Category: Dharma Journal

Spring snowmelt and rain are conspiring to make the Deschutes run wild. I am hiking in the Riley Ranch Preserve and wander off the main path down the riparian access trail to the river...

His eyes were very kind but he had a somewhat detached presence. After all, I was a white guy showing up unannounced at his adobe home on First Mesa in the Hopi lands. I...

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. This excerpt...

When I was a senior in high school, my English teacher said to me, “Whatever you do in your adult life, it should include writing. You should be a writer.” It took me another...

Winter has returned with a momentary flurry of energy (pun intended). The flakes fall and accumulate into a white blanket, creating a stark contrast to the crocus leaves beginning to pop out everywhere. Little...

I know, I know, it is still winter. But that will not keep us wildflower enthusiasts from searching for the first spring blooms. Tarn and I took a Losar wander into the wilds in...

It only takes a cursory scan of world history to see a number of stubborn recurrences. Inequitable economies, divisive political ideologies, religious wars, and dictatorships—these fill volumes of history. I think we could write...

Twenty-two degrees with bright sun in a cloudless sky—there is nothing better than this on a cold winter’s day. I am standing with my back to the white garage door. It reflects the sun...

Dharma is a word that has many levels of meaning. From a Buddhist perspective, dharma with a small ‘d’ simply means phenomena; everything we see and experience in the realm of form. Dharma, when...

During the Buddhist refuge ceremony, the rite of commitment to the path, I cut a small piece of hair from the crown of a participant. The hair is taken only directly from the crown,...