Gleanings in Buddha-Fields

Recently, I found this really neat article about a solar power plan in Minnesota that had some unexpected benefits to the local ecosystem: https://www.ecoportal.net/en/solar-plant-enhances-plant-biodiversity/21410/

It’s really amazing...

Japanese work-ethic is somewhat legendary to Westerners: devotion to one’s company, many late hours spent in the office followed by obligatory drinking with coworkers afterwords, and also companies taking care of your needs in a way that American companies often do not.

One of the interesting phrases used to encapsulate Japanese work-ethic is a phrase called

Warning: this is a longer post.

This year, I am going with my family to stay with in-laws for part of the summer. I have a lot of vacation time saved up, and am excited to spend a few weeks in Japan, and delve into some Buddhist stuff while there. Sadly, outside of touristy places, opportunities are fewer than expected. I blame myself for h...

Nothing in the world like it, nosireebob.

In my non-blogger life, I work a fairly stressful job at a nice company where I manage some complicated systems. I often tell people that I am the guy who keeps the trains running on time. If I fail, no one dies, but the business is adversely impacted, and people get cranky.

So...

Since February of 2025 I have been gradually losing weight. I started around 110 kg (242 pounds), and have gradually reduced my weight in a year to 102kg (224 lb), give or take. That’s not very fast progress, admittedly, but my doctor has been telling me to lose weight for years, yet I never could make it work. I lost weight sometimes, but it always comes back. Even after I l...