Writing for Medium
Hello. I've been doing most of my writing over at Medium.com lately. If you've been looking for writings from me, that's where you can find a lot more. I'm sharing some links here with some previews of the writings I've done. Le me know what you think.
Company
“If, while befriending someone, the three poisons increase,
The activities of study, reflection, and meditation degenerate,
And love and compassion disappear,
Then it is the practice of the bodhisattvas to give up this company.”
-The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, verse 4. *
The motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You’re…Read more · 4 min read
Concern For This Life
“Separated from each and every long-awaited companion,
Leaving behind hard-earned wealth and possessions,
Guest-like consciousness abandons its guesthouse, the body;
To give up concern for this life is the practice of the bodhisattvas.”
the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Verse 4.*
No matter what it is, no matter how much…Read more · 3 min read
Lama Chuck Stanford Passed Away
I learned that Lama Chuck Stanford has passed away.
I was not close with Chuck Stanford but his death has affected me.
I’m not writing this because my friend died. He wasn’t my friend.
He was my first Buddhist teacher. He was the first Buddhist teacher of many people in…Read more · 3 min read
Abandon Negativity
“Abandoning negative places, disturbing emotions gradually subside;
Being free from distraction, the practice of virtue spontaneously increases;
With brightened awareness one feels confidence in the Dharma;
To adhere to solitude is the practice of the bodhisattvas.”
the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Verse 3.*
We need to be aware of…Read more · 4 min read
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You Are Not Your Home
Toward friends, attachment rages like a river;
Toward enemies, hatred blazes like fire.
Therefore it is the practice of Bodhisattvas to give up that home,
Where the darkness of stupidity, of forgetting what to accept and reject, prevails.
the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Verse 2.*
Attachment and hatred. These…Read more · 4 min read
The Things We Carry
I think we’re all carrying weight based on our life experiences.
I carry some weight around the subject of death.
Back when I was in college in my early 20s it was unusual that my parents aren’t around. Now I’m in my 40s and it’s much less unusual. Lots of people my age don’t have parents anymore. Some people say college…Read more · 2 min read
Freedoms and Riches
At this time of having obtained the rare great ship of freedoms and riches,
To listen, reflect, and meditate, without any distraction day and night,
In order to liberate oneself and others from the ocean of samsara
Is the practice of bodhisattvas.*
This is the first on the list of…Read more · 4 min read
Stewardship
Steward is a word that has a lot of different connotations.
According to the Oxford Dictionary Stewardship is “the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property.”
A steward is someone who takes care of something. Stewardship is the act of taking care of…Read more · 3 min read
Laziness
Sometimes we need to talk about laziness.
I think laziness is probably a universal human trait. It gets in the way of our confidence and strength.
Talking about our struggles and reflecting on them is how we overcome them. Laziness is a thing that gets in our way. It stops…Read more · 4 min read
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