Category: Politics & Activism

Aging & Dying, Non Moms, Politics & Activism, Zen & Dharma

My dharma nephew Misha Mountain

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 …

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 …

Aging & Dying, Politics & Activism

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 …

Politics & Activism, Zen & Dharma

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 …