Category: Dharma Journal

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...

You never know what the conditions will be like in late June at Crater Lake National Park. This year the area experienced a rather large winter snowpack, so the hiking trails are still buried...

Tarn and I are overlooking a patch of rare “pitcher plants” (Darlingtonia californica) at a protected area near the Oregon coastline. These plants are also known as “cobra lilies” because of their striking resemblance...

While savoring the beauty of the Ochoco Mountains and Big Summit Prairie, an area renowned for its unparalleled annual wildflower display, we notice a man taking photographs in a meadow filled with white and...

During private interviews, I sometimes get asked for guidance on whether one should do this or that. On occasion, I respond by saying, “If it’s your karma to do something, you’ll do it. I...