Where We Goin’ Today?
च्यानल विवरणहरू
Where We Goin’ Today?
Mountaineering, canyoneering, meditation, great books, awesome music, rubbing shoulders with icons, Buddhist philosophy, minimalism and retiring at 41. It’s been a lifestyle designed. Join me as I ramble and scramble my way through this life’s great adventures and mishaps—expressed through the lens...
हालैका एपिसोडहरू
45 एपिसोडहरू
Underground Adventures
A childhood fascination with caves has led me to a lifetime of great adventures underground.
Just a Scramble, Eh?
After developing a reputation as a mountain climbing “sandbagger,” it should have come as no surprise that a songwriter-climber friend of mine would e...
Rubbing Shoulders
In this episode, I reminisce on the dozens of celebrities I’ve encountered over the years.
How’s He Do It??!
Lifestyle design allowed me to retire at the age of 41. I’m not a wealthy man but I live an incredibly rich life.
Increasingly Weird
With life becoming progressively more strained and strange—death, despair, giving up, loneliness and isolation in the world around me—I turn to medita...
On the Bus, On the Farm
Reflections on some of the creators of the American counterculture—Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” Ken Kesey & the Merry Pranksters, and the Grateful De...
An Embarrassing Obsession
A teenage fascination with Jim Morrison and the Doors led to a 20-year obsession about uncovering everything in the history of the band and writing a...
The Asia Diaries (Ep.9): Shikoku, Japan
With plans to soon embark upon a 1,000-year-old 700-mile walking pilgrimage in southeastern Japan, we spent a week doing a 60-mile reconnaissance of t...
Poems in the Night
Reflections on a first big road trip around the mountains of the western U.S. that would spawn a decade of tireless mountain wandering.
A Lookout in the Clouds
A trio of summers working as a volunteer forest fire lookout would set the tone for a love and appreciation for mountains that persists to this day.
The Asia Diaries (Ep.8): Pilgrimage (Part II)
During the second half of our group pilgrimage, we encountered a giant snake during breakfast one morning, we visited several historically significant...
Buddhism: Questions Answered
In this episode, I answer listener questions about Buddhist “leadership,” the tenure of monks, and the practices of alms mendicants.
A Ghost in the House
For two summers, I lived in a haunted old house in coastal California. The good new is: I made friends with this spooky spirit. Believe it or not?!!
The Asia Diaries (Ep.7): Pilgrimage (Part I)
This week, a group of nine gathered in Bangkok to embark upon an 11-day pilgrimage of sacred Buddhist sites around Thailand.
Two Kinds of Meditation
In this episode, I respond to listener questions about the benefits of meditation and how to relax the mind through the practice of meditation.
Taking Robes
In this episode, I respond to listener questions about how a person becomes a Buddhist monk and the lives of monks in the Theravāda tradition of Buddh...
The Asia Diaries (Ep.6): Hai Van Pass, Hue & Hoi An
Traveling one of the most beautiful roads in the world, I made my way to Hue—the scene of the bloodiest conflicts of the Vietnam War, the final restin...
A Dissolving Me
By learning to see this life experience in terms of five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, mental states and consciousness—we can begin to unravel...
A Retreat to the Desert
While relaxing in the charming beach resort city of Da Nang, Vietnam, I found myself reflecting on desert adventures, the Manson Family, and on the pr...
The Asia Diaries (Ep.5): Da Nang, Vietnam
A gorgeous, mountainous resort city on the ocean, marble mountains covered in Buddhist pagodas and dotted with caves, a massive statue of elegant Guan...
Five Mental Faculties
The ancient teachings of the Buddha encourage us to cultivate five mental faculties—confidence, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. With th...
The Zion Quandary
Pioneering mountaineering routes in Utah’s greatest national park had unintended consequences that would force me to consider my relationship with the...
The Asia Diaries (Ep.4): Islands of the Andaman Sea, Patong & A Return to Bangkok
James Bond Island, a giant solid gold Buddha statue, grilled cockroaches, and stifling heat! It’s summertime in Thailand!
The 99-year-old Supermonk
A Texas rumor of a Thai “supermonk” came full circle as I searched for a place to meditate in Bangkok.
Area 51
Aliens? UFOs? Nothing whatsoever? We take a peek into the top secret military base called Area 51.
The Asia Diaries (Ep.3): Pattaya & Phuket
Flicked off by a cabbie, witnessing a misbehaving monkey, and finding a statue of the great master. These were just a few of our adventures in the exp...
The Pink House
A meditation community in the Vietnamese Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh would shape the course of my meditation practice and the meditation communit...
A Taste of Abhidharma
The Buddhist teaching of Abhidharma—the “higher doctrine”—explains that which is real, an understanding of which is the only path to enlightenment.
The Asia Diaries (Ep.2): Bangkok & Ayutthaya
Wandering Bangkok during the water festival and sampling the best and worst of fruits were precursors to a visit to the ancient Siamese capitol of Ayu...
The Story of My Master
Recalling the life of my master—Las Vegas Sayādaw—a renowned master of insight meditation.
My Name is Nirvana
A chance meeting with a young lady with an unusual name provoked a reflection on labels, pop culture and the nature of reality.
The Asia Diaries (Ep.1): A Return to the Orient
With feet planted on Asian soil for the third time in six months, I reflect on Japanese sophistication and the allure of Thailand.
An Alaska Obsession
An obsessive drive to climb Alaskan mountains offered a lesson that changed the course of my life.
The Desert Ballerina
A lonely ghost town in the desert became the scene of a glorious opera with no one in the audience.
Sunburst
A visit to America’s oldest spiritual commune—Sunburst Sanctuary—can awaken the heart to the potential in each of us.
The Body—A Look at Foulness
We can get lost in a body’s attractiveness—but can we “get found” in its foulness?
Apricot Lane
In this episode, we explore “The Biggest Little Farm”—an inspiring tale of a regenerative farm documented in a film of the same name.
Desolation Peak
A pilgrimage to the summit of an isolated mountain in the High Cascades of Washington was the catalyst for a life-changing new direction.
A Thief in the Night
A thief decides to burglarize my car one night while I’m sitting in meditation in the backseat.
Forest Monks
Today, we explore the life and impact of the legendary and enlightened Thai forest monk Luang Pu Mun.