Author: Michael Stevens

In the previous post, I discussed a symbolic meaning of the arrow according to fundamental Buddhism. The Vajrayana Buddhist point of view embraces all the early school teachings but adds a slight nuance according...

In the Sallatha Sutta (Sutra), Buddha is asked to describe the difference between a Dharma practitioner and and one who is unfamiliar with the Dharma—specifically, one who has no awareness of the Four Noble...

Sometimes the Dharma seems complicated. Sometimes we have trouble making it relevant to what is going on in the moment. Sometimes we have difficulty maintaining our practice in the face of overwhelming challenges. All...

I wonder what they think. A small gathering of cattle stare at me while I am hiking in one of my favorite areas of desert east of Bend. The bovines are here as part...

I met a man in my neighborhood who just returned from the hospital after suffering an anxiety attack. He thought it was a heart attack. I remember when I was dealing with my father’s...

A surprising number of trucks are parked along the road paralleling the Crooked River below Bowman Dam. The season is open and fly fishing is in full swing on this popular shallow river snaking...

The Tamil culture in southern India and Sri Lanka traditionally eat with their fingers. The food is often placed on a banana leaf. A Tamil saying goes something like this: “Eating a meal with...

We are walking through our ‘back forty,’ an undeveloped area near our home. I see signs of green sand lily foliage that will host beautiful white blossoms in a few weeks. Their spidery leaves...

I savor those wonderful winter-into-spring days when the air is crisp, the sun is out, and the desert begins to come alive. Today, Rodman Rim hosts a dusting of snow, but down below where...

I was walking down the street in our neighborhood and came upon a small painted river rock, about three inches in diameter, leaning against a fence adjacent to the sidewalk. The word ‘kind’ was...