Happy Lunar New Year! The lunar year is celebrated in Taiwan and many parts of Asia on the second new moon after the December (often...

There's a Zen perspective that even if there is an eternal afterlife either in Heaven or in Hell, by attaining enlightenment in our lifetime here on earth, we could be doomed to Hell and still be able to make it Heaven. How?

Last month, I made the decision to divide and donate my portion of the Oxherd Boy store proceeds from 2022 to two charities. After...

In my family, I'm often teased for not remembering things that most people would consider important, while simultaneously recalling very...

In many ways, all around the world, no matter where or who we are, people are born into a societal, group, and family narrative and encouraged to carry forth certain values and traditions in a way that brings honor to those who came/lived/sacrificed/etc. before us. We are, in a nutshell, encouraged to be good descendants. But is that really so important?

Albert Camus said, "Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is." There is always something else to do, some other way to act or talk or dress or think, that we struggle with in order to be "better." So isn't it funny that we have such impossible standards for ourselves and a completely different standard for animals -- like dogs, for instance -- a standard that is based on universal generosity?

Last week, I finished the first book, THE OXHERD BOY! It feels a little weird to put a stake in the ground and say, "This is done," when...

I've noticed in my son a strong development of conscience over the last two years. I recognize in him many feelings of anguish that I felt as a kid -- and now as an adult -- when I recognized I did wrong and hurt another, especially in moments in which I lacked emotional regulation. The disappointment in myself, the feeling that I had let my loved ones down, or fear of losing their' trust and esteem, all brought me low to the point of tears. Tears that resulted not from anger

I've been re-reading some of Pema Chödrön's book, When Things Fall Apart, and so much is still so relevant in today's chaotic and unpredictable atmosphere. One of the most salient themes is the importance of staying with our sense of groundlessness, of staying alert and settling in with discomfort with ourselves, of being completely attuned to our surroundings and ourselves when we don't know what to do.

My editor for The Oxherd Boy book for adults will retire at the end of the year. This is a bittersweet transition, because Lindley was...

As a parent, often we feel that our job is to protect our children from pain and relieve their suffering, and I honestly struggle with that a lot. If the goal is to avoid inflicting pain and suffering on another being, then the rational mind insists that I should never have had a child at all, because life is unavoidably full of both. (Well... oops.) So, what now?

Peaceful living feels like a one giant paradox to me most of the time. I read koans, or some of the little snippets of conversations between masters and disciples, and to be honest, I identify more often with the clueless students making neither heads nor tails of the enigmatic language used by their teachers than with the teachers themselves. One of the most common concepts presented by the Tao that I struggle with, is the idea that living fearlessly and passionately is achi

As a society, we place a premium on intelligence, cleverness, and humor, especially when all three are combined into a single, cutting remark we would recognize as a real shut down, a zinger, or a burn. But what long-term purpose can it serve?

There is a little story that Ram Dass once told about caring for his aged father. Every morning, his father, a man who apparently was never physically demonstrative in his affection would pat Ram Dass on the back as he bent to help him put on his socks, and Ram Dass could feel his heart "just sing." And it brings to mind the quote by Khalil Gibran:

Frankfurter Buchmesse, or Frankfurt Book Fair, is taking place this week in Germany, and it's the first time I've heard of it....

Modern society teaches us that anything worthwhile doesn't come easily. We are always told that the good things in life take hard work. We have to work hard, study hard, play hard, and if we fail or fall short, we must try harder, practice harder, become harder. Everything hard, hard, hard... because life is hard.

"Self care" is an interesting concept to consider, especially from a Buddhist perspective that teaches us the self doesn't actually exist. If that's the case, then what does Buddhism have to say about taking care of ourselves?