Author: Michael Stevens

I am wandering through a large mansion with many rooms. Every nook and cranny is filled with stuff—books, nicknacks, old mantle clocks, toys in working order and disrepair, and people. Each person I encounter...

I had a dream the other night in which one of my Buddhist spiritual teachers came to town but I did not know it. He showed up at the Dharma Center after one of...

On this Christmas Day I ponder past celebrations with family. My most settled and memorable Christmases were during the late 50’s and early 60’s. I was still feeling Santa as a palpable energy and...

Mom passed away this morning. Upon her last breath, a single tear seeped out and bathed her right cheek. My tears began where hers ended—and I have been weeping throughout the day. Amidst the...

As mom lay dying, I watch her trying to find a restful position as she twitches and raises her hand to scratch her head. She does not have the strength to move her whole...

I am one of those rare folks who walks around without a cell phone. My (and the Dharma Center’s) primary phone is a landline. I do have an emergency flip phone that lives in...

As you know from reading these journal entries, my mother is in hospice care. She is approaching her final days or weeks in her current body. She recently began refusing food and stays in...

Sometimes, the essential teachings are referred to as the “dakini’s warm breath.” Dakini is our original wisdom nature, the feminine side of our pure awareness. She dances in the elements: earth, water, fire, wind,...

I am listening to a news report about a woman who lost everything in the Paradise, California, fire. She and her two children survive but her home and possessions are reduced to ash. Her...

Joy and appreciation. My root teacher used these two words many, many times. The qualities of joy and appreciation help us overcome nearly all the challenges of living a compassionate life. When all else...