Pema Chodron Online Retreat: Free Tickets Offer.

Renowned Tibetan Buddhist nun, and author, Pema Chodron will be leading an online retreat this month from the 15th through the 17th. She seldom leads such an event for the general public, so this is something special. Not surprisingly, the event sold out early but don't fret; Shambhala has kindly offered a chance for "virtual" participation via live-streaming of the retreat online. Click on this sentence for further information; including on how to sign-up for the online event. Shambhala is also offering you a chance to receive two, free, tickets to the event. If you are interested in the tickets; please write a short comment on how you deal with fear in your Dharma practice, or (if your not Buddhist) "how do you deal with fear in your personal life?"). I'll pick two that I like the most and award those authors with one ticket each. I'll look forward to your replies!!

~Peace to all beings~

The Worms Crawl in and the Worms Crawl Out.

When I was a young boy I spent some years in the Boy Scouts, which is a survivalist organization that trains young men on how to live in the wilderness. As well as teach them other life skills. When the leaders weren't around we kids would sing songs that, naturally, were deemed by our elders as, "gross." You know how kids are. The one that comes to mind today is something called, "The Hearse Song" which is about death and stems from the 19th century when it was documented among British soldiers serving in the Crimean War. Here are the full lyrics as I learned them:

If you ever laugh as the hearse goes by
You may be the next to die.

They wrap you up
in a bloody sheet
and drop you six feet
underneath.

The Worms Crawl In,
The Worms Crawl Out,
Into your stomach,
And out your mouth.

They eat your eyes, they eat your nose.
They eat the jelly between your toes.
A big green worm with rolling eyes
crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.

This is how
It is to die
You end up looking
Like apple pie!

James: This "gory" topic was brought to mind from a post by the no non-sense Buddhist blogger Genkaku. In this post he was speaking about his experience attending funeral homes here in America. This got me thinking about death, which is something that I came to terms with years ago. Studying Zen Buddhism and having had to struggle with suicidal thoughts from a mental illness forces you to face death whether you like it or not. So, anyway, part of Genkaku's post is about how quickly some recoil and run away from anything related to death. Or how we're not supposed to laugh about death, as if doing so shows a sign of disrespect to the dead. Or by laughing we're cursed to die next. I find all that superstitious mumbo-jumbo to be funny in and of itself!! Cursed to be the next to die? If you wanna use those words and look at it in that manner then we're all "cursed."

That's the way Buddhism sees it too--not as a curse but definitely as a fact of life to come to terms with sooner than later. That's because we're all dying from the minute after we take our first breath as a fresh and snappy-skinned baby. Buddhism teaches us that death is nothing to be feared because it is just another change in the many changes leading up to it. As another online writer says it, "It is the temporary end of a temporary problem." Now, some think that contemplating upon death is depressing, leads to despair and suicidal thinking.

Actually, in my own experience, (and from that of others who have embraced death and come to terms with its reality) it opens one up to live with less suffering. When you realize that death could come at any minute then you truly understand how precious each present moment really and truly is. This has allowed me to savor and enjoy life on a much deeper and profound level. This blunt assessment of death and suffering isn't nihilism but a pragmatic acceptance of life as it is, and not how we want it to be.

As for the specifics of death, I personally find the way we deal with death in Western culture to be a bit silly. We buy dressy, expensive clothes to wrap our dead shell in, which are quickly going to rot away. Then we buy a really expensive, fancy, box that we're only going to use once. We fill it with our finely dressed, bag of bones, which we promptly bury in our bejeweled box under six feet of dirt. And we do this in a fancy park that could be used to house homeless instead of rotting bags of flesh. As if all that isn't enough to stroke our egos we top it all off with an intricately etched headstone proudly stating our name. Or, rather the name of the body.

According to Buddhist standards our name, and that body are long expired the minute our last breath escapes. In fact, our name is pretty much meaningless while we're living as well!! Some people are so attached to their lives that even after death they even want a fancy house (mausoleum) to surround and protect their buried box!! They don't want their "special bones" sitting next to the bones of some lowly, average citizen!!

