Stephen Batchelor, a prominent secular Buddhist, has reframed the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism as four tasks: 1) Embrace life as it is (both its joys and sorrows), 2) Let reactivity be, 3) See the ceasing of reactivity, and 4) Actualize a Path. Batchelor’s four tasks...
There’s an old Jataka tale about a small parrot trying to put out a forest fire. You’ve probably heard some version of it. The fire doesn’t start as an inferno. It begins as a barely visible line of orange, like someone dragging a hot wire across the horizon. The...
In Buddhist cosmology, the hungry ghosts—pretas—are beings with vast, empty bellies and narrow throats. They wander desolate landscapes tormented by unending craving. Some try to eat, but what enters their mouths turns to fire or ash. Their condition is not punishment...
The Democratic Party seems incapable of reading the moment. While individual Democrats like Chris Murphy, J.B. Pritzker, Gavin Newsom, Jasmine Crocket, Cory Booker, and AOC rise to the occasion, the national party leaders— Schumer, Jeffries, Biden, Obama, Clinton,...
If you’re like me, you have someone in your life, maybe someone you care about deeply, who has imbibed vast quantities of the MAGA kool-aid. After attending the live session of a new podcast, BCD’s New Directions in Engaged Buddhism, I’ve been thinking about a...
