Category: Dharma Journal

Sand Lilies and Excavators

I am walking in an undeveloped area near my home. Original nature is still evident here through stands of bunch grass and wildflowers, bitterbrush and sage, ponderosa pine and juniper. This spring, the sand...

Fresh Eyes

When we begin a journey, we often fantasize about possibilities and imagine new landscapes and experiences. The more we travel, the more we realize what we discover as new is really just a different...

Fixated

I have said many times the Vajrayana path is for anyone, but it is definitely not for everyone. It takes a lot of personal growth just to approach the path let alone experience any...

Wounds and Scars

Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not “How can we hide our wounds?” so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but...

Every Next Chapter

We live in the pages of a wonderful novel. The narrative radiates from our wisdom mind as a story, a kind of dream. As the tale begins, we appear to land in a world...

Exposed

From a distance, the Tam-a-láu trail seems daunting because it appears to inch its way up a sheer cliff. As I begin the ascent, the initial steepness confirms this. But the trail settles down...

Super Bloom

Lithophragma bilbifera is a flowery name for a tiny unassuming wildflower. A red stem arises from basal leaves that look like splayed fingers of green upon gritty volcanic soil. The stem is topped by...

Event Horizon

I am in awe as I ponder an auspicious event in astrophysics. The first picture of a black hole has recently emanated on computer and video screens around the world. But what is more...

Suggestions from a Wandering Idiot

I am sometimes asked to offer some simple guidance based on my experience from a lifetime of study and practice in the realm of religion and philosophy. The following is one possible response to...

Wildflower Song

The desert is awash with spring rains this year. Drifts of late winter snow seep into the soil, melted by sun and showers of unfrozen moisture. As the earth warms, new growth sprouts into...