tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7412276583563588632012-01-27T10:33:02.044-08:00Writings about zen Buddhism, yoga, social justice and politics, the arts, and life in general.Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comBlogger7161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-50544568781324224952012-01-27T09:41:00.000-08:002012-01-27T10:04:43.521-08:00

Two of my favorite Buddhist bloggers, Maia and Katie, are present in this interview of Katie done on the blog Jizo Chronicles. I want to reflect briefly on the following section of Katie's comments: On a larger scale, exploring interdependence has really shaped the way I understand solidarity. I don’t have to “know” someone in order to comprehend that we are connected — spiritually, and through

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-63552485035646371542012-01-21T09:37:00.000-08:002012-01-21T10:05:14.471-08:00

For various reasons, my life has been filled with joy lately. It's pretty wonderful, given how challenging the past few years have been. I wanted to share with you this post from the blog bodhi tree swaying, which offers 5 ways to increase joy in your life. With all the suffering around us, it's easy to dismiss joy as something fluffy, something that is, like chocolate, merely a treat to have

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-10236285794892063632012-01-14T15:00:00.000-08:002012-01-14T15:33:58.839-08:00

Actually, that isn't true. The New York Times is a corporation, not a person. So how could it hate anything really. Anyway, the North American yoga world has been a buzz over a recent New York Times article that isn't terribly flattering to yogaland. It's one of those pieces where intelligent points are swimming in a sea of muckraking and designed drama production. It's true that asana practice

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-90067316282078551632012-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:002012-01-09T09:25:24.350-08:00

If the dharma has not yet fully come into one's body and mind, one thinks it is already sufficient. On the other hand, if the dharma fills one's body and mind, there is a sense of insufficiency. Dogen, GenjokoanFeeling insufficient, or having a strong sense of lack, is pretty common here in the U.S. anyway. Pretty ironic, given how much "material abundance" we have, even those of us who are

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-38866678090876004672012-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:002012-01-04T13:19:26.462-08:00

Humans like comfort. And that impulse has been strongly exploited here in the U.S., to the point where it's considered normal to place comfort over most everything else. The economy is bad. The political leaders don't listen to the 99%. Well, hey, at least I have my sports team to watch. Or my ipod. Or my small group of friends I can bitch about life with. Or even my own political action group to

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-13798231791314424712011-12-31T15:17:00.000-08:002011-12-31T15:44:16.907-08:00

Here is the list of specific intentions that I have come up with so far for 2012. The list was prompted a bit early this year by a friend's Facebook call for folks to share with each other. 1) Develop creative, transformative work that support me financially, emotionally, and spiritually.2) Cultivate gratitude daily. 3) Finish one of the book projects I have in mind. 4.) Be fully open to new

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-89539927708371799442011-12-28T15:00:00.000-08:002011-12-28T16:51:28.577-08:00

You ever seen anyone with a pistol come into your yoga class? Me neither. With that said, I'd like to recommend that folks go over to the blog Think Body Electric and read Carol's current post, which takes up the topic among other things. For our purposes here, though, I actually want to address a comment Carol made to another reader on her post, which I believe offers some interesting nuggets to

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-27614986546885783432011-12-26T10:55:00.001-08:002011-12-26T11:06:28.306-08:00

Last night, I pulled out Zen Master Seng Ts'an's dharma poem "Trust in Mind" (Xinxinming) again. Here's a line that caught me:"If you wish to see the truth,then hold no opinions for or against anything." Take a look at those first words - "If you wish to see the truth." How often do you truly wish to see the truth? And how often do you do anything in your power to turn away from it? This line

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-64990379567623758042011-12-22T08:02:00.000-08:002011-12-22T08:46:47.580-08:00

Nearly a year ago, I wrote a post in response to the myriad of ways in which others were writing about Big Mind Zen teacher Genpo Merzel. One of the issues I wanted to address was the moralistic blasting Genpo was receiving from Buddhists, particularly those who deemed him in various ways "irredeemable," as if he were a Catholic priest being punished under Catholic doctrine. Buddhist ethics has

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-67021512821800067802011-12-21T16:11:00.001-08:002011-12-21T16:30:53.728-08:00

This time of year tends to be challenging for me. I would guess the same is true for many others out there. And what's interesting to me is that although the level of activity with others is often ramped up, so, too, can the feelings of loneliness. Seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? Maybe, and maybe not. The frantic pace of the holidays, coupled with the darkness and unheeded calls to turn

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-58980906284840589722011-12-18T13:46:00.000-08:002011-12-18T14:02:23.727-08:00

I have been experiencing a lot of shoddy perceptions lately. Or maybe it's better to say that I have been responding to situations from a faulty lens. Zen talks a lot about "don't know mind," and yet I think most of us get lost in the nice sound of those words. Don't know mind means, in a way, to be constantly surprised by the world without being tossed about by that surprise. Not really an easy

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-10339700211583816222011-12-14T15:38:00.000-08:002011-12-14T15:50:12.733-08:00

I recently started my annual re-reading of selections from 20th Century Catholic monk Thomas Merton's journals. For the past few years, I have kept gravitating towards volume six, which arguably contains the most controversial section of Merton's life. Also, having read nearly all seven volumes from cover to cover over the years, number six is the most thought-provoking and revealing of Merton's

