to Remove the Stain

Written by Omid Safi

We spill something on ourselves, and then we postpone the inevitable: the cleaning. We often do the same thing with the pain and anger we inevitably experience. Omid and Rumi have something to say about stain-treating our hearts.

August 8, 2015

The Zen of Biggie’s “Ready To Die”

Written by Paul Singleton, III

With the near-constant news of extra-judicial police killings and mass shootings, it would be easy to live in a constant state of fear. Faced with his own fragile mortality, a Buddhist contemplates our collective fear and grief. For him, meditation is not about relaxation but about awakening to life — in its wonder and in its sorrow.

July 18, 2015

The Thread of All Sorrows

Written by Holly Haworth

A Southern woman's searching lament on the hot, boiling silence of Southern grief after the shootings in Charleston — and the inheritance of sorrow.

June 28, 2015

Until the Heart Stays Open

Written by Laura Kelly Fanucci

Beginning with a quote from Hazrat Inayat Khan, an exploration and a grappling with suffering, parenting, and the nature of love.

June 7, 2015

Does Creativity Have to Come from Suffering?

Written by Sharon Salzberg

So often in the West we believe that the most genius works of art are created with suffering and torment. But, the Dalai Lama might say happiness is the foundation of great creativity of all kinds.

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