Upon my death, I just want my body cut up and pieced out to use in helping sick, yet living bodies live longer, healthier lives via organ donation. I highly support organ donation by the way. If there is anything left I simply would like the rest of it cremated and have my ashes spread around, so that perhaps other living things can benefit from it. Or possibly the sky burial they do in Tibet if I could find a way to get away with it. Or perhaps just take my stinkin' pile of bones up into the mountains I love so much and prop me up against a tree to serve as compost for flowers and mushrooms and such. If all else fails just donate my bag of bones to science. So, sing, "The Hearse Song" and enjoy this present moment.

~Peace to all beings

Tiger Woods Credits Buddhism in Helping Him Deal with Cravings.

(PHOTO: [Getty images] Tiger Wood's embraces his mother who is a devout Buddhist)

Personally I don't care too much about the whole Tiger Woods "scandal" except how Buddhism fits into it. I'm not one of these people who feels that Tiger Woods personally owes me an apology or any kind of explanation of what he's dealing with. He's apologized to the public and yet that's not enough for some people. They want their pound of flesh. Why do some people live through the lives of celebrities like they are apart of their lives to where they'd deserve an apology? Just leave him and his family alone to deal with their issues. The media is asking, was his apology enough to gain the forgiveness of the public?" As if we all are apart of his personal life!!

This obsession we have in America of worshiping celebrities and then tearing them down when they show that they're human, (just like us) is a highly corrosive aspect to our society. It is escapism to live vicariously through other people, so that we don't have to face our own struggles, obstacles and weaknesses. So, when these celebrities inevitably miss the mark of perfection we feel let personally let down because we have this delusion that our happiness is somehow tied up into how they live their lives. Personally, I think that this incident is between him and his wife but he said in his public statement that Buddhism is helping him deal with his sexual attachments and that's what I'd most like to focus on in this post. Woods said:

"I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."

James: Buddhism is a compassionate religion, which I think demands that we give people a second chance because who amongst us hasn't needed one ourselves? I think we should be supporting him whole-heartedly in his pursuit to free himself from samsara. It is quite common for humans to turn to spirituality in times of need and suffering. In that sense perhaps something good can come out of the ashes of Tiger's previous life. In some ways our suffering does us a favor in channeling us toward a path to free ourselves from that misery but you can't force that path onto someone who isn't ready. I think that is in part why we Buddhists don't do much proselytizing. Buddhism doesn't come to you, you have to come to it. Because proselytizing often involves using coercion and fear, which causes suffering. So you're basically causing people suffering to get them to overcome their suffering!! It's a futile exercise. Once Tiger was ready, the teacher arrived to help him blaze a new trail, and I for one wish him the best and support his recovery and dedication to living a life with less suffering.

Perhaps in a strange way to others, Tiger Woods is a role model again in drawing attention to how much attachments can make us suffer and how one can go about alleviating it. So says renowned Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, "The fact that people could see this kind of behavior causes suffering is an incredibly important message for all kinds of people who respect Woods." If someone with such a high profile as Woods can inspire others to deal with their own toxic suffering then this whole situation will have been positive overall. That is where he'll find redemption. He has the potential in this moment to inspire countless people to excel at more than golf. Besides working through this with his family, I can't think of a better way for him to find the redemption he seeks. The compassion in Buddhism is seen in part how each moment we can start a new. May Tiger, his family and his ex-lovers find the peace and happiness that all sentient beings deserve.

~Peace to all beings~

The Oasis of Dharma.

The Self cannot be pierced by weapons or burned by fire; water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it. The Self cannot be pierced or burned, made wet or dry. It is everlasting and infinite, standing on the motionless foundations of eternity. The Self is unmanifested, beyond all thought, beyond all change. Knowing this, you should not grieve.

-Bhagavad Gita 2 23-25

James: This description of oneness is the kind of wisdom that initially attracted me to Eastern spirituality. As many of you know I was raised in a very strict, dogmatic Christian religion, which shaped my life in every way. Eventually as I matured into adulthood that carefully constructed, isolating world started showing cracks. I could no longer stay in the religion because I began to see it as incompatible with the world I was discovering as an adult.

It didn't fit with the new ideas, concepts and information that I had been sheltered from all those years and my world crashed down around me like a cascading crystal chandelier falling from above. For the first time in my life I felt truly alone, lost and didn't know what or whom to trust. And so like many in this world of chaos, selfishness and suffering I felt overwhelmed. Add modernity's way of diminishing peoples' value and I was living in constant fear and anguish.

