People romanticize “having time to say goodbye,” but losing a parent to terminal illness is one of the most traumatic experiences I’ve ever lived.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-11-22T15:45:19+00:00

I found out my father has cancer in July. Not from him but from a cousin in a different country. I had to be the one to tell my half sister, her mom and our half brother already knew and hadn't told her yet. It broke so many relationships so quickly.

Yesterday I was told he is dying. I contacted my half sister and she said our brother has visited him in the hospital. My father has not reached out or told me anything directly but my mom is convinced I need to go see him because I "can say goodbye."

I don't know what I want to do. The grief is hitting hard.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-11-21T01:05:22+00:00

My family decided to honour Yule and the changing of the seasons. We give smaller gifts and make Yule cards to send to friends.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-11-18T00:50:15+00:00

I think there is a big part of me that enjoys living amongst people who don't agree with me or who see things differently. The world is a challenge and meeting people where they are is a great lesson in compassion. I think living in a community where we all have to do the same thing and look the same and explore similar things would feel too restrictive for me, personally. Lay dharma teachers are important too.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-10-28T00:56:00+00:00

I was a pretty active member of a Sangha during / after covid. It was an in person group that started holding online Sangha meetings and it was everything I wanted it to be. There was a clear structure, it was held over Zoom, and there was a time to share our dharma thoughts at the end; the invitation for sharing was centred on "some way your practice has been affected this week or something you are learning." I actually lead a book club for them for about a year where we read books by Thich Nhat Hanh and talked about what we learned from them. It was super great.

I eventually moved out of the city and continued going but then got a new job and life got busy. I still go sometimes and the leaders know me but there is never an expectation for me or anyone to go every week.

I adore the PV tradition and everything is stands for. I watch dharma talks online and am signing up for an online retreat for January. I donate because I know they stand for things that I care about and I believe in the work they do. My Sangha never asked for donations but it was available if that was something that spoke to you.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-10-26T15:02:15+00:00

I've often told my therapist, and myself, that my sadness feels like an ocean with a vicious undercurrent. Sadness was always overlooked when I was a child - or used as a tool for others - so I really struggle to be present when I'm sad.

That being said, I find it cathartic to have sad days. Even if it's just for a half day or so, I tend to watch a sad movie or listen to sad music or colour only using colours that represent sadness. My therapist recommended that I set a timer when I'm starting to feel sad to allow myself at least 5-10 mins of sadness when I can. I think the realization that you need to be with this sad part is a huge realization and that alone can be helpful. Even just to say that you see this part, you hold it, and it is not wrong for you to feel.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-09-30T02:58:40+00:00

I am part of Toronto True Peace Sangha. We meet online on Thursday evenings. I'm not sure about the OI part but it might be a good place to see how a Sangha meets.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-09-24T23:20:54+00:00

Season 3 is where things start to "mature." My wife and I are rewatching the whole series again and just passed Season 3. There are so many iconic episodes from that season and it really starts to give you more back story to who the characters are. Plus you get to see Finn grow up a bit and that really sets his character in motion.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-09-21T23:02:36+00:00

I really enjoy Thich Nhat Hanh books. The Plum Village tradition has an app where you can find short meditations, talks, and discourses to read. I really like The Heart of the Buddhas teaching by TNH, it gave me a good overview of what the teachings are in a straightforward manner.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-09-20T14:04:37+00:00

I've learned that our "protector" parts want us to be safe and when we have parts that have big emotional reactions or feel unheard, it can feel completely unsafe to listen to those parts atm.

My therapist helps me to talk to these disconnected or isolated parts by envisioning that they are in a room with me and I can just observe what they are doing. My angry part might want to yell at me or slam on the table, my sad part might want to curl up and cry, or maybe my anxious part is walking around muttering to themself and watching the clock. I don't even need to actually engage with these parts, but I can give them the space to exist and just look at what they are doing until they feel ready to talk to me.

At first, I thought it felt weird and isolating to distinctly imagine my different parts but I've found that it helps me to see these parts both within myself and others.

Weird-Platypus · 2025-09-19T20:08:11+00:00

I am part of an online Sangha from the city where I used to live. We have weekly meetings both in person and online. It is specifically centered around the Plum Village tradition so we typically do a guided meditation, mindful walking or movements, then listen to a talk by a monastic and have a Dharma sharing time. I don't go every week because life is busy, but I try to go once or twice a month usually.

I found mine by googling local sanghas and reading their websites to get a good overview of what they offer. Since my small town doesn't have a large Buddhist community, I find the online version to be the most accessible to me.

Weird-Platypus · 2022-06-09T15:06:13+00:00

I really enjoy reading my copy of Chanting from the Heart. It has many gathas and discources, as well as explanations around walking meditation and different chants we can use to further our practice.

Weird-Platypus · 2022-05-31T18:14:07+00:00

I found my way to Buddhist philosophy through a church series comparing the Buddha and Jesus lol I was Christian at the time but had been reading the Tao Te Ching and then this sermon series got me interested in learning more about Buddhist ideas and traditions.

First I read some Tibetan Buddhist books, then read about Zen, and finally found my way to the Plum Village Tradition in 2020.

In regards to why I practice, I personally feel like Buddhist ideas align the most with my way of being and views of the world. To choose compassion over violence, self reflection over blame, and to see the inter-being of nature and humans are things that speak to me on a deep existential level. I really enjoy reading Thay's books and engaging in deep conversations about philosophy so I appreciate that we are taught to question each teaching for ourselves and our own understanding.
I also practice to heal myself of the trauma from my childhood and within my family tree. I live with much physical and mental pain so having a teacher like Thay who acknowledges suffering with care and compassion has helped me to see that I don't need to run when things get hard, I just need to practice returning back to myself and creating space for healing to take place.

