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Why I Avoid Using the Word "Mindfulness"

Why I Avoid Using the Word “Mindfulness”

  Yesterday a guy contacted me because he’s writing an article about whether or not Buddhists should smoke cigarettes. When he asked my opinion I said, “Nobody should smoke cigarettes!” He wanted to interview me as a Buddhist teacher anyway and he sent me some questions. Rather than getting me thinking about cigarette smoking, though, […]

How to Do a Zen Memorial Service

How to Do a Zen Memorial Service

When I offered to perform memorial services for my friends Jeremy Feratto and Logan Lestat, I didn’t tell anyone that I’d never officiated a memorial service before. I didn’t think it was useful to needlessly undermine anyone’s confidence in my ability to make it work. All Zen services are pretty much the same. The variations between […]

Zen Memorial Services

Zen Memorial Services

Here’s what I’m planning to say at the beginning of the memorial service I’ll be leading in honor of my friend Logan Lestat today: What we are about to do here is not a religious service. There will be some bowing and some bell ringing, we’ll be chanting some things, I’m wearing these funny clothes. […]

Dedicating Merit

As I write, Thich Nhat Hanh is either “in the process of dying” or else he is “OK” and just in the hospital where “full recovery may be possible” depending on whose version of the story you wish to believe. To me, it seems kind of ghoulish the way people are already jumping in to […]

My Tours

My Tours

My 2014 tour is over. I’ve been trying to compile a list of all the places I’ve spoken. I don’t have any records prior to 2009 that I can find and my records for 2012 are incomplete. I’m certain I did talks in the USA that year and probably Canada. But I don’t know where […]