The meditation app on my phone is my little monk with his whacking stick, keeping me in line. I find it impossible to meditate without a timer, my mind constantly wondering if that’s enough, how much time has passed, and blah blah blah and blah. IÂ hear people say that they just sit ‘for as …
Category: Zen & Dharma
The wake of Kenny-La
Kenny was the reddest man I have ever known. Pure fire. A burner, of bridges and walls and so much more. He left a wake of creation and destruction, chaos and art. Kenny was my teacher in so many ways. He taught me about my own anger, my ego, my pride. There were times I …
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 …
Intimacy in relationship
I am working on intimacy in relationship, from the epic to the microscopic. When I worked at the bike shop, sometimes I would challenge myself to have an intimate relationship with every person who walked into the store that day. I know, that sounds like a good way to catch a disease. But that’s not …
Only seeing one side of the moon
When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharmas intimately. Unlike things and their reflections in the mirror, and unlike the moon and its reflection in the water, when one side is illuminated, the other side is dark. –Eihei Dogen, Genjo Koan I knew there would be darkness, outside and in. …