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This Buddhist Life
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    An interview with Jason Lewis Paid Member

    Profession: World ExplorerAge: 45Location: Boulder, CO More »
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    An interview with Ananda Badet Paid Member

    Profession: Oncology nurseAge: 37Location: Denver, COWhich came first, becoming a Buddhist or becoming a nurse? I became a Buddhist first. I was 20 when I really knew that I was a Buddhist, and I didn’t become a nurse until I was 30. Being a nurse has been a great career for supporting my life as a Buddhist and giving me time to practice and opportunities to learn about the dharma in my work.  More »
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    An interview with Mike Giant Paid Member

    Profession: ArtistAge: 40Location: San Francisco, CAHow would you explain your artwork—what you do for a living and your street art background—to a bunch of Buddhists? Well, I’m a product of my generation. I grew up through the 80s and was drawn to the punk rock and hip-hop cultures simultaneously. And I threw myself in headfirst. A lot of those things were about personal expression, and also an anti-establishment attitude like, “We don’t need you, we have our own thing.” That’s the backbone of who I am to this day. More »
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    An interview with June Tanoue Paid Member

    Profession: Zen priest and hula instructor Age: 61 Location: Chicago More »
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    An interview with Vanessa Veselka Paid Member

    Profession: NovelistAge: 42Location: Portland, OregonHow did you get into Buddhism? I first heard of the Four Noble Truths in my early 20s from a boyfriend who used them to rationalize suffering. I thought it was a lousy philosophy aimed at keeping an economic caste system in place—Here, peon! Your misery is a natural state. Get used to it! Around that time, though, I got a copy of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind and tried to meditate. I hated the feeling of watching the drama slip away. After a few days, worried that I might be struck by enlightenment—obviously not a real danger for me—I stopped. I avoided Buddhism for years. More »
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    An Interview with Suresh Jindal Paid Member

    Profession: Film producer, former VP of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ AssociationAge: 68Location: New Delhi, IndiaWhat was your childhood like? Did you identify as a Hindu? My father was a devout Jain practitioner, and my mother was Hindu, but she was basically agnostic; she didn’t practice anything at all. I was brought up in an independent India where there was a complete emphasis on secularism, especially at the elite schools I went to here in Delhi. Emphasis was more on science and technology and such. We were discouraged from being religious—like in the West, actually. So there were no rituals in the house, no chants, no brahmins coming in; we had no spiritual practices except for maybe some small puja on festival occasions like Diwali. More »