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