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-11633915807116379262011-12-13T09:43:00.000-08:002011-12-13T09:53:53.222-08:00

Image from Crazy Dog T-shirts. Here's are really interesting Q and A from Trungpa Rinpoche's book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism.If you have conflicts with other people, making it difficult to relate to them, what do you do?Well, if your desire to communicate, which is generosity, is strong, then you have to apply prajna, knowledge, to discover why you are unable to communicate. Perhaps

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-72624385135170624822011-12-10T18:27:00.000-08:002011-12-10T18:34:10.829-08:00

It took me three times to get up into handstand and stay there for more than a few breaths this evening. I use the wall, so there isn't the fear of falling over, but the fear of either falling backwards or of my wrists giving out still arises sometimes. What I was aware of that third time, after I got up there and focused on my breath, was that I usually hold my breath and don't breathe at all in

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-25755462957639547432011-12-09T08:34:00.000-08:002011-12-09T08:40:07.197-08:00

I had some requests to post this op-ed piece I wrote over the weekend. Although it's very specifically focused on events and issues here in Minnesota, there are also broader points that I feel cut across any given location. \As winter approaches, and the Occupy movement continues in Minneapolis and around the nation, the issue of public space has risen to the forefront. Not only have the Occupy

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-8066550167426347062011-12-07T18:04:00.000-08:002011-12-07T18:29:26.741-08:00

Some of you may recall several months back some discussion about the website Buddharocks. Specifically, that said website was poaching content from other Buddhist blogs, including this one, without proper acknowledgement. Well, I received the following comment today.Goodizen said... Greetings I am the designer who volunteered to put up the BuddhaRocks.org portal, and I discover this '

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-69778303304490987242011-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:002011-12-06T16:35:11.573-08:00

There is a very big difference between responding and reacting.When we respond to a situation, we are aware of the impersonal quality of what is occurring. Life is occurring, and we are part of that life occurring.When we react to a situation, we view what is occurring as a personal threat, as an attack, or as a punishment. Life is happening ONLY because I did something, or I am something someone

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-42977780071177423772011-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:002011-12-03T08:05:41.991-08:00

The title of one of Reb Anderson Roshi's books, Being Upright, often comes to mind when I think about conflict in my own life.Many times, I have fallen too far backwards when in conflict with others. The passivity of withdrawal, or false agreement, or repressed silence is what I mean here. It's kind of like sleeping in zazen(meditation).Other times, I have fallen too far forward when in conflict

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-32012602389118021882011-12-01T10:19:00.000-08:002011-12-01T10:25:12.569-08:00

I have created a central portal for the blogs I maintain. You can read the welcome message there, and learn more about my current and future writing intentions.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-26462861057289615522011-11-30T08:30:00.001-08:002011-11-30T09:02:53.384-08:00

What I am saying is this: the score is not what matters. Life does not have to be regarded as a game in which scores are kept and somebody wins. If you are too intent on winning, you will never enjoy playing. If you are too obsessed with success, you will forget to live. If you have learned only how to be a success, your life has probably been wasted. Thomas MertonI found this quote in the middle

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-73622442975937918502011-11-28T10:09:00.000-08:002011-11-28T10:36:24.774-08:00

"Remember the deep root of your being ...Give your life to the one who already owns your breath and your moments." Rumi - The Real WorkEven though it is cold outside, I can feel the stirring of energy within. A heat at the core, trying to break through to the extremities. A few days ago, I joined Twitter. Like with many other things in my life, I stood on the sidelines watching what was happening

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-30811714700876884752011-11-26T09:17:00.000-08:002011-11-26T11:09:00.583-08:00

Here is a short description of the reasons behind a ten day continuous chanting service being held by the Malvern Pureland Sangha in the UK. Some folks in the "Western" Buddhist world tend to look down on this kind of thing, suggesting that seated meditation is required to "be a Buddhist." Personally, I feel that's a limited view, and would rather spread the joy of the diversity present in our

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-31241209269555080392011-11-23T14:43:00.001-08:002011-11-23T14:55:00.766-08:00

The following is a post I wrote last year around this time. Most of it still rings true to me, and in light of the Occupy movement's focus on corporate power and greed, as well as my long term efforts to decolonize from the consumer mindset, I thought I'd share what I wrote last year again. "Black Friday" is intimately tied into the "constant economic growth as necessity" narrative. The one that

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-18998817658654378902011-11-22T13:40:00.001-08:002011-11-22T13:50:32.884-08:00

Some folks in the North American yoga community are quite unhappy with yoga clothing company Lululemon's current advertising campaign referencing Ayn Rand, a darling amongst a certain cross section of conservatives. Here is one of a number of posts on the blog Yoga Dork about this issue. I don't have a lot of time today, but this is one of the points I made on the original post. the fact that a a

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-13789172073592940892011-11-18T09:22:00.001-08:002011-11-18T10:08:46.230-08:00

This Yoga Journal article has some interesting stuff in it. I've always liked the idea of envisioning yourself as already awakened, and doing things in your daily life from that place. However, I'd like to take up the following paragraph to consider a little more closely. This all-or-nothing notion of enlightenment is deeply rooted, and insidious. I often get questions from students who

