Author Archives: jimwdollar

01 What needs to happen in any situation conflicts with– and stands in contradiction of– what we want to happen there. This is the story of the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the story of the Buddha under the Bo Tree and of Jesus in the wilderness. It is theContinue reading “July 06, 2020”

02 Sincerity and awareness are prime tools in the work of bringing ourselves forth within the time and place, context, conditions and circumstances of our life. We cannot fake either. And we don’t have to feel like doing either. We don’t have to be in the mood. Sincerity requires us to be the mood weContinue reading “July 07, 2020”

02  Too many of us think we have to have a plan, a map, a strategy, a course of action, a destination in mind, to know where we are headed in order to get where we are going. If we don’t know where we are going, we could wind up anywhere! Time for a showContinue reading “July 08, 2020”

02 Trust where you are to be exactly where you need to be. Trust the path you are on to take you to exactly where you need to be. Trust seeing what you look at, and hearing what you listen to– asking the questions that beg to be asked, and saying the things that cryContinue reading “July 09, 2020”

02 The extremes exist in denial of each other, of contradiction, of conflict, of opposites, of duality… The Middle Way is “Thou Art That” in a way that excludes identity, equivalence, interchangeability, and demands mutual recognition of the “I” in the “Other,” because the Two are One “but not the same One.” And the DanceContinue reading “July 10, 2020”

02 We have to mean it, run a tight ship (That means self-discipline), straight from the heart, with sincerity and no contrivance (That means without looking for our own advantage, good, benefit in any way), with no judgment or opinion, seeking only to serve the moment in doing what is called for, moment-to-moment, in eachContinue reading “July 11, 2020”

01 We pay a price to be who we are. Negotiation. Compromise. Adjustment. Readjustment. Steady companions along the way. If we aren’t going to be who we are, who are we going to be? We pay a price to not be who we are. “All we ever wanted was smooth and easy!” (An AA slogan)Continue reading “July 12, 2020”

02 Take care of the moment. Everything turns on how well we take care of the moment. We throw moments away by the bushels, by the metric tons, by the sanitary landfills. We treat moments as though they are in our way keeping us from where we want to be and what we want toContinue reading “July 13, 2020”

03 “Oh, I see what your problem is.” The Buddha was talking to those gathered to discover the secret path to eternal happiness. “You care too much about what happens to you! You will never be happy until you care less about what happens, and care more about doing what you can in every situationContinue reading “July 14, 2020”

02 “But my FREEDOOM!!!” The people who protest mask wearing for the good of the whole cannot get beyond the idea of masks being imposed on them against their will by the domineering authority of those in power over them. Sacrificing their idea of freedom for the common good is beyond the pale of reasonableContinue reading “July 16, 2020”

02 Joseph Campbell said, “We know when we are on the beam, and when we are off it.” That is all we need to know. Yet the 10,000 things interfere with our knowing even that much. Distractions abound. Diversions proliferate. We lose the way. Stray from the path. Wake up–if we are lucky– at theContinue reading “July 17, 2020”