Author Archives: Tom Childers

not eighteen any more

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Tom Childers

Welcome to my world, the practice room where I am (mostly) spending an hour each morning. Here is the view from my zafu (meditation cushion), as I begin. From foreground to the back, you are looking at: knee pads, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Reflection | 1 Comment

just you and me, hubble

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Tom Childers

I’ve been living for many years in a multi-cat household, and it’s been a delightful part of my life. My first wife and I had several cats through our many years together, then Nancy and I got a pair of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | 1 Comment

preliminary steps

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Tom Childers

A hundred thousand repetitions of anything is daunting, when we look at the whole thing like a goal. There are a series of ‘things’ like this that I’ll be doing in the next few years, the preliminary practices, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism | Tagged Buddhism | 1 Comment

phenomena

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Tom Childers

An unexpected evening alone at home, and I’m filling it. It’s so interesting to watch what I do, I’m pretty highly directed inside. Give a co-worker a lift home to SF, with a little side tour of where I grew … Continue reading →

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impermanence

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Tom Childers

My new Buddhist practices begin with twenty days of contemplation, and two of the topics are the preciousness of human existence, and the impermanence of all phenomena. “Ha!”, I think to myself, “I know all about this”. Loss has certainly … Continue reading →

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coming to term

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Tom Childers

We all recently passed the nine-month mark since Nancy’s passing. It’s damn spooky (or maybe just divinely perfect) that she died on the longest night of the year, and every change of seasons for the rest of my life will … Continue reading →

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carrier switch

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Childers

With all the hubbub about the new iPhone, I hate to feel like one of the herd and admit I’m getting one. But I am, it’s already ordered, and this will be my third iPhone. It’s a technology that has … Continue reading →

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disassembling the temple

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Tom Childers

Over the last ten days, I’ve been bringing more change to my home. I’m making it more my home. This is joyous and sad all at once, perhaps like all of life, when we really connect and open to it. … Continue reading →

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across the doorsill

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Tom Childers

Early this summer, I wrote about the exquisite tension between time together with my girlfriend and time alone in solitude. I’ve learned some things. My life is getting a little easier. I so love our time together. It’s still hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Nancy, Reflection | 1 Comment

a buddhist conundrum

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Tom Childers

One of the most delightful and challenging aspects of buddhism are the vows or intentions that I’ve taken on in my studies. The learning is deep and rich. In January, I took a set of five vows known as ‘the … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Reflection | 2 Comments