Borders, Microscopes, and Extinguishing the Ego
First I gotta plug our upcoming retreat. On April 21-23, 2017 we’re having another Zen retreat at Mount Baldy. Zen retreats are a great way to deepen your practice and get beyond our usual ways of relating to ourselves and others. I practiced zazen at home by myself for over a decade before I attended […]
Stand Against Suffering
The video version of this blog is here! Yesterday I read an article published by Lion’s Roar called Stand Against Suffering: An Unprecedented Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers. I found it deeply troubling. It’s an example of a type of article you see a lot these days. It’s one of those pieces specifically designed […]
Monks Need Soldiers
Right at the beginning I want to say that this is an article in support of fairness and inclusivity. Please bear that in mind. I am fully in favor of fairness. I am fully in favor of inclusivity. Fairness and inclusivity are not natural, however. They are artificial human constructs. Nature is not fair and […]
Achieving a Positive Mindset
Someone asked me: Based on your experience, what is the most effective way to achieve a positive mindset? My life became much better after I stopped trying to achieve a positive mindset. I teach Zen meditation. One of the most difficult parts of this practice for people to understand is that we are not trying […]
Identity Politics and Zen
A Zen Master once said, “When you eat breakfast you become a breakfast eater, when you take a shit you become a shitter.” Identity is a topic of great concern in Zen Buddhist philosophy. One way of understanding the Zen take on things is that it often boils all of our problems in life down […]
