Author: Michael Stevens

As of this writing, I have ‘penned’ 112,468 words in this online dharma journal. For a true writer this is not so many words, but I am not a very disciplined scribe. It seems...

She is yelling angry words into her smart phone, screaming a tirade of expletives toward an unseen acquaintance. Her movements are chaotic like she is uncomfortable in her skin, tugging at her clothes and...

I am writing this on the first day of Autumn 2022. Smoke from the Cedar Creek fire has returned, shrouding the landscape with a light beige blanket of haze. Earlier, the winds cleared out...

“May I meet the Dharma immediately after taking birth and have the freedom to practice it properly.” This phrase from our dedication prayers is quite profound. It is an aspiration to practice the Dharma...

We are now focusing, once again, on the Ngöndro practice during our Wednesday evening gatherings. This sadhana (ego transcending spiritual practice) is often referred to as the “extraordinary preliminary practice” of our tradition. Extraordinary,...

My foot was throbbing for no apparent reason. It really hurt! Did I stub my toe on my last hike? I discovered it to be an insect bite (probably a spider) of some kind....

I was asked recently about my feelings regarding the shooting at Safeway in Bend. I replied, “I am not really affected by this shooting more than any mass shooting in this country, or any...

Crater Lake National Park, like all our parks, is being loved to death. Throngs of annual visitors hug the rim to get the best selfie, tromping beyond stone barriers meant to protect delicate wildflowers...

For the past twenty years or so, Tarn and I have hiked into a very rare and wondrous part of the old Cascades. These mountains are referred to as ‘old’ to distinguish them from...

Little beige caps are popping up in our lawn. Arising here and there, the mushrooms have a random sense of appearance. I always smile at this annual event because I know what I see...