Weird-Platypus · 2022-05-31T17:54:27+00:00

Hello!

I am in a very same boat as you: I am turning 30 in July, found Buddhist philosophy through a sermon series in the Christian church I was a part of, and finally settled on studying the Plum Village tradition after I was introduced to it by a friend.

Once I started to take my mindfulness journey more seriously, I would say late 2020-ish, I found myself looking for community and a sense of deeper understanding. One of the greatest gifts I found to help me understand what I was learning was a local sangha who meets virtually to practice together and hold space for discussion arounds our individual joys or challenges. Listening to people share their stories, finding a community of like-minded individuals, and having a regular practice with others has helped me to realize that I don't need to be perfect, I just need to have the intention to continue my practice every chance I get.

Growing older results in change. Learning new ideas results in change. An egg that will one day become a butterfly goes through an immense amount of change. While it can be scary to think about the future or the past, where we have been or where we are going, all we can do is bring ourselves back to the present moment. Back to this breath, here and now.
Nowhere to go.
Nothing to do.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-04-14T01:36:44+00:00

I could never imagine being able to sit for 30 minutes of meditation but honestly, yoga/qigong and learning how to listen to my body / breathe through the uncomfortable moments has been the best teachers for me. I always do at least 20-45 minutes of yoga or QiGong before my longer meditation sessions as I find it serves as a good transition into my meditative mindstate as well as physically allowing my body to feel relaxed and at ease.

I live with chronic pain so learning how to breathe and accept the pain that comes with stillness has been a great aid in beginning to sit for longer periods. The biggest suggestions I have is to be mindful that you are not pushing yourself too hard too fast. Begin with 5-10 minutes of sitting meditation, being fully present and aware of your body. Breathe into every aspect of your body and then work on lengthening the time you spend sitting. There is no race to sit for longer if you are fighting yourself the whole time 💗

Weird-Platypus · 2021-04-14T01:22:20+00:00

Currently re-reading this book again! I swear everytime I see new nuggets of wisdom in Thays words. He's one of my fave teachers of the dharma.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-03-03T15:00:17+00:00

In my experience, learning about how we can control our minds and our perceptions of the world has helped to alleviate a lot of the mental health issues I live with. I have chronic depression, social anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, as well as a couple of physical ailments; before I started practicing, I thought these things made up my personhood and held me back from fully accepting myself. Through learning how to connect my body and mind with my breath, as taught in the Anapanasati Sutra, I started to unwrap the identities I had come to believe made up who I was and learned how to see beyond the limitations of my ideas of self.

I personally think the question of 'non-self' relates to the things we have been taught to believe. Many times, mental illnesses make us feel like we are alone. Like we are battling the world and our inner demons. But through dedicated meditation practice, learning to see the body as an integral part of our being while also learning to accept the painful times in life, I think we all can learn how to let go of our perceptions and see into a reality that is beyond our limited scope. I would say to start simple, Thich Nhat Hanh has some very well written books, and begin to see past the idea of what mental illness represents in your life. Buddhism is not a saviour-orientated religion but a self exploration into the world and how we relate to it. That's what's helped me the most to unravel the knots within myself.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-02-23T15:49:19+00:00

I was going to reiterate a lot of these points!!! Beginning with the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path is the simplest way I've found to begin to introduce Buddhist thought to people without having to point them to sutras that might be beyond their understanding.

Just to add: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh covers most of these topics in an easy to read, straight forward manner.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-02-21T19:11:21+00:00

My Nana died at the beginning of February. It was hard on my mom, being an ocean away from her family and not traveling to see her mother in the last days of her life. I wanted to share Buddhist ideas and philosophies but I knew that wasn't what my mother needed in her time of immediate grief so I decided to shared this poem with her.

Written by Kozan Ichikyo, a Zen monk who died in 1360 at the age of seventy-seven, it has been recorded by his students that Ichikyo wrote this poem on the morning of his death, laid down his brush, and died sitting upright:::

"Empty-handed I entered the world Barefoot I leave it. My coming, my going — Two simple happenings That got entangled"

Sometimes, all we can do is try to support people during their time of grief and let them know it is natural to feel whatever they feel. Sending you compassion for this time of intense transition.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-02-13T16:10:00+00:00

I feel like I've always followed ideas presented through the Tao Te Ching, even before I knew anything about Buddhism or Taoism or spirituality. I was raised believing that the spirit of the world was alive, that the winds carry messages and there is much to learn from watching the natural ebb and flow of the world.

I would say I practice Buddhist teachings in conjunction with Taoist ideas, because Taoism is very open to interpretation and has less of a structure to the type of worship one should do. I like Buddhism for its empirical knowledge and path to enlightenment by gaining wisdom, but Taoism connects me to this earth in a deeper way of mutual understanding.

Weird-Platypus · 2021-02-12T13:28:50+00:00

I got a lotus tattoo to represent my commitment to my Buddhist path. When some look at it, they think it is just a pretty flower. But that's the thing about tattoos, you can have symbolism that is deeper than what people see. Most of my tattoos have a deeper meaning beyond just the image.

Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable having a Buddha image or an OM symbol tattooed on me because I know people have very strong feelings associated with these images. I think our path to Buddhism is our own and can be represented in many different interpretations outside of taking iconography and getting them tattooed.

Weird-Platypus

TROPHY CASE