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Belief

I’d like to talk about belief a little bit.  When I first got into Zen, the thing that really attracted me to it more than anything else was there was no insistence on belief. Every other religion I had encountered before insisted that I had to believe something. I had to believe that Jesus died […]

Bob Lazar: Dreamland (Book Review)

I doubt that many readers of this blog are interested in my fascination with UFOs and aliens. I’m not a true believer in UFOs, in fact I’m highly skeptical of most UFO claims. And yet I think the UFO phenomenon is intriguing. It may indicate that the world we live in isn’t at all what […]

What Can Buddhists Do About Climate Change

I think the best thing Buddhists can contribute to climate change activism is to offer climate activists a sense of even-tempered equanimity, patience, and cooperation even with those we disagree with. It’s depressing to see Buddhists like Mark Ovland of the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion participating in panicked reactions to the problem of climate […]

Extinction Rebellion and Buddhist Ethics

The two biggest Buddhist magazines in America both recently featured articles about a guy named Mark Ovland from the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR). Ovland has been described as a Buddhist teacher in some articles, although the piece in Tricycle magazine says he “left behind his Buddhist teacher training earlier this year to join […]

I Want a Milkshake

I Want a Milkshake

Yesterday’s talk at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Cleveland Heights went really well. The questions from the audience were great. One person asked about how Zen helps a person overcome desire. As you may know, the standard version of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths goes, 1. All life is suffering, 2. The cause of suffering is […]