Featured, Mind & Spirit

Miracle at the Chongwen Pagoda

A miracle occurred at the Chongwen Pagoda. Humans cannot see gods and buddhas with the naked eye, but miracles are continuously happening for people nevertheless.  January 15, 2002, fell on an auspicious day in the lunar calendar. The famous Chongwen Pagoda in Xianyang City was hosting a large celebration in honor of the day, with circus shows, acrobats, and lots of food stands. ...

Emma Lu

Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island.

Dreams: Do They Mean More?

Dreaming occurs during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycle of sleep. During this period, your eyes move quickly around in different directions. REM sleep usually occurs approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. As the brain is also more active during this time, dreams can range from mild to intense.  It is said that a dream is a ...

Katrina Hicks

Little girl travelling through dream world, floating on a big fallen leaf.

The Benefits of Wanting Less

Understanding the benefits of wanting less go back millennia. Socrates said: “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” I had always loved to shop. A lot. I could spend a whole Saturday going from store to store without stopping. In fact, some ...

Tatiana Denning

A rich lady shopping.

Afterlife: Science or Religion?

The afterlife is an existence in which an individual’s stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. Physiological proposals for the origin of a belief in an afterlife include cognitive disposition, cultural learning, and religious ideas. The AWARE study AWARE (Awareness during Resuscitation) was a study conducted in 2008 by ...

Katrina Hicks

A sunset with clouds.

COVID-19: My Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cure

It is estimated that globally, the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is approximately 2 percent of the general population. The World Health Organization (WHO) once stated that obsessive-compulsive disorder is among the top 10 most disabling diseases.  As a sufferer myself, I have often found it’s a common misconception that my compulsions mainly involve cleanliness. ...

Katrina Hicks

Image of the coronavirus on a blue background.

Fixing Things Yourself Teaches Life Lessons

Life. A wonderful, sometimes painful, and always mysterious gift that has been bestowed upon us. And, to make the most of life, you need to learn certain life lessons, and believe it or not, life lessons can sprout from many unexpected places — even from a DIY kit. You might wonder what you can learn ...

Armin Auctor

A couple painting a wall.

10 Advantages to Practicing Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is a unique part of traditional culture. But nowadays, we have developed network communication tools, and we seldom write Chinese, not to mention practice calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy, however, is one of the fundamental ways of self-cultivation. Advantages you can gain from practicing calligraphy 1. It nurtures your spirit In the Yellow Emperor, an ancient Chinese medical ...

Kathy McWilliams

Several calligraphy brushes sit on a table next to bowls of ink and paper.

Speptical Sprituality

Spirituality can be about anything that goes beyond mere physical existence. Spirituality is the state of having a connection either to God or the spirit world. Spiritualists also believe that the soul is eternal. Spirituality needs traditions, as traditions remind us of who we are and ground us in our past. Throughout the 19th and ...

Katrina Hicks

An ocean sunset along the coast.

Cultivating Your Heart Can Protect Against All Diseases

Wang Yangming was one of the most famous scholars during the Ming Dynasty. He suffered through unimaginable trials and tribulations in his life. How did he overcome these difficulties? The answer lies in cultivating his heart. Cultivating your heart can protect you from all kinds of tribulations. You may have already seen examples of this, ...

Kathy McWilliams

A girl in pink rubber boots and blue pants walks across a log.