BLOG POSTS
1/1/24 No Self and negative effects of meditation. A Monk said to Hui Hai, Ultimately then, there is just nothing at all. Hui Hai replied, We’ve come to the ultimate extent of yourself, but not to the ultimate. When I … Continue reading →
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TEACHERS
Youthful Folly has success. It is not I who seek the young fool; The young fool seeks me. I Ching When I was living in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury in the 1960’s, a fellow showed up at my door … Continue reading →
THE ZEN
Yun-men said to the assembly of monks, “See how vast and wide the world is! Why do you put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?” Meditation, and zen in particular, has occupied more of my time … Continue reading →
YOU CAN THINK WHATEVER YOU LIKE
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.” … Continue reading →
CLEAR LIGHT
“Know matter and Spirit to be both without beginning…” Bhagavadgita Recently, as we sat sipping tea after a short one-day meditation retreat, my friend Hugh brought up the Tibetan after-death scenario, … Continue reading →
FLOWER POWER
I often have a hit or two of marijuana (cannabis) from my vaporizer before doing hatha yoga and working out a few mornings each week. I’ve found it makes exercise much more interesting and enjoyable. In fact it goes well … Continue reading →
LINES IN THE DUST
Determined to live a life of simple asceticism, in the late sixties I retreated to an isolated shack beside a pond in the foothills of the Sierras (bereft of electricity and such distractions as televisions and phones). I only allowed … Continue reading →
SELF-DISCIPLINE
“The inferior man conquers others, the superior man conquers himself.” Dhammapada Most people are disciplined by outside forces and obligations such … Continue reading →
DEATH
The other day I found a lump in my left testicle. Big enough to almost feel like a third nut. As usual I was unable to get to a doctor right away. Such things always occur on weekends or when … Continue reading →
SOME THOUGHTS ON WRITING
I’m going to continue writing occasional pieces for my memoir of the sixties — even at the risk of sounding like one of those old guys that are sometimes encountered, especially in bars, who go on at length reminiscing about … Continue reading →