I’m going to continue my non-library trend of late and talk about the Stick Ceremony. This past weekend I had the opportunity to return to Deer Park Monastery, one of my favorite places on earth, to celebrate the start of the Rains Retreat. This 90-day retreat occurs annually and is a time for us to [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Buddhism'
Two Hours to Count 38 People
November 17th, 2008 · Comments
Tags: Buddhism
Love, Equal Rights, and Gay Marriage
November 11th, 2008 · Comments
Today I am struggling. In fact, I have been struggling since before the national election. I don’t understand the opposition to gay marriage and how Proposition 8 passed in California.
Growing up, as a Mennonite, I was taught that love was of the highest nature. I see Christ as a true revolutionary who reached out to [...]
Tags: Buddhism · Family · Politics
Mindfulness at Work
October 1st, 2008 · Comments
I am the Library Director at a large community college in Santa Barbara, California. For the past three years I have been leading a weekly, and for one semester daily, meditation on campus. It is called “Meditation in the Library” and all students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate. The purpose is two fold: [...]
Tags: Buddhism · Library · teaching
International Day of Peace
September 21st, 2008 · Comments
Established in 2002 1982, today is the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. As a lifelong pacifist and peace activist, I see today as another opportunity to take action. Being peaceful in the time of war and turmoil is a very courageous act and often counter to how we are told to act and [...]
Work and Play – Keeping up with Technology
September 13th, 2008 · Comments
Unbelievable that it has been three weeks since my last post here on misc.joy, but some of you already know that the Fall semester has begun and I am teaching two extra classes this semester. It has been a blast to teach the San Jose State class again, though the work load is high. I’ve [...]
Tags: Buddhism · Environment · General · Library · Ojai · Technology · teaching
Being Vegan
July 21st, 2008 · Comments
Back in 1985-1986, I was deeply troubled by the plight of the rainforest in the Amazon. The information I received at that time came primarily from the Rainforest Action Network who talked about deforestation to support the booming fast food industry and the American hunger for cheap hamburgers. I felt helpless to do anything until [...]
Tags: Buddhism · Environment · Family
4 days, 25 Monastics, 80 Children, and More
July 7th, 2008 · Comments
With almost 250 people filling Deer Park Monastery, the 6th Annual Family Retreat was a great success. Leslie and I (with kids) arrived a couple days early to help setup and plan for the arrival of many friends. From July 2 through July 6, the monastery was transformed into a time of families practicing together. [...]
What is a potential Christian?
May 7th, 2008 · Comments
A couple of years ago I wrote a bio that said I was a “practicing Buddhist and a potential Christian.” Partially, I made it up to be funny. With that said, I have a great deal of respect of my Christian roots and honor the Christian faith. Most of my values, thinking patterns, social action, [...]
Busylessness – Are you too Busy?
April 25th, 2008 · Comments
I’m exploring the joys of being busy and taking a close look at the commitments in my life. What does it mean to be busy? To have commitments? Is it possible to have to many? I’ve heard Thich Nhat Hanh talk about something called busylessness, or businesslessness, [the correct term is “businessless” invented by Master [...]
Tags: Buddhism · Family · Library
Sustained Practice and Well Being
April 5th, 2008 · Comments
Over the past seven years, I have spent many days/nights at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, but usually it is for a weekend or even just a day. On two occasions our family have spent 3-weeks at the monastery (once at Deer Park and once at Plum Village in France). These times are always nourishing [...]