The game: you give me a Buddhist-themed noun, an action, and a location, and I create the story. Today, I was given the noun “memento,” the action “to reunite,” and a location “old neighborhood.” Hope you enjoy the read! The smell of freshly baked bread is what gave it away, along with Master’s incessant cooing […]
Nina Muller
Lotus, to eat, the beach
You give me a Buddhist-themed noun, an action, and a location, and I create the story. Today, I was given the noun “lotus,” the action “to eat,” and a location “the beach.” Hope you enjoy the read! “If you had a problem with me waking you up early you should have just told me, I’m […]
Dukkha, to ride a bike, barbershop
The Buddhist Short Story Game: you give me a Buddhist-themed noun, an action, and a location, and I create the story. Today, I was given the noun “Dukkha” (Pāli for suffering), the action “to ride a bike,” and a location “barbershop.” Hope you enjoy the read! Wayne closed his front door behind him, shutting out […]
Book Review: “American JewBu”
I first came across American JewBu at the beginning of 2020 and it was incredibly eye opening. Having practiced Buddhism in Europe for over a decade, somehow I went all that time without recognizing the incredible contribution that Jewish Americans have made to Buddhism as it is commonly practiced in the Western world. The book was published […]
Film Review: “Tashi and the Monk”
An accidental baby born to a very young woman in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India—one of the most remote and disadvantaged areas of the Himalayan region—Lobsang Phuntsok was considered to be an “uninvited guest of the universe.” Having started his life as a difficult, unruly boy, Lobsang was sent to a monastery in […]
Book Review: “Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out”
Feature image art from: https://www.taracousineau.com Ruth King teaches mindfulness meditation at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and at the Insight Meditation Society. She is also the founder of Mindful Race Institute, LLC, and a celebrated author. Although I have never met her, to me King is one of those Dharma teachers who seems to truly embody the […]
A Social Duty
Header image from https://www.rferl.org/a/mural-masks-coronavirus-inspires-global-graffiti/30527353.html It has often been said that these days, young people have no respect for the elderly. To be honest, up until very recently, I wasn’t so sure what people meant by this. I tried to imagine how elderly people were treated in previous generations, while around me I observed my peers helping […]
Mindful Driving: The Antidote to Falling Down
It took until I moved to Los Angeles for me to fully understand what motivates’ William Foster’s rampage in the 1993 action thriller movie Falling Down. True, Michael Douglas’ character has just been fired, and he is also recently divorced − it is undeniable that these factors have a part to play in the bloodbath […]
A Buddhist Reading of “Happy as a Dog’s Tail”
As a film and literature enthusiast, I am always on the look out for stories that evoke the Dharma. Today, I have a gander at the poem “Happy as a Dog’s Tail” by Polish Poet Anna Świrszczyńska (aka Anna Swir). Happy as a Dog’s Tail, by Anna Swir Happy as something unimportantand free as a […]
A Buddhist Reading of “Henderson The Rain King”
As a film and literature enthusiast, I am always on the look out for stories that evoke the Dharma. Today, I have a gander at “Henderson the Rain King,” the 1959 novel by Canadian-American writer Saul Bellow. This farcical adventure is the story of a millionaire in his fifties whose inner voice says I want, […]