Category Archives: Buddhist practice

Jātaka Tales

Stories of the Buddha’s Former Births Introduction Volume 1 1: Apaṇṇaka Jātaka, The True Dharma 2: Vaṇṇupatha Jātaka, The Sandy Road 3: Serivaṇija Jātaka, The Serivan, or The Gold Bowl 4: Cullaka-seṭṭi Jātaka, Chullaka the Treasurer 5: Taṇḍulanāli Jātaka, The … Continue reading

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Jātaka Tales

Right Speech/Wrong Speech

I was talking to a friend of mine this past week, and he told me something quite astonishing. He said that Mahatma Gandhi was in favor of the caste system in India, and that he defended it. Further, he said, … Continue reading

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Basic Kindness

When I first moved to New Mexico I attended a meditation group here. They have a people of color program there. This has become popular lately in some Buddhist organizations, to try and attract people of color and people from … Continue reading

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Beacons in the Darkness

There continues to be a lot of angst about the current political situation, particularly after the events in Charlottesville last weekend. Charlottesville holds a special place in my heart because when I was in the fourth grade, my family took … Continue reading

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Serenity, Insight, and Lovingkindness

Credit for this story goes to Ajahn Brahm. There are two people who decide to go for a hike up Meditation Mountain. One of them is named “Samatha” and the other one is named “Vipassana.” They take with them their … Continue reading

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The Way in to the Fortress

I have been working my way through all of the books that I have written, reviewing what I wrote, double checking everything with what the Buddha taught, making minor stylistic changes to make everything uniform, and making occasional content changes … Continue reading

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Scholarship and Practice

I have written about this before, but it has come up again, and I think some of the points bear repeating. It has to do with scholarship vs practice in the Buddhist world. I recently started to read an interview … Continue reading

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Love Trumps Hate

It never ceases to amaze me what a difficult and challenging path the Buddha’s way is. Our habits are so ingrained to look outward. But following the Buddha’s path is like being in a room full of mirrors. Even the … Continue reading

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More Books

Books 6 & 7 in the Little Books on Buddhism series are now available on the Books tab. Book 6 is on rebirth. It has four sections. One is on whether the Buddha taught rebirth, the second one is on … Continue reading

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Learned Helplessness

I just got an email from one of my very dearest Dharma sisters. I met her in India and her friendship has been one of the great blessings of my life. I know that I have said this before and … Continue reading

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