I was going through my own process of seeing the true unsatisfactory nature of the real world as Buddha did. I drifted into nihilism and hated just about everything and everyone that I came into contact with and then I began reading books on Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual traditions. I began to see hope and sought out every book and teacher on the subjects that I could find. I was insatiable. It was like I had been wandering in a desert thirsting for relief and stumbling upon a cool, relaxing, refreshing oasis. Except that at this oasis there was a Buddhist master patiently sitting at the side of the clear, clean, crisp pool waiting for me to finish guzzling the water. The water was like the initial gratification of finding Buddhism before realizing that was just the tip of the iceberg. It was as if he smiled and said, "Water is nice but you must find the infinite oasis for lasting relief."

This master (Buddhism) began teaching me not only how to survive the suffering of thirst (greed, anger, delusion--suffering in general) but taught me how to survive traveling through the desert (samsara) in a way that wouldn't be so painful and discouraging. So that one day I would reach my destination (Nirvana--liberation from traveling from life to life in an infinite cycle of suffering) and no longer be lost wandering the disorienting desert (samsara). This of course was the Dharma. I had spent too long just looking for the next oasis (immediate gratification) instead of trying to actually find the way out of the damn desert altogether!! It took Buddhism to show me that life changing discovery.

I was no longer looking through the self-isolating eyes of individualist, materialism. I zoomed out and saw the bigger picture, which made me smaller and I found some much needed relief in that reality. Saying that feeling small made me feel relief might sound odd to those new to ideas of the Higher Self or Oneness. Or to those use to the materialism of the West. However, it helped me feel for the first time that I wasn't alone and that I didn't have to take on this overwhelming world alone.

I was apart of a much bigger essence that could never be diminished, tarnished or taken away regardless of what this sometimes mean and nasty world could present as an obstacle. It gave me a feeling of belonging, true belonging that could never be taken away because how do you take away everything that is? How do you take away Oneness? How can you separate the molecules that make up your body from the molecules that make up the air that surrounds your entire body? How do you then separate the air molecules from those that make up the radiation from the sun that keeps all things on Earth alive? And how do you separate those radiation molecules from dark matter and gravity? So if we are both this body AND air, earth, water, fire, space dust, dark matter and who knows what else--how can you feel alone and lost after knowing all of that? As the quote says,"Knowing this, you should not grieve." It's easy to diminish an individual but impossible to diminish the totality of the all that exists.

I soon realized, however, that it isn't as easy as just making that discovery--it takes a lot more than discovering a mine to find enough to gold to free you from poverty. It's not easy following the path of Dharma but I have seen enough to know that it sure is worth it and better than the alternative. It's easy to forget to look at the compass (not practice the Dharma) while traveling toward the end of the desert (samara) so I keep meditating and breathing my way toward liberation. The funny thing is that in reality there is no desert!!

~Peace to all beings~

Halloween from a Buddhist's Perspective.

First of all let me wish those who celebrate Halloween today a "Happy Halloween!!" Or maybe I should say have a "Scary Halloween!!" I don't believe in ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Except for the state of being a "hungry ghost" but they aren't exactly the kind of ghosts thought about during Halloween. Hungry ghosts are too consumed with their own suffering to go out and "haunt" or "scare" other beings.

Halloween is my favorite holiday because I enjoy spooky movies and dressing up. As a former actor I really enjoy being able to dress up as just about any character that I want for at least one day a year and not be looked at as a loony. As a Buddhist Halloween also reminds me of death and the importance of this human birth in over-coming samsara, which includes death, fear and anxiety, which are all aspects of Halloween. However, it also reminds me of my belief that along with death comes rebirth so there is hope in death. Such reflection helps take the fear and sting out of death.

Our minds make up so many delusions that confuse us and scare us into thinking that we have no ability to transcend such strong emotions. So Halloween is a way to face some of our fears and work through them and to train our mind to concentrate upon the present moment rather then let our mind carry us away into a state of paralyzing fear. Halloween is presented in a fun way, which can greatly help take the power out of our fears and even laugh at how irrational they are.

