Sharing a meal with my Dhamma brothers and sisters. My new family.
Every Day, On The Path
Reflections
Daily photos and short reflections from the training walk. Subscribe via RSS to follow along.
Someone asked me a really thoughtful question after my last post about the short-term monastic ordination at Wutai Shan: “If a monk pursues enlightenment and personal liberation from suffering, what purpose does that serve for civilization as a whole? And if everyone...
Barefoot Walking Practice Day 73–77 This week brought an unexpected improvement to my barefoot training. The long driveway leading to Putuo Shan used to be gravel and rock, so I could only walk it in sandals, but the Wutai Shan team recently...
A Little Modesty, a Little Mindfulness
I remember when I first went to Vietnam and visited Buddhist temples for the first time. I knew very little about Buddhist etiquette, including how to dress, behave, or address monastics. There were temples where I wasn’t allowed to enter because I...
A New Branch of the Buddhist Family Tree
My post about the 10,000 monks in Thailand took an interesting turn, because after I posted it, I was talking with Bhante Mudita and he said, “You know this is Dhammakaya, right?” I had no idea. Most people are familiar with the...
Sound Meditation for the Residents
After a good night’s rest, I got up and started my morning walk as usual, but had to cut it short because I had an hour’s drive to Station Place Long-Term Care Home, where I offered another sound meditation for the residents,...
Three Steps, One Bow — Save the Date
Last year, more than 1,000 people came together at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden for our annual Three Steps, One Bow pilgrimage — walking side by side in a spirit of peace, gratitude, and compassion. Every three steps, we pause and make one...
Three Steps, One Bow — An Invitation to Return
Last year, more than 1,000 people came together at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden for our annual Three Steps, One Bow pilgrimage. It was a truly inspiring day as people of all ages walked side by side in a spirit of peace, gratitude,...
Yesterday, August 16, Thailand held this extraordinary gathering in Hat Yai, where around 10,000 Theravāda monks from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia gathered for a massive alms offering as part of a long-running tradition in southern Thailand. The Dhammakaya Foundation describes the...
Day 68–72 I’ve officially passed the halfway mark of this 143-day barefoot walking practice. Day 72 of 143. This past week was exceptionally busy at Wutai Shan, with packed public Sound Meditation sessions, full small-group sessions, a large group of short-term monastics...
Day 40 and 41 — One Million Steps
Barefoot practice just passed 1,000,000 steps. Yesterday I hit a personal best of 31.0km, over 43,000 steps, six weeks into this practice. I made the determination to wake at 5am to get ahead of today’s heat — no alarm, and my eyes...
Morning sit at 5am before the humidity climbs. The garden is quiet at that hour — just the dogs, the birds, and the breath. 18km walked yesterday.
When I first accepted the invitation to join the 2,600km Walk for Peace pilgrimage through Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia in 2027, the distance felt almost unimaginable. How do you prepare for a journey of that magnitude? One step at a time....