Author: Kenley Neufeld

  • Writing on Medium

    I’ve been experimenting with writing over on Medium the last year or so because it has the capacity to reach a different and broader audience. If you haven’t checked it out, head over and see my profile (much of the current posts were crossposted here, except for the last one). Kenley on Medium Not sure how much…

  • Catching Snakes and No-Self

    One of the deepest and most difficult teachings of the Buddha is no-self. In fact, we are warned that it can be dangerous if we don’t understand clearly this concept. Furthering my study and reflection on this teaching, I read The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake. In this sutra, we can learn…

  • Looking Back. Looking Forward.

    At twenty-six years old, rocketing out of Silicon Valley at the dawn of the graphical web browser, I went to work as Electronic Media Librarian at University High School in San Francisco. It’s been twenty years since that day, and I have had a very rich and satisfying career serving students and faculty in four…

  • Graduation Speech at SBCC

    As Academic Senate President, I had the honor of speaking to over 500 graduates at Santa Barbara City College on Friday, May 23, 2014. The following are the words I shared. On behalf of the Santa Barbara City College faculty, I welcome you. Welcome to our faculty, our staff, our administrators, our board of trustees.…

  • Bedside View. Books.

  • Love Letter to the Earth

    Love Letter to the Earth

    Dear Mother Earth, I feel you under my feet. The gravity holding me close to you. You are alive with the energy of soil, water, and minerals. I see your children all around – the birds, the snails, the flies, the hens, the coyote, the rat, the orange blossom, the trees, and the mountains. Dear…

  • Philip Seymour Hoffman and Me

    Happiness, the End of Suffering, and Recovery Forty-six. That’s not so old – young in fact. He and I are both 46, with young children, and in a long term relationship. We both got sober very young and then maintained that sobriety for many years. Mr. Hoffman made it 23-years, and I’m about to reach…