Showing results by author "Diane Musho Hamilton" in All Categories

This compelling and innovative view of Zen practice gives people in their 20s and 30s a contemporary approach to spiritual development that is meaningful and actionable within the complexities of modern life. Grounded deeply in the tradition of Soto Zen, professional mediators and Zen practitioners, Diane Hamilton and Gabriel Wilson extol the virtues of sitting meditation, dharma study, and the student-teacher relationship. At the same time, they offer insight into the importance of emotional development and the maturation of relationship skills.

Conflict is going to be part of your life - as long as you have relationships, hold down a job, or have dry cleaning to be picked up. Bracing yourself against it won't make it go away, but if you approach it consciously, you can navigate it in a way that not only honors everyone involved but makes it a source of deep insight as well. Seasoned mediator Diane Hamilton provides the skill set you need to engage conflict with wisdom and compassion, and even - sometimes - to be grateful for it.

The people who get under your skin the most can in fact be your greatest teachers. It’s not a matter of overlooking differences - for those very differences offer a path to profound connection. Diane Hamilton’s practical, reality-based guide to living harmoniously with even your most irritating fellow humans - spouses, partners, colleagues, parents, children - shows that “getting along” is really a matter of discovering that our differences are nothing other than an expression of our even deeper shared unity.

When a conversation takes a turn into the sometimes uncomfortable and often contentious topics of race, religion, gender, sexuality, and politics, it can be difficult to know what to say or how to respond to someone you disagree with. Compassionate Conversations empowers us to transform these conversations into opportunities to bridge divides and mend relationships by providing the basic set of skills we need to be successful, including listening, reframing, and dealing with strong emotions.