for those wondering, the “3 marks of being” referred to here are anicca, dukkha and anatta, which translated from the Pali language mean impermanence (change), dis-ease (or disquietude), and not self (no “i” or “mine”). these are the 3 marks of existence shared by all beings, as described by the buddha.

there’s something about meditation and buddhist philosophy that i find beautifully practical, especially living in an advanced western society, with all it’s levels of identification and attachment, on a rising sea of information and mediation. it’s so direct, like exercise is to health. but it’s beautiful too, in the insights it has brought me.

speaking only from my experience, i would describe buddhism and meditation in particular, as a beautiful way of training the mind to handle thoughts, by letting all thoughts come and then go without attaching to them, because they are after all only thoughts. in return, this clarity has provided a lot of insight into why my thoughts are there and where they are coming from – in other words, my motivations, my attention seeking, and the outcomes of my actions – things which in the course of my life might have gone so unnoticed simply because i was not trained to look at them. 

so, 10 years since i first started meditating. and yeah, there are some tangible benefits. i have been able to look inside myself and actually see. my craving for attention is no longer a subconscious or abstract concept labelled ego. i notice now when that craving moves in me, i can see it coming and going, everyday. the promise of this insight is that i’m giving myself the choice of making that craving my friend or my enemy. and the benefit of being conscious in this way will come when i change my life in a tangible way, not just how my mind works. at least, that’s what i’m trying to do. going from insight to change hasn’t exactly been quick or easy for me. perhaps this blog will be a record of this struggle. 

all that being said, this blog is not necessarily about buddhism. it should not be considered a “buddhist blog”. it’s gonna be a lot more personal than that, with expressions of many different kinds on many different topics that might have nothing to do with buddhism. though i meditate as often as i can, and spend many sunday evenings at a vipassana buddhist center here in minneapolis, i do not identify as or consider myself a buddhist, nor do i have any dharma wheel tattoos or buddha incense statuettes, because that’s not how i roll.

i hope that in my expressions here i can pass along some insights.