For some reason, I thought a weeklong silent Zen meditation retreat — called “sesshin” — would be an important life experience. And it was, although maybe not in the ways I expected. I certainly chose a good one. It took place at Mar de Jade, a gorgeous resort on a secluded beach north of Puerto Vallarta. The priest, Norman Fisher, was once the head of the San Francisco Zen Center, and understands the “western,” non-Zen mind. The description of the retreat welcomed “beginners.” I don’t have a Zen practice, but I’ve read books about Zen, so I was a beginner, right?
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San Miguel’s Book Lovers — “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
Aurora Books in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is six months old next week, and wow, it’s been delightful in ways I never expected.βSome people think I’m pursuing my life’s dream. Actually, I never dreamed of being in retail. But I love books and San Miguel needed a place to buy new English language books (like Tunisia and Vietnam!). I hoped opening a bookstore would be a way of serving my new community.
Well! It turns out the community is serving the bookstore. Here are a few of gifts San Miguel has given Aurora Books (with suggested reading π ):
Continue readingA Fire for Peace
Yesterday brought a little revelation, I think. It was Dia de Los Muertos. Here in San Miguel de Allende, the holiday is celebrated with parades and parties and visits to cemeteries carpeted with marigolds. Colorful ofrendas — altars that connect us to the dead — decorate plazas, churches, streets, and almost every home.
Usually, I would be out with the crowds for the fun. This year, I wanted to celebrate in a way that would help me deal with the undercurrent of anxiety I am feeling about the world, so I invited friends to create an ofrenda of peace at a dinner gathering.
Continue readingBookstore People
One day last week, a woman came into my bookstore and handed me a copy of Shuggie Bain. I recognized her. A few days before, she was in the store with her daughter and bought the award-winning book about poverty in mid-century Scotland. “I enjoyed this, thank you” she said. “You can sell it used.” She was out the door before I could say anything, but I yelled “Thank you!” as she headed north. Her unceremonious delivery lead me to wonder whether maybe she didn’t like the book. Or maybe she was just in a hurry. In any case, she was kind enough to go out of her way to share an expensive book with another reader.
Continue readingThinking Globally, Acting Locally In San Miguel: Tikkun Ecocenter
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is a small city with a big heart. More than 100 charitable organizations support San Miguel’s local community, most with a focus on food, education or health. One of the most innovative is protecting and restoring the local environment in ways that support rural Mexican communities.
Continue readingWe Could Try Radical Humanity
Last week, the Biden Administration announced immigration policies that would make it virtually impossible for migrants at the southern border to seek asylum in the United States. Among the new — and unlawful — policies is the requirement that asylum-seekers show they have applied for asylum in one of the countries they have traveled through. But, according to international law, applying for asylum in one country disqualifies a refugee from seeking asylum in a second country, such as the United States. Places like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua are not safe for refugees, and processing asylum claims can take years. The Administration’s cruel Catch 22 will cost many lives and require Central America and Mexico to assume even more responsibility for problems created by the United States itself.
Continue readingHow St. Jerome Helps Me To Be a Better Neighbor
There is a stone carving above the front gate of my house that depicts a man and a lion resting together peacefully next to a scroll. As I learned today from my friend Adam, the carving tells the story of St. Jerome who welcomed an injured lion at the gate of his monastery. The other monks fled at the sight of the lion, but St. Jerome carefully removed a thorn from the lion’s paw. The scroll is a reference to St. Jerome’s work as a librarian.
Continue readingThe Blessing of the Horses
San Miguel de Allende is one celebration after another, especially at this time of year. Last weekend was La Alborada, celebrating San Miguel’s patron saint with fireworks, dancing, parades, music and things I can’t even describe. One of the most beautiful of La Alborada’s events is the Blessing of the Horses and I was there on a horse.
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