Category: Dharma Journal

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...

Walking through the high rise canyons of Portland, I am filled with awe and sadness. Humans have such a capacity to create beautiful tall buildings that house huge numbers of businesses and people. These...

As the sun angles steepen in late fall, colors of nature seems more vibrant. Junipers exhibit bark that appears redder than usual, a stark contrast to the gray-green field of rabbit brush and sage....

Entering a room, I scan for safety. Who do I know? Is there a defensible position, ie. a corner where I can control my space. Where’s the bathroom? Where are the exits? In times...

When meditation practice ripens and our attachment to the ego-self begins to erode, we wonder what its all about. All the meaning we have assigned to the appearance of external objects and how we...