Gerald “Strib” Stribling is the author of Buddhism for Dudes: A Jarhead’s Field Guide to Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2015). His past incarnations have included farm hand, steelworker, U.S. Marine, elementary school teacher, and social services professional. Strib volunteered to teach English to children in Sri Lanka as a personal response to 9-11. There he studied with some of the most highly revered monks in Theravada Buddhism. During three of his seven months in the island nation, he actually resided in a Buddhist monastery.
He wrote Buddhism for Dudes as a not-so-subtle, basic examination of the essence of Buddhist philosophy. It’s short and funny and to the point. “Way too much Buddhist information is too complicated to wade through, and some of it is fairyland voodoo, full of metaphysical improbabilities. Buddhism isn’t a religion, it’s a way to live a happy life. This is not hard stuff to understand.”
The Buddha & The Serial Killer.
By Gerald Stribling A story famous in Theravada Buddhism is that of the Buddha’s encounter with a serial killer named Angulimala. It is a simple story, frequently taught to children, with several layers of meaning (also, gristly murder and...
Right Intention is Not Righteousness, It’s About Not Being a Jerk.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling In the movie Sergeant York, Gary Cooper played a reprobate hillbilly before the mule he was riding home was struck by lightening, after a debauch across the border in Kentucky. After that he went to church, cleaned up his act,...
The Buddha Never Promised a Rose Garden (But He Offered a Way Out of Suffering).
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling My heart's deliverance is unassailable. ~ Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha When I was 19 years old and about to ship out for basic training at the infamous Marine Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, I serendipitously ran...
Chanting for World Peace isn’t Enough, We Need to Act.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling You cannot successfully pray for world peace, chant for world peace, or meditate world peace into being. There never was, and there never will be world peace. But that’s no excuse not to work for world peace. You may be...
What Do They Mean By No-Self in Buddhism? (Hint: It’s Not What You Think)
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling The waif, barefoot in her long, flannel nightgown, padded plaintively to where her grandfather sat, in front of the fireplace, reading by the light of a single small lamp. His old black dog was in the room too, but she...
What Does it Mean to Be Buddhist?
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling A Buddhist would be someone who calls himself a Buddhist, studies Buddhist wisdom and follows the Noble Eightfold Path. All Buddhists believe the same stuff. There are many variations on the basic themes (three major divisions...
This is a Love Story Between a Buddhist & a Christian.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling I’m a Buddhist who’s been married to a Christian woman since 1972. We’ve been asked many times how our relationship weathers the inevitable conflict implied in such a union, but we shrug and tell them that in 44 years we’ve...
Buddhism, Inc.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling I grew up in a rigidly hierarchical socialist society, where I was happy, where there was no want---save for the scarce commodity of money. If I was sick, I went to the hospital. If I needed a pair of shoes, I went to the field house...
It Takes Balls to be Buddhist. {Part 3}
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling *This is part 3 of a 4 part series. See Part 1 and Part 2. The historical Buddha seems to be a bland dude---very even-tempered when compared to, say, the lively, run-for-your-life story of Jesus. And just as Jesus had his bad-ass...
Why American Buddhists Just Don’t Get It. {Part 2}
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling I’ve written before about what I call The Three Approaches to Religion. I do not remember who I stole it from, but I believe it breaks things down nicely. The Three Approaches to spiritual fulfillment are these: scholarship,...
It’s Not Your Fault Americans, But Buddhism is F ‘ed Up Here.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling American Buddhism, for the most part, is FUBAR, that is: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. It’s not your fault, American Buddhists. It’s just, well, you haven’t had the advantages I had. I don’t know that I’ve actually ever...
Sure You Should Love Yourself, but Just Don’t Get Too Cozy.
By Gerald Stribling The real importance of loving yourself is to empower yourself, so you can live with love and compassion for others. If you've been following my column, you know that I believe strongly in loving yourself---after all, the Metta...
Yes I’m Buddhist, but Do I Believe in Reincarnation?
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling There are a number of reasons I should believe in karma and Buddhist rebirth. Perhaps it was “karma” that sucked me into the Vipassana vortex of Sri Lanka in the summer of 2002 when my initial destination was Pakistan. And the...
Meditate Yourself Thicker Skin Because Only You Can Choose How to Behave & Feel.
By Gerald Stribling If you try to live up to the expectations of others, you will fail. This is not an excuse to wear jeans every day to work. And there is nothing wrong about exceeding certain expectations, at work and at school. It’s also not an excuse...
Cut Yourself Some Slack Because Compassion Starts with You.
By Gerald "Strib" Stribling In the Metta Sutta, Buddhism talks about “loving kindness,” but the term is too much flowers-and-home-baked-cookies for my tastes. Someone else (I think it was Sylvia Boorstein) suggested instead using the phrase “unbounded...