Blogging the Buddha

I heard a story on National Public Radio about a fellow who runs the Blogging the Bible Web site. I thought the same sort of examination could be done of the sayings of the Buddha and the teachers who came after him. I am a student of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism and I belong to Jewel Heart, a meditation and study group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our guru, Gehlek Rimpoche, has written several books, including Good Life, Good Death, and The Tara Box. Buddhism is of central importance in my life and work and I thought there might be some value in conveying how it helps me in everyday life. I do plan to examine texts and stories from the Buddha's works and comment on them. But for me, Buddhism is not an academic or scholarly topic. It's real and practical and it helps me every day and I plan to share observations about its applications in my daily life.

I have written my own book, Karma Kids: Answering Everyday Parenting Questions with Buddhist Wisdom, which is published by Ulysses Press. The book explains how Buddhist principles have helped me as the single father of two daughters, who are now 14 and 12 years old respectively.

Whenever we attend a teaching or do practice, we (my fellow students and I) are urged to set our motivation. So my motivation for this blog is to help others and all sentient beings as well. Welcome!