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-68021519824415692522011-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:002011-11-18T08:42:44.976-08:00

The Occupy Movement has now hit home in a fierce manner for those of us in the broad meditation community. Whatever your thoughts about Occupy, the man in the image above was not only arrested while bearing witness during the Occupy Oakland protests, but is now facing deportation. Fellow Buddhist blogger Katie Loncke, who is a part of the Occupy Oakland group, posted the following link, which

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-71885451373263703182011-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:002011-11-14T08:54:27.782-08:00

I was touched by the reflectiveness of a post by Genju over at 108 Zen Books about, among other things, the Occupy Wall Street movement. She writes: letting go. That was pretty dominant in the two weeks past if only as a realization that I can be releasing my death grip on all manner of fixations, metaphors of Self, and craven desires and what is apparent to the eye or ear could be as simple as

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-76078819000379592472011-11-11T14:28:00.000-08:002011-11-11T15:10:14.330-08:00

When I'm in the yoga world, it's not uncommon for someone to say, upon hearing about my Zen practice, "Oh, I'm terrible at meditation" or "It's too hard for me." Sometimes, I hear the same thing as well from newcomers on Sunday mornings down at the zen center. However, as Algernon says in a recent post, there isn't really such a thing as a "bad meditator. We are difficult because even when we

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-17591163750329699332011-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:002011-11-09T08:25:20.450-08:00

"All existence is like a dream, a phantasm, a reflection. Even though you are seeing it and touching it, it has no actual substance. I'll give you a concrete example. An electric news screen ... When you look at it from afar, it certainly seems like those letters are flowing, but when you go up close and look at it, it is just some light bulbs going on and off, and there is not a single flowing

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-77080540550510391632011-11-07T14:47:00.000-08:002011-11-07T15:17:52.621-08:00

There has been a lot of online kerfuffling (yes, I made that word up), over the seemingly sudden departure of three senior Anusara yoga teachers from the ranks of the Anusara certified. Now, I know very little about Anusara, so I don't really have anything to say about the merit or lack of merit of what these folks are teaching. Nor do I really have any interest in trying to unearth some seedy

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-64484577563024707552011-11-04T16:23:00.000-07:002011-11-04T17:26:45.234-07:00

Here is an example of the challenges that yoga teachers committed to the full path can face in North American studios:Last night, I was fired from my job at Black Swan Yoga for a fundamental difference of opinion. I was ambushed, lured there to discuss my "schedule" and then tag-teamed by a pair with a yoga sutra tattooed on one and a chakra tattooed on the other. (Oh, the irony!) Together,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-16543502778762158332011-11-02T16:51:00.000-07:002011-11-02T17:29:01.904-07:00

Convert Buddhists have under-emphasized sangha (or community of excellent friends, as one of my dharma sisters frequently says). There are many reasons for this, and I have written about the ones I know about on this blog in the past. For those of us in the United States, there often seems to an extra layer of hindrance to building sangha that comes from the mainstream cultural emphasis on

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-4370633659593299242011-10-31T15:21:00.001-07:002011-10-31T16:00:42.590-07:00

There are a few good posts up that I want to highlight for you all. First off, over at the blog of our sangha's head teacher is a post about form and Zen practice. We have been doing a lot of reflecting as a community over the past few years about form, particularly what ritual looks like within a lay practice context. I have written about all of this before, but wanted to share the following

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-69996157307342288712011-10-29T09:08:00.000-07:002011-10-29T09:49:22.758-07:00

I've sometimes wondered if a pregnant ghost has come to haunt my body, it's bony shoulders poking at mine, as it's fat stomach presses hard against my own. Every autumn, as the sun's rays slowly fade away earlier and earlier by the day, that acute haunting returns. An old friend - or enemy - depending upon my mindset in the moment, sometimes I call it "loneliness," but that's just an easy label,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-84278683555341718502011-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:002011-10-27T10:06:07.598-07:00

Working with people from all over the world, whose ideas and ways of living are often very different from my own, has definitely helped to jar the sense of self I have.In addition, the discussions I have had with these same learners in my classes have shown me as much as anything how constructed our views of the “good life” or “proper life” are.Here’s a simple example of that from a recent class:

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-15187043822671062982011-10-24T16:16:00.000-07:002011-10-24T16:32:15.917-07:00

About a week ago, I noticed an overturned squirrel in the road, mouth and eyes wide open, but otherwise untouched. Maybe a heart attack victim; I don't know. Yesterday, as I came upon the body while on my bicycle, I found another squirrel pausing, checking out the scene. The living squirrel seemed curious, interested in what was there, without really any extra jumpiness or fear. Just observing

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-51686800596558178642011-10-23T14:48:00.000-07:002011-10-23T15:00:53.470-07:00

I was meditating on the plaza where our Occupy protest is going on today, sitting next to the sign you see above. Next to me also sat the book in the photo, a fairly well known academic commentary on Zen Master Dogen. There was a cool breeze, and the air was fairly damp as I sat, watching my breath, and taking in all the various sounds of the folks around me. Suddenly, I hear the following: "To

