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
Finding Your Lion’s Roar in Political Times
The Lion's Roar spans cultures and continents, and shows up even in today's culture with modern Buddhism.
A Mindful Berean
Latest
The Sudden Silence
I stood still for a moment or two, listening, barely breathing. Finally I went to my office and sat down, my mind peaceful. I ran an internal diagnostic. What just happened?
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
Bankei Zen: Being and the Belly
In general, the first part of hara breathing is to completely relax the body, especially the abdominal area, and to discontinue the use of these muscles to initiate exhalation.
Living the Dharma: Stories of Everyday Life
Latest
The Car Won’t Start! What to Do When Nothing Goes to Plan
When the ignition won’t catch, our first impulse is usually the same as the horror hero’s—we turn the key harder. We chant louder, pray longer, meditate forever, hoping that one more try will get us running again.
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
Building Better Houses of Truth: Rethinking Religion in a Pluralistic World
The metaphor of a house helps clarify what we seek in a truth-claiming system.
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
Latest
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
Meditating, Noise and Birthday Girls
I realised that all the ruckus had become “noise.” Shouting Spaniards, the TV next door, the souped-up car---it was all just “noise.”
The Sudden Silence
I stood still for a moment or two, listening, barely breathing. Finally I went to my office and sat down, my mind peaceful. I ran an internal diagnostic. What just happened?
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
What to Do When Some You Love May Be Suicidal {Trigger Warning}
I am not her therapist. I am not her partner. I am a friend—and a crisis counselor—and someone she trusted enough to open the door a crack in her darkest moment.
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
LatestKellie Schorr Talks Writing, Publishing and Her Latest Book: A Space Between Breaths
She is a Buddhist yogi in the Tibetan tradition and worked as a prevention specialist in the field of HIV and AIDS. She said she has always been a writer. She talks about her journey as a professional writer and how it can take many, many submissions to get published. We also talk about how she found The Tattooed Buddha and began writing for us here.
- News & Politics
Choosing Courage: Nonviolence in a World Built on Violence
Perfect nonviolence does not flinch, does not yield to hatred, does not inflict suffering even when it is possible. Courage is measured not by the harm we can cause, but by the suffering we refuse to inflict. In a world that rewards aggression, this is revolutionary.
- 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.
Enough with the Preaching
Listening to preaching is like trying to achieve change by wearing a cloak of words.
- Wellness
- Health and diet
- Environment
A Journey Through Ancient Buddhist Wisdom in Counseling
In Buddhism, dharani refers to sacred utterances—words of power that carry transformative energy. The same holds true in counseling, where language itself can become an act of healing.
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...
