Recently I had a chance to be part of a small seminar with Van Jones, TV host, author, and much more. A longtime activist with deep roots in the conservative South, Van has made it his mission to build bridges, challenging voters and viewers to stand in one another’s shoes and disagree constructively. The key… Continue reading →

I changed five nouns in this poem for us, for now: “Thanks” by W. S. Merwin. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind a bit. It reminds me of Zen teacher Yvonne Rand’s last audible words before she passed away Wednesday evening: “No form – Just thank you” Listen with the night falling we are saying… Continue reading →

I loved my wasband George with all my heart. To navigate the heartbreak of his alcoholism with some modicum of mindfulness and compassion, I went for refuge in Al-Anon intensive care, where I stayed for four years. I came to see the 12-step work as parallel to the Buddhist mindfulness trainings we call precepts. Both… Continue reading →

Monday I learned that Yvonne Rand, one of my teachers in this life, has entered hospice to do her dying. An accomplished Soto Zen priest, Yvonne came to teach with me at InsightLA in the early days. Yvonne has lived a life that has given so much to so many, born of her love of… Continue reading →

The ocean has been cold again this week, good weather for the kelp! Did you know that in ideal conditions kelp can grow from 12 inches to 18 inches in one day? Did you know kelp stores carbon as efficiently as tropical rainforests? The kelp in the Pacific Ocean nourishes thousands of species who graze… Continue reading →

This morning at dawn I bring cushions outside to sit on the little cement stoop in front of the cottage I’ve rented for over ten years now. It’s peaceful here, but I’m kind of numb after the long drive home from San Rafael yesterday. I know how to be mindful but I feel disconnected, forgetting… Continue reading →

Decades ago in the ’70s the Dalai Lama’s smiling face was on the cover of a newspaper called “The Snow Lion.” The quote under his photo struck me so powerfully that I cut out the cover page and stuck it on a kitchen cupboard where it yellowed and tattered over the years. That piece of… Continue reading →

“These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” — The Buddha, in the Anguttara Nikaya (AN 2:118). The doorbell rings. I stand up from the couch where I work cross-legged… Continue reading →

It’s a beautiful day here in California; new Spring leaves are dancing, flowers tossing their heads in the breeze. Crows and ravens are calling, vultures soaring, warblers, sparrows and songbird friends singing across the clear blue sky. There are more songs in the air. It’s courtship and breeding season, the males are outsinging each other… Continue reading →