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-89534419760423915662011-10-22T15:08:00.000-07:002011-10-22T15:16:33.584-07:00

In an old issue of Shambhala Sun I stumbled upon, Zen teacher Joan Halifax Roshi is described by one of her students using the two title words for this post: fearless and fragile. Roshi Joan, as she is called, has spent much of her adult life caring for the sick and dying, and teaching others how to do so. What I find so inspiring about her life story is this simple, but profound commitment she

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-13545415466408871292011-10-19T13:46:00.000-07:002011-10-19T14:38:04.750-07:00

The second niyama discussed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is santosha or contentment. The thinking is easy. In order to achieve great happiness, learn to be content with what you have and accept what is. Let go of expectations and rest easy in the flow of life. Learn that the state of mind does not depend on any external status or material things. The state of your mind and happiness depends on your

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-10028202034438132162011-10-17T07:03:00.000-07:002011-10-17T07:45:02.672-07:00

I really enjoyed this post by Andre over at Zen and Back Again. Mostly because it's familiar to me, and is something I've written about on here before. If Zen is the practice of complete non-abiding, requiring the relinquishment of all attachments, then doesn't it serve to reason that we should let go of Zen too? For as I have found, Zen, namely zazen, can become a form of attachment.We hear more

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-91190908890441026742011-10-14T16:02:00.000-07:002011-10-14T16:52:54.323-07:00

I got a bit of a dressing down early this afternoon. A group of folks were discussing the current tent ban for the plaza we are holding Occupy MN on. At one point, a woman said something about making a large banner claiming the County Commissioners were "freezing" out the protesters. I didn't like the idea. It felt unnecessary. Just this morning, the protests in Denver were cleared out because of

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-74860172947319989732011-10-13T12:15:00.000-07:002011-10-13T12:31:38.636-07:00

I found the following on the Lotus in the Mud blog. Although they apparently have never heard of Treeleaf, this is still really interesting - especially the bilingual aspect. Keisuke Matsumoto, a Buddhist priest, is the mastermind behind Japan’s first online Buddhist temple called Higanji Temple. If you’re looking for a building with Buddhist alters in Tokyo, you won’t find it at Higanji’s Temple

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-15598959861270419122011-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:002011-10-11T09:34:36.971-07:00

Over the past year, I have been collecting the blogs of people living "alternative" forms of career. Or, you might say, doing lives in a form different from the wage an hour, 9-5 setting. One thing I've noticed amongst nearly everyone writing these blogs is a passion for life that bleeds through their words. Even when they're writing about something miserable, about some form of suffering,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-22476049195539933642011-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:002011-10-09T18:54:28.247-07:00

The word brought up visions of invasion, people marching in to take over. I also saw a consciousness of us holding down specific territories (turfing) that seems to persist as the way to conquer. Then I wondered about the consumption of our attention and time being occupied leaving little energy for us to find ways to feed and house each other. How are we going to survive the mess we are all in

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-33546216432563485422011-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:002011-10-08T08:24:34.085-07:00

The Wall Street Occupation has landed in Minnesota. I spent the past six hours in downtown Minneapolis, amongst a crowd of several hundred that slowly swelled as the afternoon went on. It was quite an interesting experience, and I plan on heading back tomorrow afternoon as well. After being down there a few hours, I came upon a man sitting zazen in the grass. I sat down and joined him for about

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-44310063053037646832011-10-05T08:12:00.000-07:002011-10-05T09:26:40.177-07:00

Genpo Roshi is quite active here in The Netherlands. But his influenced has waned considerably lately. It's hard to tell if that's just because of the very highly publicized and largely meaningless sex scandal or because people realized what a joke the whole Big Mind® thing was.The above comments are from Zen teacher Brad Warner's current post on Zen in Europe. For anyone who hasn't read Brad's

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-90697160244779629232011-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:002011-10-04T09:10:23.678-07:00

Over at one of her blogs, Buddhist blogger Nella Lou writes:There’s a lot of these witnessing retreats going on where the bourgeoisie pay substantial amounts to be with suffering, whether that be located on the homeless streets, at Auschwitz, in Rwanda or elsewhere.This to me turns the extraordinary suffering of people into a circus. The spectacle of suffering.The purpose seems to be to assuage

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-31658606285334304262011-10-02T12:42:00.000-07:002011-10-02T12:55:05.913-07:00

A political post I made yesterday on Facebook suddenly, and kind of surprisingly to me, exploded into a debate between several friends that continues a day later. I'm not ready to make a coherent piece of writing on the particular political issue, however a short exchange between my friend John and I seemed quite worthy of posting here. John: Our society seems to place a fundamental value on "

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-21632734657129210462011-09-30T09:32:00.000-07:002011-09-30T10:10:06.371-07:00

We can never be sure how long we will be in the bardo of the living. No one can say. When and where we will die is always uncertain. It is completely unpredictable. No matter how rich or clever you are, you can never know how much longer you have to live. Since we're not sure how long this life will last, Guru Padmasambhava advises us to abandon laziness.Now is the time to increase appreciation

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-78451291972320044272011-09-27T07:28:00.000-07:002011-09-27T08:31:53.078-07:00

