There is a common misconception that Buddhism encourages people to adopt an austere attitude, and the fact that many Buddhists have a deep sense of humor is not widely known. Of course, comedy is subjective and what I call a joke may not appear as such to the general reader. In fact, my sense of humor has […]
Nina Muller
Welcome Panic: Recognizing our Emotions Amidst this Global Pandemic
Just as the COVID-19 continues to spread and to cause chaos the world over, a wave of turmoil has been stirring in the depths of my being. Oftentimes, I wake up with a sense of despair, worrying about my loved ones and others who are most vulnerable during this health crisis. Other times, the concern […]
“A Hidden Life”: A Portrait of Non-Violent Action in an Era of Suffering and Spiritual Silence
Filmmaker Terrence Malick’s most recent release, A Hidden Life, takes place in St. Radegund, a rural Austrian municipality of approximately 500 people. Based on a true story, the film follows Franz Jägerstätter, a farmer who takes peaceful action by refusing to swear allegiance to Hitler and to fight in the German military during the Second […]
Filmmaker Lowery’s Visual Depiction of Samsara in “A Ghost Story”
In his spectacular and original picture A Ghost Story, filmmaker David Lowery illustrates what happens to those who are unable to let go. Apparently Lowery had always wanted to make a movie about ghosts—yet instead of falling back on the stereotypical ghost as the terrifying and unpalpable “other,” he subverts the genre by having the […]
Louise Erdrich’s “LaRose”: Lessons on Suffering, Healing and Impermanence
When Landreaux Iron accidentally shoots his best friend Peter’s son during the hunting season, the lives of the two families become irreversibly changed. Landreaux would give anything to undo his deadly mistake, and his wife Emmaline cannot imagine how either of the families—already intricately bound by blood and now all the more so by the […]
Suffering the Process of Decision-Making
Several years ago, I went through a period when I struggled with unemployment—no matter how many job applications I submitted, nothing seemed to come of my efforts. That is, until one day (as it often happens) I got two job offers at the same time. The offers were both appealing to the same extent, with […]
People-pleasing and the Dharma
A short scroll around the internet will tell you that people-pleasing is a common phenomenon. The term applies to people who—often from an early age—prioritize the needs of others over their own. Usually such people have difficulty saying no, change their personality depending on who they are with, and find themselves apologizing an awful lot.
More Human
In the aftermath of the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas on 3 August and in Dayton, Ohio on the 4th, both President Trump and Texas Governor Abbott have named mental ill-health as one of the main culprits for these horrific actions. This has sparked a strong reaction from mental health advocates and organizations. […]
Splash
Aigua Blava Beach, Begur, Spain. Photo by Peter Müller. Suppose there were a pool of water—clear, limpid, and unsullied. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would see shells, gravel, and pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of the water. […]
It Takes A Village
Last year, Buddhistdoor Global published an article on companion sentient beings, otherwise know as pets. The article struck a cord in me, because I am an avid traveler and I have often pondered whether or not it is right for me to take in a pet. That being said, my recent experience as a pet […]