The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

May “I” Be Of Benefit

I’m a “Dharma Brat,” the nickname—for the first generation to grow up from the get-go with the terrible technological brilliance of the West and the esoteric wisdom of the East—is said to be a mishmash of “Army Brat” and Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums.”

In any case, when you grow up Buddhist, you notice that everyone’s always sitting around. They call it meditating. As a child, I remember wanting to yell at a building-full of meditators at Karme Chöling, in Vermont, “What are you afraid of! It’s a gorgeous day! Get out there and live!” Only later did I realize what hard work it was. Working with your mind. Becoming friends with oneself. Seeing through the incessant blah bla blah that speeds by so fast that, like a spinning tire, it looks solid. We look solid, that is: we think we exist. From there comes the urge to preserve and protect. From there comes the us vs. them mentality. From there comes ego, which is something I know all about.

But if I didn’t holler at them there Buddhists, they sure did at me. When you’re a child living at a Buddhist retreat center in the middle of nowhere (the exact middle: Barnet, Vermont), what happens is you get told to shush a lot. I was a just a kid. I ran and jumped instead of walking and laughed and yelled instead of talking. That didn’t go over so well with the meditation crowd.

The mindful life with Waylon H. Lewis

An American Bigot

Man sees woman, man awkwardly approaches woman, woman gives number, man calls nervously, man/woman go for walk, man/woman go for drink, man/woman go dutch (these days) on dindin, man/woman go on two more dates (that’s the law) and spend a warm, raw, love-filled night together. Man/woman fall in love, get married, have children.

And that’s how the human races perpetuates this tragicomedy known as this precious human birth.

What’s the root of all this? It’s that tender love. And you don’t have to be a man/woman to share it. You can be a mom/baby, a dad/grandma, a boy/dog, a poet/moon. Love makes the world go around—and, like taste, you can’t legislate it.

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

Why “elephant”?

I publish a little magazine, called 'elephant.' We've been around for 4 plus years, now, we print 35K eco-copies of each issue, we're available in five states in the Rockies, and we're just starting to go national. We focus on 'the mindful life' -- living a good life that also happens to be good for others (most folks just do one or the other--witness my mom, a poorly-paid teacher, who is all about others but lives in a one-bedroom, unheated apartment -- or your average hedge fund manager with requisite 10,000 square foot mansion in Greenwich with indoor squash court, underground parking garage and beachfront access).

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

Today’s To-Do List: 1) Gay Rights 2) Animal Welfare 3) Save the Planet

Each generation inherits (and strips away, and adds on) a layer (or two, or 2,000) of history (or karma) from its ancestors. We don't only inherit a working knowledge of science; inventions such as light bulbs, 2-ply recycled toilet-paper and 5-blade razors and cars and solar panels; and traditions such as tea ceremony and baseball -- but we inherit Victorian houses, family and national feuds, poetry, beer, bicycles…etc.

We also inherit prejudices. Two centuries ago, poor folk weren't allowed the vote. A century ago, womenfolk weren't allowed the vote. Then came Civil Rights. Then feminism. Next three on the list, in my sage opinion?

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

Toshiro Mifune, Willy Ryken, Cary Grant & Cyndi Lee—vs. the World.

Christians may be excused if they look upon 2006 as a dark time: for pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth are in rampant excess, for sale at every 7-11, as seen on TV.

Those heathens, the Buddhists, couldn’t agree more. They call this ‘the dark age,’ when even devoted ‘warriors’ for peace and gentleness are losing heart. One of the signs of this ‘dark age,’ it’s said, is a lack of respect for one’s elders (reverence is a value particularly pronounced in Confucianism, the Tao and Tibetan Buddhism—three ways of life that, less than welcome in their native country, survive primarily in $90 textbooks that college freshman have to, but don’t, read).

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

Anti-Abortion and Pro-War…What Gives?

Abortion is everyone’s favorite political issue. But in daily life, it’s a non-issue.

Ask a deep-South candidate why he’s running for something, he’ll say “Pro-Life” before you can say ‘knee-jerk,’ or even just ‘jerk.’ Ask him why he (because, yes, he’s a he—over 108% of Republican candidates are men) supports The War, on the other hand, and suddenly our Right-to-Kill is a good thing. Death Penalty? He likes that, too.

So if we’re not talking about a Right-to-Life, just what are we talking about?

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

You Say You Wanna Revolution?

Wanna change the world? Wanna lose those five pounds, strengthen community ties, get to lunch on time and save thousands of dollars?

“Nahhh."

Oh. Okay. Well…well then riddle me this: what’s good for rich and poor, black and white, male and female, young and old, fat and thin—and our planet—that doesn’t involve starting a non-profit or burning bras or waving banners or wearing hemp necklaces with little abalone shells in ‘em?

The Mindful Life with Waylon H. Lewis

Nirvana! Enlightenment! Who Cares!

	The Boulder Way

Pema Chödron, a famous-ish American Buddhist nun, once gave a beautiful, succinct definition of the path to spiritual realization. To paraphrase: 'If one can keep the sadness and pain of samsara in their heart, and at the same time the vision and brilliance of the Great Eastern Sun, then the warrior can make a proper cup of tea.'



A proper cup of tea. The fruition of a spiritual path ain’t fireworks and trumpets and angels descending from heaven. It’s more likely to be whatever happens to be happening, in that moment. Or, as the Zennies say, before enlightenment you chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment? Chop more wood, carry more water. Nirvana—or whatever you want to call it—is no big deal.



I publish a little Boulder-based magazine in Boulder called elephant. We do stories on yoga, on conscious consumerism and green living, on Buddhism and the ‘contemplative arts.' We do stories on a lot of other things, too—everything from bicycling to work and the stock market to green tea and green fashion. So what do all these things have in common?