The content of this post first appeared in the newsletter published by the author’s sangha, City Cave Zen. When the pandemic took hold, my sangha, City Cave Zen, decided to try holding meetings online, to meditate, chant and discuss the Dharma in a way that would be as similar to physical meetings as we could make […]
self-development
Developing a Sense of Similarity
Several years ago, when I was eating lunch alone in the dining area of a university food court, a smiling student recruiter from a major international religious organization asked whether he could speak with me for a moment. I obliged, and he sat down in the chair directly across from me at my table. After […]
Remember to Change Your Oil
There was another time when one of my teachers — the abbot on a temple just outside of downtown Los Angeles — pulled me aside to tell me something important. I was expecting him to share enlightening words with me. In a way, his advice proved to be wise, albeit unexpected. He wanted to remind […]
First, We Must Go to the Edge
First, we must go to the edge of the worldA place that can not be found by traveling a straight line.For to look down over the edge requires more than eyesight. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. […]
Feedback
I am not breaking apart. I am not coming undoneI am not washed upI am breaking open And it’s about time It’s okayI trust my path George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. […]
Don’t Try
until you have madeit with your own two hands Silly Puddy in your palms the way God once held us George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays and letters have appeared in USA Today, The […]
6 Days and 6 Weeks
Think a little less and live a little more 1. ParentPay attention. Help. Teach. 2. Husband Be kind. Be there. Be a good friend. 3. HealthBe fit. Be of a good mind. Be mindful of the food and the animals. Be in nature. 4. WorkBe on time. Be reliable. Be focused. Be respectful. Be open to opportunity. 5. SpiritualityMake all of the above work in harmony. Be grateful […]
my favorite cage
is made of porcelain white bars, surroundedby ringlets of fire, red hot and orangeas daisies consumed bythe summer sun. Those cornerless bars, alive and fierceas fractals, daring me to eclipse my freedom. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. […]
Realizing anatta (non-self) through Travel
Visiting home. Such a strange thing, to visit one’s home. In this case a period I spent in Montana from 2015-2018. I am no stranger to travels. Despite a youth spent almost exclusively in the rural state of Montana, at age 24 I moved to Bristol, England for a Masters degree in Buddhist Studies. Afterward I […]
The Problem with Kindness
There is a gulf between the secular and the religious parts of our lives. In sacred settings we talk about kindness as something valuable and orthodox. At the office, at home, in our neighborhood, in our relationships, and in our friendships, we challenge its value in daily life. I’ve found myself with this bifurcated attitude, […]