I saw a play once… It was essentially about a group of people who were looking for the answer - to everything. There was a bad guy who was rich, and a young girl who was helpless. And the heroes kept wandering from place to place, yearning for meaning, and some kind of happiness that was, throughout the play, very vague, and very elusive. Last night, I watched a speech online with my wife. It was very well-spoken. It was about fear, and love, and the powers that be, and how w

Have you ever looked at the audience at a wedding? Wistful eyes are a very common occurrence. Eyes that seem to be looking out through a window, Into eternity; Through a gentle breeze That roses their cheeks, Parts their lips; On a cool, bright morning when anything is possible. The horizon in their glance is at once misty, mysterious, And so enticing. I could stare at them forever. The heroes of all their childhood fairytales Are all there with them, Sitting on their laps, L

What did the Buddha teach? Right speech Right action Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right focus Right understanding Right resolve Many people are probably already familiar with this - his “Noble Eightfold Path”. Give or take some differences in translation, that part is easy. There are also countless explanations, from throughout the ages, of what each of these aspects refers to: What is meant by understanding? What is meant by livelihood? But for all the tex

I heard once about a musician who got caught harassing women. He had had a successful career. But now he was losing everything, and it happened almost overnight. He himself was amazed by the level of rage that flooded into his world, and washed away everything he had worked for. And so he began to think of how he could make amends. His idea was to put out a new album, and donate all of its proceeds to an organization that supported victims of sexual abuse. I remember hearing

How many people meditate around the world? The common estimates are about half a billion, though I find that hard to believe, when more...

The folds of the curtain rise slowly, Unevenly; A light creeps in. Every voice is held inside a throat. Clouds begin to smile - Subtly, at first,  Then wider, as their bellies warm against the rising sun. Plump confections take on a flaming red glow, Then every color all at once As a blaze explodes onto the stage. The sky wakes up with fireworks, Streamers flying in every direction, And the world comes into view. The choir of birds, of dragonflies, Of everything that has live