The Gift of Meditation

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Julie Tallard Johnson

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My meditation practice began at the age of 16. At the time, I had to give up smoking pot to take up Transendental Meditation. One of my finest decisions. I did this practice for about 6 years. I found some aspects of the TM community disturbing, so I went on to learn Vipassana meditation. I took various teachings and went on regular 10 day retreats. Shinzen Young was my first Vipassana teacher. I explored Vipassana, mindfulness and other aspects of “calm abiding” meditation. Over the years I studied the Heart Sutra and inquiry meditation, along with my base practices of … Continue reading →

We Are Made of Stories

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Among animals, it’s eat or be eaten. Among humans, it’s define or be defined.” –Thomas Szasz We are made of stories. As David R. Loy writes, “We make stories and those stories make us human.” It’s not so much our consciousness that sets us apart from other sentient beings, such as the animals, but the stories we hold, write and live. (To order Loy’s book click on the above cover). Most of the stories we live have been passed down to us. The story our parents, or church, or childhood friends have of us may no longer be true. In … Continue reading →

The Dangers of Distraction

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Julie Tallard Johnson

Whatever we give our attention to in our daily lives is what we cultivate, and as a result, becomes manifest. Whatever we nurture through attention grows; unless what we nurture isn’t “real.” This would be like watering a plastic plant. This plant can appear to take in all the light and water you give it but it will never grow. For me, too much attention to “searching”on the internet, television, to consumption, or other activities that really don’t result in anything, draw energy from that which will bring genuine happiness and fulfillment. Too much clutter is a huge distraction too … Continue reading →