Hello, and thank you for visiting my webpage. I’m grateful that you are interested in learning about meditation practices and/or Buddhist teachings.

I began my meditation journey in the field of secular mindfulness and became certified in mindfulness instruction in 2019. A secular approach to meditation can offer great benefits for each and every one of us, as well as for the people around us. There are decades of research supporting the benefits of mindfulness meditation, including increased focus and attention, improved emotional regulation, reduced stress and anxiety, and greater compassion for oneself and others. By cultivating mindful awareness through regular practice, we can develop a deeper connection to the world around us and to the people in our lives.

I am also a strong believer in the power of nature and our connection to it. I will explore that connection more deeply later, but even a simple daily mindfulness practice has the potential to be truly transformational.

I believe strongly in developing a daily meditation practice, and I love helping people get started or stay motivated. Meditation is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a lifelong practice and commitment. Every single day is an opportunity to practice—even if it’s just for a few minutes—and that opportunity is not to be missed.

As my practice deepened, two major events shaped my path in 2019 and 2021. In the summer of 2019, while on vacation in Hawaii, I visited a Buddhist temple and bought a book on Dogen. His writings were truly transformational for my practice. Then, during COVID, I was searching for a place to deepen my practice through retreat. I found Mount Adams Buddhist Temple, where the abbot, Thay Kozen, allowed me to camp and undertake a solo retreat. This experience has since become an annual summer tradition. In 2022, I became a student of Thay Kozen in the Buddhist Ministerial Program.

I view Buddhism less as a religion and more as a system of awakening. This system, originally taught by the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, has been expanded upon by monks, nuns, meditators, hermits, and even rebels over the past two and a half thousand years. While it includes cultural forms and ceremonial elements, its essential purpose can be distilled quite simply: awakening, or enlightenment.

What is awakening? In many ways, it is an impossible question—one that cannot ultimately be captured in words. Still, I will try. Enlightenment (which I use interchangeably with “awakening”) is the realization of the deepest truth of our existence. Part of that truth is that this present moment is all we truly have. The past and future are constructions of the mind, ways we organize and interpret experience. Likewise, any fixed, unchanging “self” is also a mental construction—something we cling to in order to maintain identity.

In reality, the universe is composed entirely of causes and conditions; nothing is fixed or permanent. Much of our dissatisfaction arises from resisting this truth. Awakening is not found by changing our external circumstances, but by transforming our relationship to them. When we learn to fully accept the present moment (without judgment), to see through the illusion of a fixed self (without attachment), and to understand dependent origination (without clinging), we begin to walk the path the Buddha described. Following the Eightfold Path, we move toward awakening.

This awakening expresses itself through compassion (metta), wisdom (prajñā), and ongoing meditation practice, leading to a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

So where has this practice led me in my daily life? I feel more deeply connected to my wife and daughter through both meditation and metta practice. The small things that once bothered me no longer take hold in my mind in the same way. It’s much easier to let go of anger, frustration, and annoyance.  I find myself drawn more to nature—hiking and exploring—rather than spending time indoors or on screens. I am more focused at work and better able to understand others’ perspectives, rather than becoming attached to my own narrative about events. I feel calmer, more patient, and more equanimous. Emotions still arise, but they no longer have the same lasting grip.

Simply put: I am a happier, more grounded, and more fully present person.

I believe this kind of personal transformation can naturally extend into community. In Buddhism, we call this Sangha. Awakening is not just an individual pursuit—it is something we live out in relationship with others. In Buddhist terms, this is the path of the bodhisattva; in more secular language, it is the commitment to live as a compassionate, awake human being.

Community is essential. Practicing with others, sharing experiences, and supporting one another deepens the path. My goal moving forward is to continue developing my own practice, remain an active participant in the Mount Adams Temple Sangha, and begin cultivating a community of practitioners in my home area of the Tri-Cities.