Author: Michael Stevens

“We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize we have only one.” Confucius Sometimes I wonder if the Dharma comes to us, not through the great masters, but from the...

Another bird species that shows up at dusk to feed on aerial insect life is the Vaux’s swift. On this night, while sitting in the chairs at our campsite, we witness a sky ballet...

We are camping on the edge of East Lake in Newberry National Volcanic Monument. As night begins to draw a shade on the sun, the clouds are painted in golden and crimson hues. Night...

The interesting thing about our human species is that we can see into the future; we have the capacity to discern how things repeat over time. These cycles are collectively called “samsara” in the...

Waves of discontent roil in the recesses of my mind. I am having difficulty reining in the wildness. My companion yidam (archetypal image and mantra) is helping—but it only takes the edge off my...

Many years ago, when I was practicing and teaching yoga, I had the thought to write a contemporary interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This book is the seminal work regarding the yogic perspective. I...

Many years ago, I had a conversation with Lama Rinchen in which I shared a personal experience while sitting on the banks of the Metolius River. I was chanting a mantra and had the...

Iron Mountain is a botanical wonderland in the old Cascade Mountain Range. The area preserves a diversity of wildflowers that grow on both the wetter and dryer side of the Cascades. You can hike...

Water cascades down a channel emerging from a lake in Newberry Caldera, creating a ribbon of liquid that graces the parched earth. Paulina Creek appears wrapped in a garland of summer wildflowers that invite...

Sometimes, when I have leftover oatmeal, I slice it up the next day and fry it up for breakfast. This morning, I opened the storage container with the thickened oats and divided the contents...