Last week I heard Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg on the Heart Wisdom podcast talking about One Dharma, balancing faith and wisdom, and Buddhism in the Western world. It was such a great talk that I added both of their podcasts to my regular listening list, and a few of their books to my Amazon wish list. I ordered Joseph Goldstein’s book One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism right away, since I was almost done reading A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. I mentioned putting that on my list in a Podcast Roundup, but never posted about starting to read it. Strange…

In addition to my main read, I’m always reading some spiritual or self-help book in small chunks just before my mediation time each morning. I call them my “wisdom reads.” They are the books that help me get my thoughts in order and become a better version of myself. Each day, I write some small bit down and meditate on that, trying to work it into my own big picture. This habit, and listening to a few great podcasts, has worked like formal therapy for me, and it only costs a book and my time.

I post some of my favorite quotes on my Bookstagram profile, but I don’t write much about them here on the blog, unless they somehow tie into my main read.  I think I’ll start sharing a bit more of that stuff here as well.

I have only one line to share from One Dharma this morning and it’s from the Preface written by The Dalai Lama.

“I have found that extending our understanding of each other’s spiritual practices and traditions can be an enriching experience, because to do so increases our opportunities for mutual respect.”

We could all use a bit more of that these days.