I’m no longer completely certain when or how I first became aware of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance By Robert Pirsig. I do know that it was never on the reading list for any high-school or university courses that I took during my academic days in the 1980’s and early 90’s. It seems probable that I came across references to it in some … Continue reading Footnotes to Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Part One)
This essay was originally drafted as a reaction to Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse’s 2008 book What Makes You Not a Buddhist. I did not enjoy the book the first time I read it. Probably, I wanted it to be something other than it is. Now, a few years later, I appreciate it significantly more by taking an altered perspective. While I still don’t agree with or … Continue reading Footnotes To Buddhism’s Four Seals
On February 11, 2021, I decided to explore the practice of meditation. This is what happened and how I proceeded. In the lyrics Tragically Hip song, Courage, there is a passage which goes “There’s no simple explanation for anything important any of us do.” And with that observation in mind, I find the roots of my investigation of meditation in earlier events of my life. … Continue reading Footnotes to a Process: An Inquiry into Meditation
The Apology of Socrates. How does a professed non-expert, non-academic person of the twenty-first century begin a meaningful inquiry into one of European philosophy’s most archetypal stories? It may be reasonable to assume that professional philosophers and academics have said or written all that can be, or at least needs to be, written about it. And yet, I am motivated to examine the text and … Continue reading Footnotes to Plato: An Inquiry into The Apology of Socrates
Zensylvania: It's a State of Mind 