Lawyers, Guns and Money
So I’ve been reading Zen Buddhism: A History by Heinrich Dumoulin. This is the classic text on the history of Zen from its beginnings in India to its flowering in Japan. I’ve bought this two volume set several times over the years, always failing to read it. My pattern is that I keep the books for about […]
An Honest Liar
On Friday my friend Bryan Clark told me about a film called An Honest Liar and I took him up on his invitation to go see it. I’m glad I did. It’s a really good film. It’s a documentary about the Amazing Randi. James Randi is a Canadian magician who made a cause of exposing […]
The Zen of Spock
Following the death of Leonard Nimoy I started re-watching some of the old Star Trek episodes and movies. In fact, I’d actually been re-watching the first season of the original Star Trek for a couple of months before he died. I’ve been a Star Trek fan for as long as I can remember. My dad […]
Using Meditation to Become a Better Person
I recently got an email that went like this: My experience with Buddhism up to this point has left me feeling that, while the teachings are profound and enlightening, there is a lack of concrete instructions as to how to actually end bad behaviors. I understand that meditation helps to clear the mind, that craving comes and goes, that […]
Is “Good Greed” Good?
Near the beginning of the Metta Sutra it says, “Let one not take upon oneself the burden of riches” and three lines later it says, “Let one not desire great possessions even for one’s own family.” I had a conversation recently with a guy I’ve known for a while but don’t see very often. He’s very […]