In an engaging post over at the ID project blog, yoga teacher J. Brown writes the following:I remember a particular occasion when I was teaching one of my trademark power vinyasa classes. I was barking out my well prepared sequence and, instead of my usual attention to everyone’s alignment, I happened to be noticing the facial expressions of the people in my class.They looked miserable. They were

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-42378386047391200462011-09-26T06:56:00.000-07:002011-09-26T07:18:06.862-07:00

Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel peace prize, died on Sunday night of cancer. She was 71.A towering figure in Kenya, Maathai was renowned as a fearless social activist and an environmental crusader. Her Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977, planted tens of millions of trees.Maathai's death was confirmed in a statement on the movement's website."It is with great

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-63392189051037048472011-09-26T06:44:00.001-07:002011-09-26T06:46:09.277-07:00

Just wanted to send a thank you out to the reader who recently sent me a donation, supporting Dangerous Harvests. Given my lack of stable income currently, I feel especially grateful. Many bows. Nathan

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-46429836628261508882011-09-24T12:03:00.000-07:002011-09-24T12:08:32.673-07:00

Nothing remains Of the house that I was born in-- Fireflies. Santoka, 1882-1940*For more on the photo, go here.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-7897997480357309112011-09-22T10:32:00.000-07:002011-09-22T10:49:08.871-07:00

I received an interesting question from a reader, and thought I'd share my answer here. How does one enter into and maintain a relationship without forming attachments? It's just one of the concepts of Buddhism that just don't seem to fit for me personally, either because I consider attachments to be very important for me, or it could just be that I misunderstand that particular concept. What are

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-23649520319989496322011-09-20T08:01:00.001-07:002011-09-20T08:33:52.722-07:00

On Wednesday, the state of Georgia will execute Troy Davis for the 1989 murder of police office Mark MacPhail. Since Davis was convicted in 1991, 7 of the prosecution’s 9 witnesses have recanted their statements, and have repeatedly given testimony to courts and to the media that their testimony was coerced. Additional witnesses have come forward implicating Sylvester “Redd” Coles, another person

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-70772728728490092912011-09-18T09:24:00.000-07:002011-09-18T10:18:13.375-07:00

Our entire society, in the words of Generation X, has become very DIY. Do-it-yourself. The interesting thing about this term is that it started as an anti-consumerist phrase but it actually means you get to consume in the way you want. So there seems to be a strand of dharma, a huge strand of dharma, where we all want to become spiritual libertarians. We want to do the teachings in the way we do

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-66147216190431589512011-09-15T13:04:00.001-07:002011-09-15T13:33:24.440-07:00

People sometimes wonder how someone with the level of education I have has such an ambivalent relationship with/towards academia. Well, the following discussion demonstrates some of the reasons why. Doctoral student Christie Barcelos posted this really interesting article on issues of exclusion in American yoga. If you read it, it's obvious that she has had first hand experience of feeling "out

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-3211229606443309932011-09-14T08:53:00.000-07:002011-09-14T09:13:47.279-07:00

It kind of amazes me how commonplace the phrase "that's so Zen" has become. Even people who believe Buddhism is the devil's work seem to be saying it these days. Of course, when people say such a thing, they're basically speaking about some kind of ease, flow, or blissed out state. And I always feel like those saying it have some vague, hazy memory of pot smoking or some other drug trip in mind.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-61298733532751374172011-09-11T10:18:00.000-07:002011-09-11T10:44:46.262-07:00

I was biking downhill into our downtown yesterday, on my way to pick up a book about Dogen from another member of our sangha, when I saw something odd out of the corner of my eye. As I slowed down, I watched as a pigeon jerked and then plunged to the street below. Stunned, I stopped and continued to stare for a moment as it flopped around in the middle of the passing traffic. The cars began to

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-56636737566457682412011-09-09T08:52:00.000-07:002011-09-09T09:14:15.233-07:00

When one's character begins to fall under suspicion and disfavor, how swift, then, is the work of disintegration and destruction.Mark TwainI really like this quote, although I would maybe replace "character" with mind, or something along those lines, since character implies something a little too fixed or at least continuous for my taste. Anyway, it's petty easy to see how, when your mind is

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-22099596365096960862011-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:002011-09-06T09:54:10.870-07:00

Fifty-four years lighting up the sky.A quivering leap smashes a billion worlds.Hah!Entire body looks for nothing.Living, I plunge into Yellow Springs. Zen Master Dogen, (1200-1253) Four of us from zen center got together yesterday to start a little Dogen study group. It's funny how life flips about. Several months ago (can't recall quite when), I wrote a few posts questioning the "obsession" many

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-53698158396628762462011-09-03T07:18:00.000-07:002011-09-03T07:47:47.630-07:00

The world before my eyes is wan and wasted, just like me. The earth is decrepit, the sky stormy, all the grass withered. No spring breeze even at this late date, Just winter clouds swallowing up my tiny reed hut. Zen Master Ikkyu, 1394-1481 I have been thinking this morning about delay. Specifically, how delay is felt, experienced, and the desire behind it. When things don't come to us when

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-62835737479612770432011-09-01T08:47:00.001-07:002011-09-01T09:38:14.778-07:00