When we can take the power out of our fears then they basically disappear back into the ether of our deluded mind, which is where they came from in the first place. Fear is a deep instinct to try and protect us but it can be so powerful that it actually works against us. For example, being crippled in fear by the supernatural, which is debatable that it even exists. However, more importantly Buddha either said nothing on the subject of advised us not to give it much attention because it only feeds delusion and distracts us.

I'm not sure if ghosts in the traditional western sense are real (I currently don't believe in them) but the point is that we should overcome our concern and focus on them and worrying that if they are out there that they can somehow control our minds. It is my firm belief that nothing can control our minds unless we allow it to happen. Other than some aspects to severe mental illness, which make controling one's mind much more difficult even with medication.

PHOTO CREDIT: Buddha image carved into a pumpkin lit up with a candle by Nalini Asha.

The Extraterrestrial Sangha.

The question if often asked, "If rebirth is true then why does the population of the Earth increase?"

In the Pali canon it is said that there has been 28 Buddhas other than Siddhartha Gautama who is the Buddha for this age on Earth. This means that there must be other worlds out there and other beings that benefit from a Buddha (I can't and won't speak for others but this is my belief). These worlds help explain where all the beings that continue to increase the population on Earth come from. Another answer to the population increase is that some animals and insects are being reborn here as human beings. It has been estimated by science that insects outnumber humans by 200 billion!!

The Buddha Gautama once held up a glass of water and said that there were thousands upon thousands of life forms within, which was proven with the invention of the microscope. So if microscopic organisms can exist in a small drop of water then is it so difficult to imagine other worlds populated with other sentient beings? In other words, our world is but one of those tiny organisms in that glass of water (universe). So I was meditating and thinking about this all today and I am reconsidering my belief that the six realms are purely states of being in this world and that bodhisattvas are not real.

I still don't know but I'm not absolutely denying the possibility as I had before. I guess right now I'm agnostic about it all. As of right now though I still find it more beneficial to see the effects of the six realms in the present moment and to live in a way that best avoids those effects. Now, like I said I've come to a place where I'm not denying that they are also places but seeing it that way right now isn't as helpful for me as seeing it the other way. Perhaps that will change though as my practice deepens over the years but it may not either. I guess I'm just saying here that I'm not ruling anything out.

However, I still feel that it is more important to take care of the present moment right here and now than spend hours upon hours trying to understand the metaphysical. Though meditating upon the metaphysical can have its benefits. My concern is upon the present moment and making sure that my actions/thoughts, etc comport with the Eight-Fold Path. I find it more helpful to be skillful and to do my best to follow the Eight-Fold Path out of understanding of how my actions/thoughts, etc. effect others (and myself) than out of fear.

I have found personally that doing something out of fear doesn't stand the test of time. I begin to resent things when I do them out of fear but not so if I understand why an action/thought, etc. is less skillful and harmful to others. Avoiding certain actions out of compassion creates better results for me than from doing it out of fear or doing it because everyone says so. I have discovered that doing something to "fit in" or because everyone says so doesn't work either because I feel like I'm just faking it and going through the motions. When this is my motivation I eventually get tired of playing the game and give up.

~Peace to all beings~

Intolerant Christians.

I recently read another article (see the previous one here) on The Buddhist Channel about predatory practices and bullying by Christians in predominately Buddhist countries.

I don't have the slightest intention to put one religion above another, to praise one and to blame another. I'm here writing about the attitude I'm expecting from somebody claiming to be a religious person, especially if he has much power in voicing his ideas. Then I came across Mr. Lothe's article in the UB POST and I did some small research about what the head of Eagle TV is writing about religions, and how much he cares about truth and mutual understanding – and I felt disturbed to see how he is trying to boast about his religion as being superior. Is this a way to solve the problems humanity is facing?

Mr. Terry is living in a country with a long Buddhist history (Mongolia) and where a majority of the people consider themselves Buddhists. He wrote on March 10, 2008: "Certainly I'm no fan of Buddhism. The teachings of Buddhism cannot hold a candle to the life of Jesus Christ. As I've written previously, Christianity is superior to Buddhism ethically, historically, and factually." Where is the respect?

