Hi all,

I hope your summer is going well. It has been awhile since I sent a newsletter, and I have 3 articles for you this time, as well as an excerpt from the book reviewed this month, Thich Nhat Hanh's Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children.

First up, an article on Upaya, or 'skillful means'. Upaya is a key concept in Mahayana Buddhism, of which both Zen and Tibetan Buddhism are a part. Find out what upaya means for both individual seekers and teachers, as well as the Buddha's story about upaya, 'the white lie', as told in the Lotus Sutra.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art172380.asp

Secondly, I have updated a foundation article on the site, on The Four Noble Truths:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31018.asp

Finally, I was very excited to review Thich Nhat Hanh's latest, Planting Seeds - Practicing Mindfulness With Children, and I highly recommend it to all parents and educators:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art172612.asp

In closing, I offer the 4-part 'Breathing In, Breathing Out' meditation presented in Planting Seeds - it's not just for kids, give it a try!

"Breathing in, I see myself as a flower, a human flower...
Breathing out, I am beautiful just as I am, and I feel very fresh."

"Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain...
Breathing out, I feel solid - nothing can move or distract me."

"Breathing in, I see myself as still water, a calm, clear lake...
Breathing out, I reflect things just as they are, inside and around me."

"Breathing in, I see myself as the big, blue sky, with a lot of space in and around me...
Breathing out, I feel very free and at ease."

In Peace,
Lisa Erickson, Buddhism Editor
http://buddhism.bellaonline.com

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