A while back I was in New York City, a city famous for its sights, and not so famously for its smells. During our time in NYC there was one smell that seemed to dominate the rest in this bustling city. Weed. The smell of cannabis was everywhere. Now, for the record, I am completely in favor of the full and complete legalization and decriminalization of Marijuana. I am also in favor of the dismissal and re-sentencing of Marijuana convictions,... Read more

This is a piece on how the practice of Zen Buddhism can support and sustain a person on the journey of recovery. So to begin, how might we define recovery? The term “recovery” is increasingly used in connection with healing from mental illness, but it is perhaps most commonly associated with overcoming addiction to Alcohol and other drugs, as in my case. I hope to relate recovery to not just overcoming addiction to substances, sex, food, etc. but to overcoming... Read more

There’s a phrase I have heard in Zen circles that goes “Die before you die.” My understanding is that this idea has its roots in the Sufi spiritual tradition, but many Zen folk have picked it up as a teaching tool. I was thinking about this teaching recently because I had a moment where I experienced a little death. In my life these little death’s usually take the form of an emerging awareness that an identity, or ideology that had... Read more