What we let fear do to us. The list is endless, isn't it? Petteri has an excellent post on the topic, of which I'd like to take up the following: I read a bit of news reporting a few months ago where they had interviewed three people, one born in the 1950's, one in the 1970's, and one in the 1990's, in a certain part of Helsinki. They'd asked them to map out the physical territory they

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-72028423833210359762011-08-30T08:47:00.000-07:002011-08-30T09:36:15.994-07:00

In 1980, the average American CEO's income was 40 times higher than that of the average worker. Today, it is well over 300 times higher. A new study suggests this rising income inequality in the United States doesn’t just affect Americans’ pocketbooks; it affects their happiness. Over the past four decades, according to the study, the American people have been the least happy in years when

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-68596076036287988642011-08-29T10:31:00.000-07:002011-08-29T16:06:28.814-07:00

I can imagine that many of you have noticed the color changes on the blog. A regular reader wrote me a few weeks ago, requesting that I change the color scheme because she was having a hard time reading the old one on her computer screen. Looking at it, I realized that maybe more of you might also be having trouble, especially if reading it from a battery run computer not currently plugged in.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-18546799778387056532011-08-27T14:17:00.001-07:002011-08-27T15:06:00.649-07:00

As a writer, I'm very interested in the ways in which writers are being treated by online media outlets. One of the reasons behind my recent post about Elephant Journal was a desire to see writers, and potential writers, be treated with more respect and dignity. Although I didn't mention it in the previous post, I've grown deeply ambivalent about Elephant's policy of not paying it's regular

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-23405848672922908612011-08-25T08:41:00.000-07:002011-08-25T09:11:52.777-07:00

I read a letter in the current issue of Buddhadharma magazine that took aim at this discussion, about the role of humor in Buddhist practice. During the discussion, Zen teacher Bernie Glassman speakes about wearing a clown nose during dharma talks and doing other silly things during meditation retreats. Another Zen teacher, Norman Fischer, points out that the old Zen teachings are full of

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-73885567142061593192011-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:002011-08-22T09:28:44.433-07:00

This post might ruffle some feathers. For others, it's probably been their opinion for a long time. It started with some reactions to the following video, which has been making the rounds on various websites. I'm not going to comment on the video itself, but want to focus in on one site of "discussion" in regards to the content of the video: Elephant Journal. For anyone not in the know,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-54489803051778938542011-08-20T14:20:00.000-07:002011-08-20T14:56:17.244-07:00

Over at Kloncke, Katie has an excellent post that manages to link Buddhist teachings, economic critique, dieting, police brutality, and the Planet of the Apes movies together. How did that just happen? Anyway, one of the issues brought up is the notion of restraint, which is frequently viewed as a positive skill amongst Buddhists, and many other spiritual folks for that matter. Katie attempts

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-84438819756039708802011-08-18T10:24:00.001-07:002011-08-18T10:55:40.484-07:00

I have had a lot of tangled thoughts about various things related to spiritual practice over the past week or so. Nothing terribly clear or even muddy, but writable has come however. Which explains the slight slow down in posts here. Anyway, I found this, from a post our old internet curmudgeon The Zennist interesting to consider: Modern Zen has not escaped the problem of throwing out the

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-84968086073077064802011-08-15T17:41:00.000-07:002011-08-15T17:55:19.771-07:00

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity. Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu, trans. S. Mitchell I was struck by this verse from the Tao Te Ching, referenced in a new

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-36311832515463325052011-08-13T12:10:00.000-07:002011-10-19T13:12:16.026-07:00

Continuing the discussion from the last post, there's another good commentary on issues with yoga teacher trainings on Linda's Yoga Journey. The thread following her post is really rich, and worth reading in full. However, one commenter in particular was fixated on the idea that potential teachers should travel to India, and that such travel and study would be better than a teacher training. In

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-81570849288307362892011-08-11T08:39:00.000-07:002011-08-11T09:21:17.266-07:00

This selection from the current blog post over at Skeptical Yoga delves into an issue heavy on my mind these days: I've been pondering about yoga and capitalism. In the early days, students who really wanted to learn yoga had to go beg the teacher to teach them. The guru would make these bright-eyed hopeful students go through crazy difficult tests to confirm their determination for this

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-74770302351999935292011-08-09T08:27:00.000-07:002011-08-09T10:50:58.728-07:00

Thanks to Katie over at Kloncke, who just celebrated her birthday, I got to read this cool article on Buddhism and working class folks by Joshua Eaton. He brings up many excellent points in his writing, but what struck me most was a comment left by "amayfaire": I came to Buddhism as a working class kid, seeking some sort of spiritual home that didn’t require me to rely on fancy clothes, or

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-80519976294391564902011-08-07T11:23:00.000-07:002011-08-07T11:55:10.486-07:00

There's a slightly provocative post over at No Zen in the West I'd like to draw your attention to. For our purposes here, I want to examine one section of it, which goes like this:A distinguished Buddhist scholar told me that the burden of Zen teachers he knows is the need to act/be “enlightened”. How heavy! “I’m a Zen teacher, great! Now I have to somehow embody the premise that this way of

