“Monks, a friend endowed with seven qualities is worth associating with. Which seven? He gives what is hard to give. He does what is hard to do. He endures what is hard to endure. He reveals his secrets to you. He keeps your secrets. When misfortunes strike, he doesn’t abandon…

“We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds — our own prejudices, fears and ignorance. Even if we transport all the bombs…

“Yet, at the same time, as the Eastern sages also knew, man is a worm and food for worms. This is the paradox: he is out of nature and hopelessly in it; he is dual, up in the stars and yet housed in a heart-pumping, breath-gasping body that once belonged…

On George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (1903 — 1950), better known as George Orwell, was an English writer. Although he was an accomplished essayist, he gained his fame through later works such as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. He was born in India but grew up in England. When he…

REVIEW: On Liberty (John Stuart Mill) John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was an English philosopher. He wrote On Liberty in 1859. Reflections: Individual liberty must be protected against all forms of tyranny. Tyranny can arise from the state, a powerful minority, or the prevailing opinions of the masses. Mature people should…

Chan is beyond symbols. It is a practice that directly points to our minds. We don’t need to avoid or get caught up in our stories. When our thoughts and feelings and perceptions arise, we can let them come and then let them go. …

In a factory, a girl’s bones stick out through her brown flesh like shards of glass, as she hunches over, as she gazes down, seven days a week, for cents an hour, sewing brand merchandise that will eventually fill up luxury condominiums and office buildings Overseas, in a town owned by outside corporations, two workers nap…

I’m a book reviewing machine. I’ve been programmed to write about “Breakfast of Champions” by The Creator of the Universe. Here’s another possibility: I am a character in a Kurt Vonnegut novel. …