Sharing the World

This isn't an entry about practice, per se, but about something vaguely Buddhist that struck me, and which seemed to shrink the world down and simultaneously make it seem vast. That doesn't make sense to me either, so don't worry. I watched a short video on YouTube about Kalmykia, a Russian province which is sorta-kinda…

Back to the Monastery

After fourteen months (since just before the pandemic began in earnest) I drove up to the monastery today. Little did I know, it's Thai New Year, and there were some festivities and goings-on in the cloister area. I didn't remember seeing anything posted publicly on the website or otherwise, so, out of my usual (what,…

Vaguely Very Definitely

Since my teens, I've been vaguely interested in Buddhism, without much idea of what The Buddha actually taught. For the last two and a half years, I've been very interested in Buddhism, with some idea of what The Buddha taught. Now, after a bit of a slump, I've suddenly got some momentum in my practice…

Perception No.1

I'm not old. Yet, in my thirties, I begin to notice mortality. Friends, family and acquaintances-- they all seem to have an expiration date now. We don't think about death very often when we're young, but as we get older, inevitably, people around us begin to die. A frequent customer at our restaurant who is…

Goals

It's been around 120 days, and a little more, since my practice seemed to fall apart. A large amount of stress is where I've decided to lay blame- though I'm sure there are other factors. So for the last month or so I've been trying to revitalize my precept practice by setting goals. I figure…

Keeping at it

Today's meditation was short. It was hot in my little storage space turned meditation hall, and having slipped away from work knowing I'd only get 15 minutes, my mind relentlessly pulled itself back to thoughts of the tasks ahead. As always, waking up earlier to meditate before work would have been more beneficial. Surprisingly, my…

Setting it down

Before you read: If you're new to this page- this is the new home for my journals as a Buddhist Layperson in California. If you'd like to know more about these journals, check out the introduction, and a short primer on the topic of Buddhism from an aspiring practitioner. May you be well!....................................................................................................... I've been…

Walk it off

I did some walking and sitting meditation this morning, pondering the night before- when I drank all too much alcohol, revisiting one of my biggest weaknesses - The Fifth Precept. It's interesting how much clarity I have about the precepts when my head hurts and I'm realizing I lost an entire day off to something…

Before I Start Rambling

As I stated in the Introduction, these journal entries aren't for teaching Buddhism. I'm far from qualified to teach-- that kind of thing is best left to the professionals. Just to reiterate, A Few Skillful Days is just a way for me to get my thoughts down, and to have something to reflect on later.…

Introduction

This website is going to be the home of some journal entries on the subject of my spiritual pursuits, and the successes (and failures) therein. You will primarily read about what it's like for an average American guy to try and shoehorn himself into behaviors and practices very much contrary to the society in which…