“When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.”  – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind Beginners Mind […]the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time,…

Unless we see that it is necessary for the ego to be humiliated and the false self defeated, we don’t undergo basic transformation.  

Marguerite Annie Johnson, a young woman in her early twenties, was living in California and working two jobs. In her later life, she would go on to become the legendary Maya Angelou — writer, poet, filmmaker, civil rights activist, and so much more — but for now, she was struggling to make ends meet. In…

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. (ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (iv) Never use the passive where you can use the…

When we try to live in solidarity with the pain of the world—and don’t spend our lives running from necessary suffering—we will encounter various “crucifixions.” Many say pain is physical discomfort, but suffering comes from our resistance, denial, and sense of injustice or wrongness about that pain. I know that is very true for me.…

ChatGPT, when asked if it could replace a human mediator: “As an AI language model, I can provide information and suggestions based on data and algorithms, but I cannot replace the role of a human mediator. A mediator is a trained professional who helps parties in conflict to reach a mutually agreeable solution. A mediator often…