The Tattooed Buddha strives to be a platform for the spiritual misfits and contemplative rebels. We aim to promote peace and educate through writing, workshops and community. We offer a dialogue that is aware and awake to the reality of our present day, tackling issues of community, environment and compassionate living.
Just an Ordinary Jane Looking for a Little Zen, The Yoga Slut
Latest
Why are We All Watching the Monks and Their Peace Walk?
There are no demands for our attention. They aren't asking for anything. And still, crowds are gathering to watch.
A Mindful Berean
Latest
The Gender Trap
Men are entirely responsible for their own words and actions, and need to stop blaming others for everything, full stop.
The Bodhisattva of Power Suits
Latest
How Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party Helped My Mental Health
The best thing I have done for my mental health in the last month was listen to the new album by Hayley Williams. If you struggle just getting through the day, this album provides a soundtrack for the struggle.
Loving Thoughts From Nowhere
Latest
Zen Retreats, a Party for Introverts
For me, this was a final challenge. I've been pondering how to be more active in sharing what I know.
Living the Dharma: Stories of Everyday Life
Latest
If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit: Marco Rubio and Dharma of Bare Feet
What these shoes reveal on the outside, the truth becomes anxiety on the inside.
The Renegade Buddhist
Latest
Which Seeds Do I Water? Yogacara and Connecting It All
By Johnathon Lee I sat on break, broken by emotional agony, thinking, “I don’t...
Buddha School Dropout
Latest
Trauma, Grieving and the Root of Suffering
Because a lotus will not thrive in clear water, it needs the mud in order to bloom.
One Deep Breath of Dharma
Latest
With So Many Talking, Who Do We Listen To?
Now here is the tough advice from another sutta in the collection. What do we do with this person, since we have determined that they are not a person to be listened to?
- Buddhism
- Right Livelihood
- Addiction & Recovery
- Reviews
Struggle and Ill Will: The Peace That Doesn’t Strive
We know this feeling: The restless push to achieve, to prove, to accumulate, to secure. It can be the quiet promise we make to ourselves: Once I get there, then I will finally rest.
A Lawyer and a Tattooed Buddha Hang Out on a Blog
Lots of people now ask me how I make teaching mindfulness, writing, and practicing law, fit. Perhaps it is because of my copious life experience feeling like I don’t fit in, but I am comfortable with this question. In fact, it is one of my favorites.
In the Forge: Where Buddhism Fails (and Sometimes Works)
In my darker moments, I sometimes wonder if Buddhism in the West has become a plaything for middle class dilettantes, a sizeable number of whom seem to prefer to turn their back on current realities---because they can.
To Be Seen By The Sacred: The Weight and Wisdom in Thai Tattoo Magick
This book challenges the romanticization of exotic tattoos that end up representing experience without responsibility. Zed is explicit about the cosmic scrutiny such talismans invite.
The American Buddhist
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The Thing Within Us That Lives Off Conflict
Like cats, looking for a fight, we have a thing within us that lives off of conflict.
Holly is Not Broken, She is Breaking Through
Latest
Just Breathe, Holly
Nobody ever told me about breathing SLOWLY before.
Cultivating Peace Under Lock and Key
Latest
Wait: A Love Letter to Those in Despair {Book Review}
By Acharya Samaneti I have to admit that I have a soft spot for dhamma teachers that are,...
- Beginner Meditation
- Advanced Meditation
Distortion Mantra: Sitting Fast, Sitting Slow
Being calm enough to push back and set aside time to do nothing is truly subversive in these times, when even hobbies can be turned into consumable content or gamified.
Anger is an Energy
But what if we take away the small self, the ego? When there is no “I” or “me,” then how can “I” be angry? If there is no more inner fortress to protect then anger, if it arises, can dissipate back from where it arose.
Addiction & Recovery
Latest
In the Forge: Where Buddhism Fails (and Sometimes Works)
In my darker moments, I sometimes wonder if Buddhism in the West has become a plaything for middle class dilettantes, a sizeable number of whom seem to prefer to turn their back on current realities---because they can.
- Empower Me
- Yoga
- Meditation 101
The Difference One Word Makes in a Crisis
Lower a guard. Invite someone to stay in the conversation one moment longer. In crisis work, that moment is everything.
Choosing to Run Toward (not Away) from Pain
By Robert Butler When I was 19 years old, I joined a Krishna ashram. Searching eagerly for...
When Meditation Retreats Go Wrong: Suicide, Meditation and What We Can Do (Jaqui’s Story)
Jaqui loved meditating and had been trying to get into a 10 day Goenka meditation retreat for awhile and when her name came up on the list to be able to go, she was very excited.
Podcast
LatestThe TTB Team Reflects on 2025
The TTB Team Reflects on 2025
We discussed what challenged us, what we learned from, what we hope to see in 2026. We talked about grief, recovery, dogs, family, changes, the changing landscape of our nation and our world.
- News & Politics
If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit: Marco Rubio and Dharma of Bare Feet
What these shoes reveal on the outside, the truth becomes anxiety on the inside.
- Family & Parenting
- Relationships
- Interfaith
I am Still Hoping
Hope is a charged word---like love---that can have different meanings for people, and different ways of expressing it.
You’re Not Crazy. You’re Grieving: What Happens When a Relationship Ends in Betrayal and Trauma
Survivors of infidelity, abandonment or narcissistic abuse have long known it: the death of a deeply committed relationship can trigger trauma almost indistinguishable from PTSD. When betrayal, gaslighting, or emotional abuse are involved, grief becomes a labyrinth.
First Love: Raised Christian, Practicing Buddhist and Closing the Gap
Buddhist language is fine if we can really master it. Christian language is not very dissimilar in meaning when we deepen our understanding.
- Wellness
- Health and diet
- Environment
Learning to Hear the Need Beneath the Words
Empathy, the heartbeat of connection, is not performance. It is the quiet act of imagining life from another person’s vantage point without rushing to fix or judge.
Easy Vegan Cream Cheese Made from Nuts
By Marcee Murray King When I became vegan, one of the biggest challenges was having to...
The Reason I Talk to Animals (I’m Not Dr. Doolitle)
By David Jones We have two cats at home, a couple of dogs and a visiting dog who I call the...
- The Faces of Meditation
Snapshots of Meditation: Deb Taylor
I used to roll out of bed and meditate in my room. However, in August of 2020, my boy died in his...
