Category Archives: Uncategorized

There are times when I just love how the universe works. As I am fond of saying, those who do not believe in magic and miracles simply are not paying attention. Here is a story in three parts. Part one: … Continue reading →

As many of you may know, yesterday was Wesak (Vesak). This is the most important Buddhist holiday. Traditionally it is the day on which the Buddha was born, became enlightened, and died. I had planned to spend the day meditating, … Continue reading →

This story compliments of Ajahn Brahm There were five children who were playing the wishing game. In the wishing game the child who comes up with the best wish wins. The first child said, “I wish for the latest, greatest … Continue reading →

A man falls into a manhole. Whenever he sees someone walk by, he calls for help. Finally someone stops, looks down into the hole, and jumps in. “What did you do that for?” the man asks. “Now we are both … Continue reading →

I have not done a post in quite a while. I put most of my energy into my Jātaka book project these days. I am currently working on the final edits for volume 4. When you do a project like … Continue reading →

One of the most fascinating teachings of the Buddha is the one on anatta, non-self. Not surprisingly, it is enormously misunderstood. The Buddha was focused on one thing, and that is teaching us how to escape from dukkha (suffering/stress/unsatisfactoriness) and … Continue reading →

I want to revisit a topic about which I have written previously, and that is the topic of joy. I have been listening recently to some of Ayya Khema’s Dharma talks. If you are not familiar with her, Ayya Khema … Continue reading →

In Buddhism we often talk about the present moment. And in each life there are billions of present moments. Most of them are noise. But every so often we have a deeply profound moment. We need to cherish and remember … Continue reading →

I would like to discuss three (Pāli) words that I think are often misunderstood in the Buddha’s teachings. These are saṃsara, nirvāṇa, and saṃvega. They are closely related. Saṃsara is sometimes defined as a place. It literally means “wandering” or … Continue reading →