Dear readers,
I started this newsletter in January 2021, when my first book, Be the Refuge, came out. In the beginning, I sent monthly-ish updates. Then my cadence slowed to every few months, even as the rate of change in the wider world seemed only, alarmingly, to increase. Fast forward to now: It’s been nearly a year since I last wrote, long enough that you may no longer remember when or why you signed up for these emails in the first place!
I’m grateful to all of you for signing up for these sporadic updates, for taking the time to read these occasional letters. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on rest, rhythm, and ritual in the face of alarming times. As the subtlest traces of fall begin to freckle the shortening days of summer here, I’ve decided to try out some changes to this newsletter. I’ll be migrating to a different platform (Buttondown) and writing more regularly (once every two weeks), in a newsletter called “Little Buddhist Days” (more on the title in the first installment of LBD).
If you’d like to stay subscribed, there’s nothing you need to do. If you’d rather not receive these emails, feel free to unsubscribe.
For those who are staying on, I’ll be in touch again next month.
Take good care, all,
~Chenxing
PS: You may have heard the news of Dr. Larry Ward’s passing. Fifteen or so years ago, my partner and I attended a daylong that Dr. Ward and his spouse, Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, co-taught at Spirit Rock. Their accessible wisdom, playful creativity, fierce care, and boundless love have been an ongoing inspiration. In May 2022, at the first May We Gather national Buddhist memory, Dr. Larry Ward gave a powerful Dharma talk on the pāramita of dāna (1:17:54 in this video). A month later, I was astonished and delighted to see Larry and Peggy at the Future of American Buddhism conference at the Garrison Institute, where the photo below was taken. Later today, The Lotus Institute will hold an online 7th-day memorial ceremony in honor of Dr. Larry Ward, led by Plum Village monastics. I hope to see some of you there. 🪷