In a previous article about corruption he wrote: "Mongolian society has primarily been informed by the world views of Atheism and Buddhism; but they don't seem to be able to affect the kind of character in society that makes corruption a source of personal shame. If these world views actually had that ability, then one would expect with such a long history here that corruption's acceptability would not be on the rise. The same is true in other nations primarily informed by these world views." Mr. Terry, December 15 2006 Then he wrote: "…they (Atheism and Buddhism) don't seem to be able to affect the kind of character in society that makes corruption a source of personal shame."

Only one remark: It's true that no religion and philosophical system can prevent people from unethical behavior. Just think about all the Christian priests abusing young boys (this kind of behavior can be found in any religion, unfortunately). And think about all the corrupt and cruel dictators, presidents and prime ministers, claiming to be a follower of their religion – for example Mugabe, being a Catholic.

The attitude of Mr. Terry is getting again very clear when he writes: "If a Mongolian wants to be a Buddhist and openly express his Buddhism, let him." What does this mean if he also wrote: "Christianity is superior to Buddhism ethically, historically, and factually." and "As one former Mongolian Buddhist said to me about why he finally rejected Buddhism in favor of Christ, 'In Buddhism there is no love.' Comparatively speaking, he is correct."

James: To say that there is no love nor ethics in Buddhism is to betray either 1). An extreme ignorance and misunderstanding of Buddhism or 2). A blatant disregard for the truth to disparage a beautiful belief system to manipulate people into following your own twisted version of another belief system. Sure you might get some people to follow Jesus but at what cost? Your zealotry has blinded you to the point of losing your spiritual integrity just to add a few numbers to the ranks for your religion. You are so blinded by your lust to prove everyone else's religion wrong and "save" them that you're willing to go against nearly every major tenet of that very religion you claim is so wonderful. Is it really that worth it?

In the end, who are you really at war with, the Buddhists or your own fears Mr. Terry? Somehow he's threatened by Buddhism and I'm not sure why. Maybe you're threatened that Buddhism doesn't believe in a "God" and that Buddhists seem very happy despite that belief. So maybe that shakes your foundation and forces you to face a profoundly deep fear that maybe there really isn't a "God" and that if such is the case that you wouldn't be able to control your unbridled desires/thoughts? But I'm not a psychologist and I don't really want to rip you away from your beliefs. All I'm asking is to be respectful and let people decide what to believe for themselves. If they want to know more about Christianity then let the come to you, they will if they want to know but please don't tear their families and society apart just to mark another "believer" onto your list. These people aren't numbers, they're people that want and deserve the same kind of respect that you want and deserve yourself Mr. Terry.

When Mr. Terry writes "let him be a Buddhist" it means 'let him be a Buddhist, but let him know that he is not that good as a Christian, and that he's completely mistaken.' This attitude is dividing human beings into higher ones and lower ones, into good ones and wrong ones. I think Jesus would be sad to see what kind of game Mr. Terry is playing – playing the 'competition game' with religion.

James: So what is that makes often makes Christians bullies? I know that every religion has them but there seems to be so many amongst the monotheistic faiths. It seems that the majority of religious strife in the history of the world has been caused by the three main monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Again, Buddhism has had its problems with bullying too but for the purposes of this post I just want to understand why the monotheistic ones are so often the most militant. I have my own views besides the ones I mentioned in the post but I'd like to read your views. Any insights?

~Peace to all beings~

My Father's Stroke Emergency

I'm very shaken right now. I just got off the phone with my mother and it turns out that my father had a mini-stroke last night!! I'm on the verge of tears here as I type this out because my dad and I hadn't had the best relationship when I was growing but now (in the past decade) we've really become close and have become real friends and tight buddies. We see each other twice a week and I'm am so thankful that I have had this time with him.

Apparently he went into the middle bedroom in their house early last night to get something and was hit with a wave of exhaustion, so he decided to lie down and before long an hour had gone by. My mom just figured he needed a cat nap and didn't think anything of it until he woke up. He sat down at the table with my mom and they began discussing things when my mom noticed that he wasn't making any sense in the conversation. He was confused about what my mother was saying and was having trouble forming the right words. He was able, however, to express that he felt foggy in his head and like he was just coming out of anesthesia. Having just talked about risk factors and signs of as stroke my mom knew something was wrong and rushed him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with having had a mini stroke. He's alive and doing well now but still tired and surely concerned. He will see a specialized doctor to discuss the way forward this afternoon. The doctor that saw him in the hospital last night said that they will most likely get him on blood thinners.

