Brent Oliver is an award-eligible writer, mindfulness coach, and speaker. He’s spent more than 20 years studying and practicing fairly conventional forms of Buddhism. These days, he’s a politely radical proponent of the modern mindfulness movement, advocating for a universal, practical, non-religious path to happiness and self-transformation.
Brent is a coach in Shinzen Young’s Unified Mindfulness system because it’s just such an approach. He works with individuals interested in everything from alleviating stress to pursuing classical enlightenment. He also coaches groups, and offers presentations to companies, schools, and organizations curious about the benefits of mindfulness.
In addition to being a columnist at The Tattooed Buddha, Brent’s writing has also appeared in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and Morpheus. He lives in Lexington, KY with his wife, two cats, and a crippling addiction to horror. Swing by his website brentolivermindfulness.com for more information.
Sacred Little Altars Everywhere: A Playful Space Because I’m not Much of a Devotional Guy
By Brent Oliver This may not come as a surprise, but I don’t care much about altars. I’m not much of a devotional sort of guy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the sentiment and style. In fact, I have my own sort-of shrine at home. It’s nothing...
Scar Tissue is Stronger
By Brent Purple Oliver My past isn't pretty.For most of my life I’ve felt ostracized by the world, aimless and dismal.I’ve struggled with substance abuse, I've seen my mental stability slip, and even flirted with that seductive swinger---suicide. How did...
Three Pillars of Meditation Practice to Help Stay on Track
By Brent Purple Oliver As a mindfulness coach, I emphasize a trio of attributes that strongly supports meditation practice.I call them the Three Pillars: curiosity, skepticism, and humor. In my experience, they’re integral to pursuing this path with...
Back to High School…to Teach Mindfulness to Teenagers
By Brent Purple Oliver The building squats before me, its institutional brick configuration painfully reminiscent of so many others I’ve attended. Or, more accurately, been incarcerated in. Flagpole out front. Bike racks. Oddly opaque...
Making a Gratitude Adjustment
By Brent Purple Oliver When I was kid, Thanksgiving was mostly about tracing hand turkeys at school and then going home and shoveling mashed potatoes into my face. I didn’t like the dry white bird, roasted within an inch of combustion...
Find the Sangha that Fits You {Point/Counterpoint}
By Brent Purple Oliver Group practice is a valuable thing. Whether you’re sitting with a Buddhist community or a secular one, it’s a totally different dynamic than sitting alone. There’s a specific energy and a deeper level of accountability. The group...
Spiritual Belief Labels: What the Hell Am I?
By Brent Purple Oliver I hate to admit it, but I’ve always sort of been into labels. As an odd, outsider kid and then an equally weird adult on society’s fringes, I’ve identified myself under numerous titles. Firstly, because there’s strength in numbers...
Dead Set on Living: Making the Difficult Journey From F##king Up to Waking Up {Book Review}
By Brent R. Oliver Chris Grosso is a man who is full of heart. That heart, in turn, is full of sadness, pain, humor, and hope. He brings all of that to his newest book, Dead Set on Living: Making the Difficult but Beautiful Journey from...
Wrong Livelihood Behind the Stick {The Eightfold Path}
By Brent R. Oliver I love the Eightfold Path. Combined with the Four Truths, it provides a detailed and skillful method for recognizing suffering and walking toward liberation. And, like most lists of healthy suggestions, there are parts...
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris & Jeff Warren with Caryle Adler {Book Review}
By Brent R. Oliver Dan Harris vaulted into my coveted esteem in 2014 with his first book, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works---A True Story....
Unsubscribe: Opt Out of Delusion, Tune in to Truth {Book Review}
By Brent R. Oliver I’m a champion of the modern mindfulness movement. I think the scientific path of rigorous meditation unbound from religious traditions is the key to improving our human condition. It’s easily accessible to a massive audience and doesn’t...
Single White Monk: Tales of Death, Failure, and Bad Sex (Although Not Necessarily in That Order) {Book Review}
By Brent R. Oliver If you’ve read Shozan Jack Haubner’s first book, Zen Confidential, you know he’s an unorthodox figure in modern Buddhism, especially considering he’s a monastic. If you haven’t read it, you’ll just have to trust me on that. And also, you...
You Don’t Need to Commit, Just Sit
By Brent R. Oliver Some of us here at The Tattooed Buddha (TTB) tend toward the hardcore side of practice and study. We’re sort of Buddhist nerds; we read a lot, we pore through sutras, commentaries, and blogs, we have discussions between ourselves that are...
More mindFully Human, Less A**hole (The Reason I’m Retiring the Gonzo Buddhist)
By Brent R. Oliver When I first asked to write for The Tattooed Buddha, I knew what I would offer: entertainment value. I had been contributing to one of the big Buddhist publications and, while I wasn’t particularly well-known or well-loved, I’d carved out a...
Fighting Buddha {Book Review}
By Brent R.Oliver There’s a lot of drippy, misplaced love in Western Buddhism, but not much toughness. I’m delighted to say that Jeff Eisenberg’s first book, Fighting Buddha, is the much-needed dose of tough love I’d hoped it would be. Mr. Eisenberg has...