These pages are all related to a time in my life when I identified as a Buddhist, even going to far as to start on the path of becoming a monk. Although that is no longer my path, and I don’t self identify as a Buddhist, the words were true for me when I wrote them.
Useful Emptiness
I’d like to share a perspective on useful emptiness. To get there though, first a comment about judgement, and a sutra or two, and my favorite Chinese Patriarch. A few years back I posted a thought to a popular social media site that said: “What if enlightenment was...
Death and Dying
Many people join a religion as a way to deal with death and dying. Now, Buddhism makes no bones about the importance of dealing with death. It is part of the first of the Four Noble Truths and said that the Buddha began his journey once he recognized that everyone...
How To Meditate
Sit You can use a meditation cushion (zafu) or meditators bench (Seiza Bench) or just use a chair. If using a chair (which I often do), make sure it is a solid one (no desk chairs with wheels). Sit toward the front edge of your chair. Once you are sitting, you’ll want...
Living Outside The Monastery
Here in my home town in Ohio, there is a house that was rented and converted into the local center for a specific sect of Buddhism. A few months later, a monk moved in and now lives there. Other groups used the facility as well and on occasion, the Westerners that...
Do you want to be a monk?
Recently someone asked how long it will take me to go from being a novice (sramanera) to a full-fledged monk. In my order, there is no direct timeline. Although some things that need to be accomplished have to be done a specific number of times or for a certain...
Sensual Desires
The Buddha spoke... "Community, people are easily caught by four traps. The first is attachment to sensual desire. The second is attachment to narrow views. The third is doubt and suspicion. The forth is false view of self. The Way Of Enlightenment helps people...
Intimacy and My Buddhism
So as a novice monk, there are no direct rules around sexuality. But that isn't actually true. Because part of being a novice monk is being a dharma teacher. And the rules there are... Do not commit adultery, including sexual congress with a corpse, animal, or object....
How I found my teacher and my tradition
In the early 2000's, dawn and I were presenting at an alternative sexuality conference (some of them focused on Leather - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather_subculture). Master Z was one of the people we often saw at Leather event. I've seen him present a class or...
Anger is an energy
I have just had my first experience in expressing anger at someone while I was wearing robes. On an aside, I will not be talking about specifics and deleting any comments that do. It is an interesting experience to meditate; the old patterns of post argumentive...
The Different Forms of Buddhism
Information pertaining to four of Buddhism's most prominent sects. The following is some introductory information to get you started. Theravada, the most ancient form of Buddhism, is the dominant school in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, and Laos)....