John Lee Pendall is a featured columnist, editor, podcast host, and co-owner of the Tattooed Buddha. He’s also a poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist (He’s recorded five albums so far), an amateur photographer/graphic designer and pen & ink artist, and he has a B.S. in psychology. He currently lives between two cornfields in rural Illinois. His errant knowledge base covers astronomy, theology, philosophy, music theory, and quoting lines from movies.
John Lee practices Chan Buddhism as a Novice Chan Priest. He’s also a lay Buddhologist (Buddhist scholar), and frequently translates and writes commentaries on Buddhist texts.
Feel free to check out John’s Facebook page and his blog, “Salty Dharma.”
Thoughts about Turning 32: I am a Work in Progress
By John Lee Pendall I'll be 32 years old soon. 32. As I sit here, I can't help but wonder, "What the hell happened?" One of my co-workers is 19. He talks fast, belching out whatever thought comes to mind. He takes pride in his hardships....
What’s the Difference Between Theravada and Mahayana?
By John Lee Pendall Early Buddhism (I'm just going to say Theravada) and later Buddhism (Mahayana) have more in common than you might think. But, before we go into that, let's dispel a few myths: Theravada (and other schools that use the...
Being Authentic & The Things We Don’t Say
By John Lee Pendall Being honest isn’t the same thing as telling the truth. I don’t think so, anyway. To me, being honest means being authentic. We live genuinely, and when we say something, we mean it. I think honesty means expressing the truth of the moment....
Do Drugs Belong in Buddhism?
By John Lee Pendall Drugs and Buddhism, it's the flavor of the week. A recent article in Lion's Roar details how several American Buddhist teachers aren't only endorsing psychedelics, but incorporating them into retreats. This has some Buddhist...
Short on Time and Money? Have Your Retreat at Home.
By John Lee Pendall Retreats have been a part of Buddhism since the beginning. Monks didn't spend a lot of time in seated meditation. They would wander alone from place to place doing walking meditation, eating meditation, talking,...
What Happens When we Have A Mind Without the Stories
By John Lee Pendall There's life, and then there are the stories we tell ourselves about our lives. I'm standing outback, the weight of weeks still clogging my mind. Then I pause and stare at the sunlight cascading across the field,...
What are the Different Styles of Buddhism?
By John Lee Pendall There are so many different styles of Buddhism that can be practiced. What type of Buddhism is right for you? I've been practicing Buddhism for five years now, which isn't really all that long. For the most part, I...
Growing Stronger by Doing Nothing: Enduring Silence & Solitude
By John Lee Pendall "Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative... The untutored mind does not like to be alone with itself (Wilson, et al., 2014)." There's something about...
Dropping Buddhism…and Coming Back
By John Lee Pendall "Somewhere, somehow, somebody Must've kick you around, some. Tell me why you wanna lay there And revel in your abandon? It don't make no difference to me, Everybody's got to fight to be free." - Tom Petty & the...
Sure, Sometimes I Contemplate Suicide {Trigger Warning}
By John Lee Pendall "I wish there was a treaty we could sign I do not care who takes this bloody hill I'm angry and I'm tired all the time I wish there was a treaty Between your love and mine" -Leonard Cohen This is gonna be a rough...
Post Buddhism: Where Do I Go From Here?
By John Lee Pendall Out of every view I've ever heard---from Adam and Eve to the earth is flat---the hardest one for me to swallow was, "Everything's okay." My gut response is to shoot back, "Everything is definitely not okay." But then,...
There is Always Something: On Mindfulness & Suffering
By John Lee Pendall Suffering---you've gotta feel your suffering. Not with the intention to do something with it, to see past it, or move through it. You just have to feel it to feel it. Everything else---all the whys---are...
Right Concentration: Becoming the Path {The Eightfold Path}
By John Lee Pendall All beings are Buddhas. My thoughts, and the sense of mine-ness, both trail across awareness like feathers drifting a few inches above a trackless beach. All minds are Jah. Footsteps, clips of strangers'...
The Tattooed Team Spotlight: John Lee Pendall, Editor, Podcast Team & Sound Editor
Where do you live? La Salle County, Illinois. Besides writing, what do you do for a living? Janitor at a giant superstore which shall remain nameless. Do you have a blog? I do: https://johnsmind.space/ What places/publications have you...
Don’t Take It Personally
By John Lee Pendall I frequently stumble on a really stupid fear about practice: Will this make me into a soft-bellied, boring, emotionless monk? I like to start in on my views and fears by, first off, seeing if the assumptions they're built...