Posts Tagged ‘death’
Mindfulness of Mortality
In our culture, we generally avoid thinking about death, except humorously on Halloween and more somberly, if we care to, on days like Memorial Day, 9/11 and December 7. Some American subcultures also have their forms of remembrance, like Dia de los Muertos or Yahrzeit. On the whole, a lesser focus on death is a…
Read MoreConfronting Illness and Death
How do we confront illness and death? We will all experience them, but often don’t want to contemplate them. I’ll discuss some recent YouTube channels that have dealt with illness and death in deep and profound ways, as well as a little of my own journey. Then I’ll turn to both traditional Buddhist and secular…
Read MoreA Forgotten Key to Mindfulness
Days grow shorter. The small ruby-throated hummingbird that visited our feeder for sugar-water several times a day through August has decamped, beginning the first leg of his journey down to Mexico. Overhead the Canada geese flock in great ‘V’s, calling out to each other as they wing south. The sugar maple at the bottom of…
Read MoreTribute to Our Mentor and Dear Friend, Jan Ford
I first met Jan Ford as Sung Hifeng in Second Life (SL). I’d bounced around various Buddhist sanghas in that virtual 3D environment, when I happened upon one called Skeptical Buddhists. The title nabbed my attention, and as I entered and sat, I found myself curious about the avatar of an old man beside me.…
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