In 1957 an entire monastery in Thailand was being relocated by a group of monks. While moving the giant clay Buddha, the monks noticed a large crack. On closer investigation they noticed a golden gleam emanating from inside. Using gentle hammer and chisel strokes they chipped away the clay exterior until an image made of solid gold was revealed. Art historians believe that centuries earlier, older generation of monks had covered the image of the Buddha, made in solid gold, with clay to protect it from attack by the Burmese army. This fascinating discovery became a perfect metaphor for human life. Our Authentic Self (awareness of who we truly are) is the gold Buddha shining inside you. It is not somewhere in future, it is not in your much-loved spouse......

Singing the praises of reading, Horace Mann (1796-1859) early 19th century American public education reformist, widely known as “The Father of American Education,” advised, “Resolve to edge in a little reading every day even if but a single sentence.”  Erasmus, 15th century scholar and humanist wrote, “Before you sleep, read something that is exquisite and worth remembering.” “When you walk in the mist, you get wet,” says the thirteenth-century Zen master Dogen. He means that you absorb the stuff you take in and the environment that surrounds you.   Reading lets you step out of your cloistered life and dwell in the midst of masters. By the process of unconscious assimilation, good books enter your mind. Reading improves vocabulary, reasoning, concentration,empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence. Read new books and read old books. Read books......

Whether reading for pleasure or personal growth, what you enjoy depends on your interests and experiences. What you choose to read is as unique as what you enjoy eating or wearing. When you select a book to read, what are you seeking? Pleasure, growth, transformation? It is not what you choose to read but what happens to you when you are absorbed in reading – that pleasurable feeling of forgetting who and where you are, temporarily experiencing life through someone else’s perspective! I read to be entertained, to learn, to adventure into unknown worlds where my heart is slashed, where my guts are punched, or a brick falls on my head. With each book I read, my emotional and intellectual sensibilities emerge and deepen. In 2003, a group of doctors......