Zen teacher Brad Warner on the time he considered suicide—and the different kind of death he chose. I didn’t really know Tyler, but a lot of my friends did. And they were pretty sad when he killed himself last year. That led people to ask me—not for the first time—what the Buddhist view on suicide is. I gave the same answer I give when I’m asked about the Buddhist view on [...]
About Brad Warner
That’s Not Very Buddhist of You
Have you ever had that accusation thrown in your face? Brad Warner has, and it’s made him think about what it really means to act like a Buddhist. It’s not as simple as right and wrong. The other day, someone who attends the zazen classes I lead told me about an argument she’d had with her boyfriend. At one point in the argument, her boyfriend pointed out something she’d done [...]
A Punk Looks at Fifty
Crummy cars, a wall of guitars, and a whole bunch of meditation: not exactly the American Dream, but Zen teacher Brad Warner is good with that. I recently turned fifty. Happy birthday to me! It’s an annoying age: you’re not old enough to be considered wise but you are old enough to be considered old. I’m too old to be a prodigy but too young to be venerable. Nobody cares what [...]
Dealing with sex & preferences
Zen teacher Brad Warner addresses the notion of preferences. Dealing with them -- in bed, and out of it -- isn't, he says, as cut and dried, or difficult, as some would believe. There’s a famous Chinese poem called “Faith Mind Inscription.” In spite of its lousy title, it’s one of the most profound pieces of literature in all of Zen. The first verse sets forth the premise [...]
