It’s 7:20 here in Montana and there is still a long ways to go – but – and I know we highly accomplished beings aren’t supposed to talk about this – my ability to see into the future tells us we’ll all be talking about the above guy (President Obama) in a very short time. I’m a bit sick from travels, but I’m still going to celebrate this historic and wonderful day in US and world history. I can almost... Read more

This from Treehugger.com. Buddhism is often popularly described as “inherently ecological” and in tune with the environment. And indeed, the history of Buddhism shows a greater sensitivity to the environment than what we find in the 3 western monotheisms. Why is this so? One can look at doctrinal clues: Buddhism teaches interconnectedness and the importance of relations with (and reverence for) all of life. It teaches this in a very direct and visceral sense. There are stories of early monks... Read more

Sometimes we can look into a dew drop or a blade of grass and see how small and interconnected the world is. For me this trip has already given me two reminders of this truth of reality. The first came when my plane to Salt Lake had to turn around mid-flight for mechanical repairs. So instead of Salt Lake, I wound up flying to Seattle and not just to Seattle, but because of the air traffic congestion at Sea-Tac airport,... Read more

It’s 2:52 in the bloody morning, and, in case you didn’t know, I’m not a morning person. I try to have metta for the morning, but I just want sleep and slow sun-rises…. Anyhow – back on track: it’s 2:53 am. What am I up to? I’m up to driving 3 hours to Spokane, flying to Salt Lake, then on to Chicago O’Hare, catching a bus to Jackson st, walking two blocks south and three blocks east and checking in... Read more

This post has been moved to my blog on Buddhist Ethics. Read more

This comes from a friend of mine in Slovenia. Click on the image above to visit the economist to vote (if you’re an American, vote for real!) As you can see the world, with the exception of Iraq – perhaps buoyed by the growing presence of Al Queda there – and a few nations in Africa, is overwhelmingly for Obama. Read more

This was funny – so in addition to forwarding it out to a few of my ‘liberal’ friends and family members, I thought I’d post it here too: http://s3.moveon.org/swf/embed.swf p.s. I already voted. Read more

Almost five years ago I went off prescription antidepressants* for good, after nearly seven years of near-constant reliance on them. I had moved to Bristol, UK, was working diligently toward my MA in Buddhist Studies, and was beginning to feel in a groove with life. I was meditating a lot and keeping a fairly simple, regular schedule. I managed to stay in that groove – with many bumps along the way, but free of depression and overwhelming anxiety – through... Read more

Family, prosperity, travel, spirituality, service, and love. It has been a while (again) since I’ve posted on gratitude. It is amazing, when I think about it, how well the themes of my old vision board are coming through in life of late. But then this should not be surprising – if we take the laws of karma (or attraction) to be just that: laws. In vision-boarding and gratitude-building, it is essential to touch on one’s core values. It may be... Read more

I just spent my third weekend in Glacier in as many months, focused now more than ever on photographing the beauty there. I take pictures not so much to capture nature as to see her more fully. It can be a meditation in itself, an opportunity for awareness of the moment, of stepping into a creative flow, an open dialog with the world. Tamaracks~ Lake MacDonald~ Glacier Black Wolves~ Focus~ Glacier Mountain ~ You never quite know what life will... Read more