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-56390662899447632732011-08-05T13:13:00.000-07:002011-08-06T10:41:00.179-07:00

In her memoir "Widening Circles," Joanna Macy writes of a time with one of her Buddhist teachers, just after she had finished graduate school. Full of excitement about all that she learned, and an eagerness to show her teacher, Khamtrul Rinpoche, how much of a scholar she had become, she told him of her efforts to learn the Pali language and how reading the teachings in their original language

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-60525039922266217812011-08-03T15:25:00.000-07:002011-08-03T15:34:31.042-07:00

In his commentary on Dogen's Genjokoan, Hakuun Yasutani writes "What is essential is to throw away one's own views and oneself. To throw away all one's acquired affectations, which are the knowledge and experience accumulated since birth, to become a pure white sheet of paper, and to bring oneself in accord with the teachings of the buddhas and ancestors."What is this business of "throwing away"?

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-20449819837568853652011-07-31T17:45:00.001-07:002011-07-31T17:52:06.101-07:00

The following is a short selection from a larger writing project I am working on. Given the shenanigans that went on over at Barbara's Buddhist blog yesterday and today, it seemed like a good thing to post. In my opinion, making and receiving comments on blog posts should be treated in a similar way to how you would act with someone face to face. If you are committed to a spiritual path where

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-62742897739477422592011-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:002011-07-29T09:38:42.633-07:00

Over at the blog Ox Herding yesterday, Barry wrote the following:I've practiced steadily for nearly 22 years so you'd think I'd know better . . . but lately I've watched my mind whip itself into a frenzy of not-enough.Not enough attainment. Not enough clarity. Not enough enlightenment. Just not enough of something that I think is different from what I actually have.In the midst of my

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-66023208868755515032011-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:002011-07-27T10:05:08.918-07:00

Over at Zendotstudio, Carole has a good post on hope and Buddhist practice. She writes: The Oxford dictionary defines hope as "expectation combined with desire." Hmm, from a Buddhist point of view, we're not starting with the best recipe ingredients, are we? Hope implies something we want in the future. It may be something perfectly wonderful, like world peace or a new subaru station wagon.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-82783336531509657342011-07-24T17:35:00.000-07:002011-07-25T08:51:01.358-07:00

The root cause of purityis the lust nature,For once rid of lust,the substance of the nature is pure.Each of you, within your natures;abandon the five desires.In an instant, see your nature–it is true. from Hui Neng's Platform SutraOver at my other blog, I have been writing a lot about romantic relationships. It's kind of an endless topic if you think about, all the things

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-77670830314531304512011-07-23T17:23:00.001-07:002011-07-24T11:59:47.968-07:00

So, the writing well has been empty over the past few days. There has been too much heat and humidity here in Minnesota, and my brain is just running slow. In the meantime, here's a little poem for you all, from Issa (1763 - 1828). even poorly plantedrice plantsslowly, slowly...green!

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-62284936445006942942011-07-20T09:12:00.001-07:002011-07-20T09:22:51.929-07:00

Algernon over at Notes from a Burning House has a thought provoking post about, among other things, the costs of running a Zen center, retreats, and the power of having to ask for help. I agreed with a lot of what he had to say, but did find myself thinking a bit differently about a few points. Algernon writes: Buddhist centers are in a bind because the dharma should be free for all. This value

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-35200603873207888522011-07-19T15:37:00.000-07:002011-07-19T16:13:34.853-07:00

I had to wait a few days to write anything about, since I was mired in inappropriate glee over the downfall. But after the circus in London today, complete with a pie throwing protester, I had to comment. First, here's part of the AP report about the hearings in Britain's parliment:Summoned by lawmakers to answer for a phone hacking and bribery scandal at one of his tabloids, Rupert Murdoch said

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-796353001891287102011-07-18T09:09:00.000-07:002011-07-18T09:48:02.395-07:00

There are a lot of interesting posts floating about right now. I have a few things I could write about, but will today offer you a taste of some other blogs instead. First, here's a piece by our head teacher at zen center touching on Huineng’s Platform Sutra. Byakuren has been posting writing about once a week now, and yesterday during her morning dharma talk, referenced how she's loving blogging

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-50643215397485714052011-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:13:32.376-07:00

In the Bhaddekaratta Sutta, the Buddha taught, "Looking deeply at life as it is in the very here and now, the practitioner dwells in stability and freedom," a teaching that echoes Patanjali's definition of asana (yoga postures) as "stable and easeful". In both the Anapanasati Sutta (Awareness of Breathing) and the Satipatthana Sutta (Foundations of Mindfulness), the Buddha tells us to observe the

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-11574903055649454072011-07-12T16:38:00.000-07:002011-07-12T17:07:33.601-07:00

A few months ago, I started writing another blog - one about dating and relationships. I know some of you took a look at it when I first started, and a few are probably even following it, which is cool. Thank you. I really enjoy writing both Dangerous Harvests and the relationship blog, and so far, I've done well keeping them both going, but also allowing a day or two to skip by if I'm not

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-60650153852627167112011-07-10T09:25:00.001-07:002011-07-10T10:04:44.251-07:00

