This is Misha Mountain Ross Schmitt, my new dharma nephew. His mom is my dharma sister, Red Sara Ross. Misha entered into the world in a brave and unorthodox way— a bicycle buddha baby for sure. Long before we were dharma sisters, Red Sara and I spun through each others’ orbits. Coinciding at Vancouver art …
Category: Politics & Activism
Polygamy and the question of Bountiful
Bountiful is in the news today. Again. Bountiful is a ‘breakaway Mormon’ community near Creston, B.C. It has been an object of controversy and fascination for many years due to the tolerated practice of ‘polygamy’ under its leader, Winston Blackmore. The whole thing has me totally stumped. First, to get this perfectly clear: there is …
My heart is with the starfish
This is a hard post to write. The starfish are dying. Don’t panic: it is true. The starfish are dying, right here on pristine Cortes Island. They shrivel and wither, their arms fall off, and then they are dead. They do not leave behind pretty exoskeletons to pick up on the beach and take home …
In defense of my species
Hello dear Bicycle Buddhistas – apologies for my sparseness in posting over the past few months. Simply being at Upaya, plus preparing for jukai, has been mopping up all my “free” time. I vow to get back to semi-regular blogging soon. But for the moment, here’s a piece i wrote for a nifty project called …
Going to America, home of the brave
I’m getting ready to go to America. It is always a trip. I know the chocolate bars will be the same as in Canada, and the mall stores and the road signs. It looks the same but I am not fooled for long. If you don’t think the USA is a foreign nation you should …