I think the word “path” has taken on a new meaning in the last 50 years or so as Taoist and Buddhist thought has spread across the West.  Path has become a kind of meme that defines a certain purpose for sense of focus for individuals seeking something other than what they were raised on or know.  In fact, I think one could accurately state that “path” is about moving in a direction away from what we are or were, as the case may be.

In my case, the word and idea “path” came to mean a focused direction away from what I understood was my life.  At the same time, as I concentrated and focused on the “path”, I soon realized that the “path” was something I had chosen long before I even knew such a thing existed.  Putting it another way, the path that I thought I chose, chose me.

This blog is a collection of ideas that come from my work building and maintaining the path. (Have I said “path” enough?)

This blog, then, will, be a record of my adventures in building a defined roadway for my study, practice, and determination.  I will tell a tale about subjects as diverse as philosophy, photography, cultural studies, travel, family, and Vajrayana Buddhist practice.  Each of these pieces of this complex puzzle, like the flagstone that makes up the paved trail above, will reveal something about what I did, am doing, and where I am going.  If you are reading this blog, wonderful.  It doesn’t really matter if it’s read or not.  What I putting down here online is a testimony, a statement that does not need to be shared.

And yet, you might ask, why am I writing such a document online in the first place? Why not pound away on my computer and keep it private?  Good point.  I’m thinking that I can maintain access to this online presence and leave a record of being here.  In some ways it is about leaving a mark….it doesn’t matter if anyone ever reads it….it’s just a mark.