David over at The Endless Further had a bit of a run in with comment responding yesterday. He writes: In response to yesterday’s post, someone left this comment, “based on this you just might be a stream entrant who just doesn’t know it yet.” Now, I don’t know if he was being sincere or not. It occurred to me that it might not be a compliment, but I figured he probably meant well. Anyway, it’s

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-35230665047943343542011-07-08T08:27:00.000-07:002011-07-08T09:16:07.686-07:00

Police in the city of New York recently arrested a Buddhist nun over her attempts to raise money to help rebuild her burned down temple. Officials argued that she was acting as an "unlicensed vendor," and during a court hearing, the district attorney offered a deal that included a guilty plea. However, she refused, suggesting that the charges should be dropped in the interest of justice. I agree.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-55981769642790563072011-07-05T08:08:00.000-07:002011-07-05T09:04:57.185-07:00

There's an excellent discussion going on over at American Buddhist Perspective about the ethics of downloading dharma books. The post centers around a site called Buddhisttorrents, which I have visited once or twice, but never really looked at closely. In fact, it's only now that I see the site has an extensive collection of dharma books available for free download. The few times I glanced at it,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-30994303445108194302011-07-03T11:27:00.001-07:002011-07-03T11:42:08.768-07:00

Two Large Vanilla Iced Nirvanas - I just overheard the guy behind the counter at the coffee shop I'm in shout this statement. I looked up and saw another guy pick up two ice cream drinks and bring them over to a friend sitting at a table. I have written much commentary on here about the ways in which Buddhist terms, phrases, and images have been co-opted by capitalism. But today, just hearing and

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-46186393131323161872011-07-01T08:16:00.000-07:002011-07-01T08:59:25.321-07:00

In response to my recent call for topics to talk about, regular reader Was Once offered the following: Address the act of "doing," and why so many people are always busy... avoiding "being."This is an interesting thing for me to consider right now, given that I have had an extended period of not working a regular job, not having multiple volunteer gigs to juggle, and generally not having a lot of

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-33992686141562870832011-06-30T10:04:00.000-07:002011-06-30T10:17:08.927-07:00

In the comments section of my last post, Buddhist blogger Ji Hyang, author of the wonderful blog Natural Wisdom, offered the following mind trainings from Thich Nhat Hanh for all of us to work with.Trainings of the Mind in Diversity1. Aware of the suffering caused by imposing one’s own opinions or cultural beliefs upon another human being, I undertake the training to refrain from forcing others,

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-45902075304386348772011-06-28T08:29:00.000-07:002011-06-28T09:50:52.379-07:00

I have to say that the explosion over the post by Tassja over at Womanist Musings has jolted me. You'll have to forgive me for not moving on yet. Because I'm not moving on yet. Given my life experience, race and racism are never far from my awareness. However, the genuine nastiness, callousness, and defensiveness that have come in response to this single article has been a reminder of just how

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-14460079386924333762011-06-26T10:39:00.000-07:002011-06-26T12:54:44.769-07:00

I almost never delete a post once I put it up, but after reading and responding to a comment by Robyn, a regular reader here, I realized that most of this post needs to go. It's excess talking. So, I'm taking down the original post, and offering a few pithy statements from it that get at what I wanted to say without the confusing attempts to continue the discussion from yesterday's post. 1.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-43016998492162583822011-06-25T09:13:00.000-07:002011-06-25T09:33:31.131-07:00

This post, written by a young woman from Sri Lanka who lives in Minnesota, has been getting a lot of attention in the Buddhist blogosphere. It's not an easy to read post. And it's gotten a bit of negative attention already, as well as dismissive comments about how she's a just a young, angry, and/or ignorant woman. This paragraph is probably the one where the rails fall off for many white

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-4567403376034241372011-06-24T09:39:00.000-07:002011-06-24T10:06:15.781-07:00

Hi Everyone, I thought I would write today's post in the form of a letter. A recent post by Peter over at Moment by Moment got me thinking about blogging, audience, and what it is we're doing here anyway. I say "we" because my writing and your reading (and commenting) go together. They aren't separate. People like to talk about "my blog," but actually there is no "my blog" anymore. The moment I

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-44041314267990250282011-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:002011-06-23T09:24:21.498-07:00

One instant is eternity;eternity is the now.When you see through this one instant,you see through the one who sees.Wu Men (Hui-k'ai)(1183 - 1260)

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-80507194658633894382011-06-21T09:06:00.000-07:002011-06-21T10:03:53.197-07:00

Carol Horton has a new post on her blog Think Body Electric concerning woo and yoga communities. It has a lot of thought provoking stuff in it, as she seeks to - in my opinion - come to a more balanced attitude about ideas and practices that might fall into the "New Agey" category. I would like to take up the following comment, that comes after some discussion about abusive yoga gurus and

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-28704130024960901092011-06-19T17:34:00.000-07:002011-06-19T18:05:47.988-07:00

A certain priest told [Zen Master] Bankei, “You teach the same thing over and over again. Wouldn’t it be a good idea, just for the sake of variety, to tell some of those old and interesting stories illustrative of Buddhist life?” Bankei said, “I may be an old dunce, and I suppose it might help some if I did tell stories of that kind, but I’ve a strong hunch that such preaching poisons the mind.

Nathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com1