I guess the good news here is that while he came close to disaster he is now aware that he is prone to such a problem and can make the changes necessary to increase his chances of avoiding a major stroke in the future. It is a time of fear that can be changed into a moment of personal growth. It is time to be reborn into a new reality that can catapult one into a more meaningful quality of life. Meditation is a great way to release the fear of sickness and death by relaxing the body and mind through concentrating on deep breathing. This kind of meditation is like pulling the plug on a bathtub to drain the water. It helps us drain all the fearful thoughts that are preventing us from finding happiness and peace in the present moment. It helps us keep up with the stress and worries in life. It is like a mini-vacation for the mind and once you relax your mind you relax your body which helps one heal.

It is times like right now when my understanding of impermanence also comes to my aid. I haven't taken my time with my dad lately for granted. I know that he is aging and even though he is in great health he isn't invincible. I love him dearly. This is a powerful reminder to me that nothing in this life is unchanging. It is a lesson in making the most of the present moment. So give your loved ones hugs and enjoy their presence because the present moment is the only moment we have. We have no assurances that there will be a tomorrow.

My Interview with Mala Maker Brian McIntyre. Part II

CLICK HERE FOR THE FIRST PART OF MY INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN MCINTYRE:

6). What are a few (2-3) of your favorite books on spirituality? Play of Consciousness! By Swami Muktananda. This will forever stand as the book that clarified my path and make all previous experiences clear and understandable.I am amassing a library of books in hopes that any one of the books will iPmpact their lives as this book has for me.

7). What is your view of the world today?

FEAR brings ignorance and despair. Living in fear forever roots us in samsara and believing that we are separate from one another will never heal the state of the world.The more people can sit in reflection of themselves and realize that we are all related in light and LOVE than the world will be a space of LOVE and devotion. A world where we all live together and help each other realize our own divinity.

8). Your website mentions that incense is available. What is your favorite incense and why? (You can choose two if you’d like).

“Temple Incense” I call it this because I am not sure what the name is but it comes in bunches and you can buy them in Chinatown’s…with red sticks holding the incense together. It reminds me of my many visits to North East Asian temples.“Prasad Incense”. This is any incense that has been gifted to me by monks off Shrines where people have worhsipped and offered to the gods. After the evening winds down these offerings are taken off the shrines by resident monks and passed out to people.

9). Have you visited any other Buddhist and other religious holy sites? Which ones and what did you think of them?

Too many to name! Haien-sa, Korea. The location that has over 10,000 tablets of wood encompassing the entire Pali Canon! Borobodur, Indonesia. The largest Buddhist complex in the world, it is a representation of Buddha’s life from birth to Nirvana and requires the devotee to walk clockwise around the complex and once a full round is done you walk up to the next level and repeat until you make it to the 9th “floor”.“Vulture’s Peak” near Hangzhou, China where caves are carved out into images of the Buddha. AMAZING!
(Above: Brian at "Vulture's Peak" near Hangzhou, China).

10). What do you think of the spread, growth and adaptation of Buddhism in the West?

In the consumer culture of the West some people become jaded believing that Buddhism has been “marketed” but in the end the image of a divine being is the best for a society. Simply having an image of the Buddha in your home or work space creates a tranquil and peaceful state of mind.

There have been some people who have “jumped on the band wagon” because of Buddhism popularity. But only the true at heart will live through this popularity and show the way, leading by example. Buddhism has created a present culture or mindful citizens and compassionate beings and it is a matter of time before our society as a whole benefits from the actions of these beings.

I always tell people that you have to believe the West is becoming a more conscious and connected culture when someone can make a living being a mala maker.
(Above: Gazebo in a lake. Hangzhou, China).

James: I think you would agree that Brian is a very fascinating, kind, talented and wise person. Thank you Brian for the interview. Once again I would like to recommend Brian's malas. They are the best malas that I have ever used/worn and I have worn many. If you would like to learn more about his malas then just check out his website by clicking on the name, Destination Om: Custom Malas and Prayer Tools.

~Peace to all beings~

PHOTO CREDITS: All photos are the sole property of Brian McIntyre. The image on the top left of the blog is credited to Brian's website: Destination Om: Custom Malas and Prayer Tools.