Alex Kakuyo's Blog

The Animal Within Us

I don't have a large house by any means.  But there's plenty of room for three cats and two humans.  In addition to our first floor, we have a basement, an upstairs, and an attic space.  

If our four-legged children wanted, they could divide the house up into sections and never see each other.

Instead, they follow each other around the house in a slow-motion chase.  Every now and again the chase is interrupted by loud hisses and swats when one cat catches another unaware.  

They stop for a moment, ...

Pictures on My Wall

Many years ago, I attended a Dharma talk on nonattachment.  The monk explained the teaching by discussing the importance of having bare walls. He explained that if we decide that we want to hang a picture on the wall, that requires us to buy a frame for the picture.  Then we have to get a nail and put a hole in the wall.
What if we put the nail in the wrong place, and we miss the stud?
Even if we hit the stud and hang our picture successfully, now we have wonder if the picture is centered properly...

Hells Bells and Buddhist Purelands

 

As I write this essay, there is an AC/DC album playing in the background.  I like AC/DC for a couple of reasons.  

First, they are objectively the greatest rock band of all time; putting out bangers like You Shook Me All Night Long, Thunderstruck, and the infamous T.N.T.

Second, the incongruity in their early videos is hilarious.  You have Colin Burgess drumming in the background, doing his job like it's just a 9-5.  Then you have Angus Young running all over the stage, playing guitar in a school...

Nurturing the Seeds of Virtue

Three years ago, I planted asparagus in our garden.  Asparagus is a centerpiece of many homesteads because it's nutritious, easy to grow, and it comes back every year.  But gardeners must abide by several rules if they want their asparagus patch to feed them year after year.

First, the asparagus can't be harvested for the first three years after planting.  This allows it to establish a strong root system underneath the soil; one that will keep producing new growth in the fourth year and beyond.

Se...

Learning to be Intolerant

Acceptance is a big deal in Buddhist circles.  We're told that we must accept suffering, accept mistreatment, accept the opinions of others.

We're told to be like the ocean, which accepts all things and rejects nothing.  Much of this thinking is rooted in a slavish dependence on the absolute.  

This is especially true in Zen circles where the conventional world is painted as less than, and we're told all things are resolved in the unborn mind.

This puts practitioners in a tough spot because right a...

Lost Cats and Buddhist Love

As I write this one of our cats, Finn, is sprawled across my lap.  
He is an all-white, American short hair with blue eyes and below average intelligence. 
I've watched him carefully plan his leap onto the bookshelf only to jump headfirst into the wall. 
And he regularly gets lost wandering through our house; meowing sadly until I or my partner go to find him.
What Finn lacks in intelligence, however, he makes up for with love. He is one of the most affectionate cats I have ever known.

He rubs his he...

How to Save The World

A student went to his Zen teacher and found him working in the garden.  The teacher greeted his student and asked, "How is Buddhism in the south?"  

The student replied, "There is much discussion."  

The Zen teacher paused a moment, and then he said, "Come help me plant radishes in the garden."  

The student asked, "How will that help the world?"  

The Zen teacher replied, "What do you call the world?"

When I was a young man, I didn't make time for what most people would call "domestic duties".  Cook...

Freeloading Chickens

One common misconception about chickens is that they lay eggs every day.  In truth, their levels of production increase and decrease based on the weather.  

In the summer months when the days are long chickens tend to lay eggs every other day. 

 However, they lay fewer eggs in the fall when the days get shorter, and they go through their molt, replacing their old feathers with new ones.

In the winter, the chickens rest.  They are less active during the day, and their egg production drops too almost...

Letting Go of Minimalism

As a younger man, I prided myself on being a minimalist. I never owned more possessions that what I could fit into a large duffel bag. 

 I did my best to avoid clothing purchases; choosing to make due with the free t-shirts that were passed out at college fairs and job recruitment events. 

When I finally moved into my own place, I scoffed at the idea of buying furniture; choosing to eat and sleep on the floor.

When people asked about my behavior, I told them that I was a minimalist and a Buddhist. ...

Rolling in the Grass

As I write this, it feels like hundreds of ants are biting my arms and legs.  I have a grass allergy, and prolonged exposure results in itching and small bumps appearing on my skin.  
It's been this way my whole life.
When I was a child I loved playing outdoors with my friends.  We spent countless afternoons wrestling in the grass and hiking through the forest.
This led to countless nights when I complained to my mother, "It feels like my skin is on fire!"  She responded by covering me head-to-toe ...