About this blog
Writing Craft & Practice explores the fruits of 25 years of writing in a variety of voices.
I’m a Buddhist meditator as well as a professional writer, and I see parallels between the practices of writing and of meditation. Both are related to inspiration, and to some degree these mental factors overlap.
I made this Venn diagram to help me figure out the relationships among them. Click the image to get a larger size that shows the labels clearly.
Any feedback is welcome!
Category Archives: buddhism
Where’s the OUTRAGE?
A city dweller—a true child of concrete—once spent the weekend with a friend in the suburbs. The friend’s cat snared a bird and as cats will do, deposited the corpse as a gift on the doorstep. The city visitor was … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, meditation, social issues
Tagged advertising, anger, buddhism, feminism, practice, vodka
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Occupy Wall Street: a spiritual movement?
The other day I visited Occupy Wall Street in Zucotti “Park,” essentially a paved strip one block long between tall buildings. What struck me first was how dense it is. Little bubble tents are close-packed, with narrow aisles here and … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, inspiration, meditation
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The sky of mind: vast like space
Buddhist meditators practice experiencing the mind as a vast, clear sky, through which thoughts, feeings, and all other experiences pass like clouds, appearing and then vanishing in an open space of awareness that’s not limited to the inside of the … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, inspiration, meditation, writing
Tagged Jack Kornfield, Kandinsky, self sacrifice
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What’s the “practice” of writing?
I practice yoga, and I practice meditation. And I also “practice” writing. I like this concept, because it connects skill and inspiration. I’ll begin with skill. One authority defines practice as “systematic training by multiple repetitions.” Other sources emphasize frequency, … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, inspiration, meditation, writing
Tagged freelance writing, Natalie Goldberg, practice
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