“When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” I have come across this quote in various forms, from various sources. It surfaces in the arena of racial, gender, and socio-economic identity but I am struck how it encapsulates much of what Buddhism teaches. Our ego structure assumes a kind of privilege that feels…Read more …
I am hiking in an ancient river bed and notice an odd shaped rock. Barely visible, camouflaged by a blending of earth tones, the specimen invites me to stoop down and discover. I reach to dislodge the stone half-buried in the soil and pick up a limb cast, a solid agate in amber hues. To…Read more …
As I write at the tea shop today, I take a moment to look around. I see colorful art work hanging on old brick walls and mottled textures of a concrete floor. A wide variety of patrons are sipping tea, eyes glued to screens of electronic devices to which their ears are tethered by ear…Read more …
I heard about another scientific study on the negative side-effects of smart phones, especially with regard to social media. Beyond the addictive qualities inherent in scrolling and other aspects built in to applications, involvement in social media appears to increase one’s chance of developing depression by thirty-five percent. I am sure this depends on how…Read more …
I am dreaming and I observe the six bardos floating in space. The six bardos, or “in-between” states are: this life, dreaming, meditation, death, the luminous space between death and rebirth, and birth. In the dream, each bardo is missing something—like a puzzle with a missing piece. I awaken to this life and enter meditation,…Read more …