There’s Poetry and There’s Polemical Essays
Interviewer: Later this month you’ll be reading at the poetry festival, Split This Rock. Do you have an expectation for what you want the audience to take away from your reading? Alice Walker: A clearer…
Passage to India: From a Letter by Allen Ginsberg to Jack Kerouac
May 11, 1962 I do wish you were here, only calm and peaceful and not yelling at me much, as we could take long 3rd class comfy train trips to the Himalayas and read Mahabharatas…
Accompaniment
If we have one close friend who can understand us and know our aspirations, we feel greatly supported. A good friend does not have to do much. He or she only needs to see us…
Sunset Volcano Beach Soccer! Share the Wealth with John Nolan
This Sunday I will be sharing my experiences and reflections on soccer. Soccer is technically just a game, but those of us who play or follow soccer can rarely see it objectively. Soccer is necessary,…
What To Do
A student asked Soen Nakagawa During a meditation retreat: “I am very discouraged. What should I do?” Soen replied, “Encourage others.”
Gratitude/402
Being privy To the universe In which you orbit Like Hale-Bopp Has been the joy of my life And the awe for my eyes Ever since You were 23
You Know This Is True
Let the Dow Jones drop 1000 points Let the Cubs lose ten games in a row Let the recession forecasts prove gloomier than expected Let my boss complain that I’m not rigorous enough in my…
Beginning Year Three
“… Now you surely have heard a lot From this year’s 4th years About how hard surgery is Allowing for some slight narrative variation due to personality quirks They told you the truth: You are…
Reflections for Today’s Sangha Meditation
If we meditate on and develop compassion—the wish that all others be without suffering—we hold within us the essence of all other Dharma practices. We should unhesitatingly give ourselves to any beneficial task, no matter…