About This Blog
We can contribute to effecting positive change in the world in many ways, and each of us must find where we best plug in. My anarchist days of facing off against cops are long past, as age has taken its natural toll. I lack the resources for material donation. I lack the spoons for organizing. So what else can I offer?
Spiritual sustenance. The center of my life is my spiritual practice. So what I can best offer is this kind of nourishment.
I do my best to cultivate the Dhamma, wisdom taught by the Buddha many centuries ago and built upon by generations since. And here I would like to share anything that might help someone else.
Buddhism is, at its core, a system for training the mind for unconditional happiness. While it may not be the only route to such a state, it certainly is one path that will lead there. Our practice is identifying those obstacles that obscure the pure heart and wise mind and learning how to clear them away, through kindness and clarity.
So, in this blog, you can expect thoughts relating to the Dhamma! Although, my intention here isn’t to write only for Buddhists. Much of what we have to offer is generally applicable to anyone. I guess I envision crafting this into a Buddhist version of Nadia Bolz-Weber? Spiritual nourishment, especially for activists, mostly intended for a general audience but definitely having Buddhist flavor. For those interested in a more dedicated, focused approach to Buddhist practice that is a bit higher-level than what I intend for here, I do have a Dreamwidth blog: Rafting Towards Reliquishment, although it’s most likely that most posts will go to both places. I also have published an Obsidian vault with essays and notes and other items that may be of interest to one who wants to dig deeper: Canonical Cattasallā.
I have many other interests, as well, which might end up here, like Tarot or resisting the encroachment of fascism, which, at the time of writing, is currently dismantling the US government.
For now, I will post every quarter moon.
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Who am I?
I’ve been practicing Buddhism off and on for over thirty years, although in the last five years have made it the centerpiece of my life. I have been actively involved in the Upavana community, headed up by my teacher, Tahn Pamutto. I am also a co-host of the Circle City Sangha, a community in the Plum Village tradition founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh, in Indianapolis. My history includes getting a doctorate in meteorology and chasing tornadoes, organizing with the Wobblies and in the anarchist movement, and geekery about psychedelic drugs.