Category: Dharma Journal

I am sitting at a rustic table, its surface made from rough-hewn boards with saw marks clearly visible. I have a vision of the time when the tree was felled. The sky on that...

When I look into the eyes Of one who suffers One who feels lost and helpless One who simply seeks peace When I look into those eyes Beholding pain without hope And see my...

Samsara is very predictable. Through repetitive cycles of war, no wars have ever brought enduring peace. This is because the mind that thinks war is an answer to unhappiness is the source of all...

But I would not give you false hope On this strange and mournful day When the mother and child reunion Is only a motion away Oh, oh, the mother and child reunion Is only...

A human is a curious form of life. It seems like a mutated species maladapted to its environment. It uses finite resources as if they are infinite. It wages destructive wars as if to...

We are hiking in the Riley Ranch Preserve and meet an old acquaintance with a friend and relish the joy of reconnecting. As we catch up on things, the conversation steers toward our scars....

Our resident sharp-shinned hawk lands on the fence opposite our viewing window near the bird feeder. She looks at us and eyes our bird bath. The songbirds have long skedaddled. As she hops along...

The filters of our habitual mind are so pervasive we rarely peek behind the curtain and see what is in front of us. The practice of my tradition suggests ways of dropping the veil,...

A pine siskin is so small it could easily fit into a demitasse cup. This one is ill and probably will not last much longer. The little bird puffs up its feathers and stumbles...

This morning a dear sangha sister passed away. She had a blessed life, even though her body suffered a disease that would eventually claim her. She was so beautiful in her last day. I could...