Awesome Weekend

So this weekend not only did I have a chance to talk with Dave Mech, on the leading wolf biologists in the world, about wolf taxonomy, but I also had a chance to meet Rolf Peterson, the lead biologist of the Isle Royale study for over 37 years. It doesn't get much better than this.

Northwest Stories: Gary Snyder

Shana Tova

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. It is a time for reflection of the past year as well as atonement for past sins. In this sense, when I speak of atonement, I simply mean acknowledging mistakes made in the past year so that you can work on fixing them. I went out the beautiful Kawishwi Falls for the ceremonial casting of sins (mistakes). This is symbolic of starting the year with a fresh start. On the 3/4 mile hike out to the falls, I reflected on major changes that have occurred this past year as well as things that I would like to change. Among the highlights of the year have been graduating college, working at the International Wolf Center for the summer, and going into my second year with my lovely girlfriend. I am truly lucky to have so many great friends and such a loving family. Upon reviewing this past year, however, I was disheartened to think about how angry I was. Along with casting away my sins, I also cast away that anger. My goal for the year is fill empty void with loving kindness.

Why It's Good for Jews to Meditate

Here is a great article by Jay Michaelson, the author of Everything is God.
Check it out!

http://zeek.forward.com/articles/116922/

Interpretations of Abrahams Journey

The Tent of Abraham is an interfaith look at the story of Abraham and his sons Issac and Ishmael. I recently read a section of the book by Rabbi Arthur Waskow who emphasizes the similarities of between the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with the struggles between Issac (the holy son) and Ishmael (the outsider). Rabbi Waskow says:
"Did Mohammed have to die because the Palestinian people were ready to use violence to assert its own control over the very rock where the first Mohammed rose to heaven, flying on the wings of the one God, who has, according to the Quran, made nations and communities diverse so that we could learn from and love each other, not so that we could hate and kill each other?"

Living In Tune

When asked how things are, don't whine and grumble about your hardships. If you answer "lousy," then God says "You call this bad, I'll show you what bad really is!"
When asked how things are, and despite hardships and suffering, you answer "good," then God says "You call this good, I'll show you what good really is!"

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Nondual Judaism

Recently, I came across a book called Everything Is God - The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism.
This idea of nonduality is similar to what is found in many eastern religions such as Buddhism. The main idea of nondual Judaism, is אין סוף (Ein Sof), the infinite, or the act of Being. This is one way of saying that everything is God, and God is everything. In other words, everything is made up of God and the reason that we as humans can not comprehend God, is because we can not comprehend what the sum of all things is. This idea has persisted in the Kabbalah as well as being a core teaching in the Hasidic branch of Judaism. Unfortunately, it seems to me as though Hasidim have gotten too caught up in the religion aspect of the Jewish faith. I believe the idea of אין סוף to mean that everything in life is a part of God and that all things should be treated as though they were holy. As Jay Michaelson emphasizes in his book, it is crucial to remember that this does not mean that you God or more holy than any other person or thing, but we are each a piece of the ultimate holiness that is God.

I have been keeping very busy at the International Wolf Center. The crowds have started to pick up and so has our program load. This weekend is the 25th anniversary of the wolf center and there are many cool events planned. The best by far was tonight when David Mech, a renowned wolf biologist (who just happens to be a board member) talked about his studies on Ellesmere Island. Check out some of my pics of the wolves here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/101749264821817160226/InternationalWolfCenter#

Primitive Spirituality at the International Wolf Center

I have now been at the International Wolf Center for a full week now. The first day or two of teaching didn't go as well as I had hoped, however I feel like I am gaining confidence in my teaching skills with both children and adults alike. On Saturday nights, we feed the wolves roadkill deer during a program called "Whats for Dinner". This picture is of Denali, a northwestern gray wolf asserting dominance. There is something magical about getting to spend all day teaching and observing wolves. It is almost primitively spiritual.

Ely

Finally ended my long road trip to Ely MN. I will start training for my education internship at the International Wolf Center this upcoming week. I am really looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life.

Free Will

Free will is a commonly disputed topic throughout the religious world. Some say that we have complete free will while others believe in predetermination, or everything we do has been planned out already. Well, not so surprisingly, I heard the best explanation of free will from Noah Levine on one of his podcasts. Before I can explain it though, you will need to know what the Buddhist idea of impermanence is. This idea states that nothing can always be the same. If there is something that you really hate, it will go away. Same with pain, something you like, etc. Noah says that impermanence is a force of nature much like gravity that we can't do anything about. Free will comes in when we decide how to react to the impermanence. If something is happening that we do not like, we can either choose to just roll with it, or we can be miserable and try to stop it even though we can't. Same goes with things we like and things that cause pain. Free will is our opportunity to react to what life throws at us. How will you react?

Your body is a sacred temple. Treat it and respect it as you would any holy place.
-Rastafarian Idea

Noah Levine

Noah Levine is one of the most influential people in my life. Not only has he recovered from a life of destruction to become one of the leading figures in American Buddhism, but he has still managed to keep his punk edge. He is a prime example of adapting religion to yourself. I am incredibly excited to be able to meet him when he comes to Syracuse, NY in early November for a guest lecture and after school program with inner city kids. For more info, see the video below or go to www.dharmapunx.com

Noah Levine - Dharma Punx - Interview

Forums on Diversity - Jews and Judaism

Ecstatic Shema Yisrael Chant