I sometimes wonder if Mark isn’t a modern day St. Francis, sans the Christian overlay. With Mark, the middleman has been taken out, and love is simply transmitted from his heart to birds and back.
Alleys: A Photographic Obsession
Nathan Thompson has made a photographic study of alleys, where he finds the discarded, the forgotten and, occasionally, humanity’s hidden gems.
Biking Through the Elements
I spent the day biking. Nothing unusual about that; it’s something I do fairly often throughout most of the year, sans parts of the really cold months of winter. Unlike driving, where one is mostly protected from the elements, being on a bicycle means that whatever the weather, it is your intimate companion. Today, my […]
The Amazing Granny D and Social Activism for the Masses
Granny D, aka Doris Haddock, died last month at the age of 100. At 89, this activist undertook a journey most of us will never even contemplate, let alone complete — she walked across the United States to bring attention to a corrupt, corporate-driven political system.
Craving Silence: Yoga Amidst the TV’s Yammer
When the neighbor’s TV continually crushes the peaceful mediation of yoga practice, a person either needs to take action or rethink his reaction.
Cats and Gardens
High strung, reactive, and rescued from a crack house when she was weeks old, Crack Cat has never been what you would call a “lap cat.” Even so, as Nathan Thompson discovered, she brought with her many life lessons.
Being Fooled: Grocery Store Dandelions
The lowly dandelion has become a favorite of gourmets as evidenced by the price of dandelion greens in the grocery store. But there are lots of nutrients and health benefits in those greens.
Social Dukkha: Addressing Suffering on a Global Scale
In reflections on western Buddhism, our writer ponders how to see beyond individual practice to address the suffering of the world.
The Magic of Maps
While today we may see maps as definitive and even scientific, Nathan Thompson reveals that the way mapmakers define the world is as much driven by imagination and even love as by measurement.
Abortion and the First Precept of Buddhism
A thoughtful article about the spiritual and social questions about abortion that arise when a Buddhist reflects on the issue in light of his vows.