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.”
What is a Zen Garden & Should I Have One?
By John Lee Pendall We've all seen the pictures: seas of sand or gravel flowing in intricate designs around rocks of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes there will be a few plants, a pond, or moss thrown in for good measure. Occasionally,...
What is the Core Belief in Buddhism?
By John Lee Pendall What is the core belief in Buddhism? I saw this question asked in a Buddhist Facebook group. Here are some of the replies: The Four Noble Truths, anatta, emptiness, non-attachment, nonduality, the Three Jewels, that's a loaded question,...
Right Speech: It’s Not about Being Perfect, but Owning Up to It {The Eightfold Path}
By John Lee Pendall So, here's my first contribution during Right Speech week for the Living the 8 challenge. I won't be posting a journal article each day because most days just aren't that eventful in my life. However, feel free to...
What is Right Intention, Anyway? {The Eightfold Path}
By John Lee Pendall "I wish someone would kick him in shin," is an example of not Right/Skillful/Wise Intention/Thought/Resolve. I think it's funny how we've never gotten together and settled on definitive translations for this stuff....
On Right View {The Eightfold Path}
By John Lee Pendall I lost my glasses once. After looking for them all over the house, I realized they were on my face. This is Right View from a Mahayana perspective. Well, from one Mahayana perspective. It's an allusion to...
What Does Enlightenment Feel Like?
By John Pendall Enlightenment is not a logical affair, it's a visceral, emotional one. This is the point that many misled (but well-read) Westerners fail to see clearly. Logic and emotion aren't mutually exclusive, but just like how Moscow and...
Is American Buddhism Cultural Misappropriation?
By John Pendall A few years ago, I visited a good friend and saw a little Hotei (the chubby laughing Buddha) figurine on his table. "Well that's fun," I remarked, pointing at the statue, forever captured in a state of pure, almost...
Buddhist and Bipolar
By John Lee Pendall Don't let me fool ya; I'm always just one breath away from a total nervous breakdown. The present moment is my sole refuge from utter chaos. If my attention deviates even a hair's breadth from the here and now, then I...
Dharmaflakes: The Dharma is Right in Front of You
By John Lee Pendall Snowflakes. I was standing outside on lunch, and then down they came, fading into view out of the featureless void above. “Just like this,” I whispered to the night, “everything.” Concentrating on the space between flakes,...
Santa Claus and the Cycle of Suffering
By John Lee Pendall I have some huge issues with ol' Kris Kringle. I loved the legend when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I see it for what it really is: conditioning. On a side note, you may have noticed that I bring up conditioning a lot. One of these...
Hello, I am Buddhist…and Asexual
By John Pendall I'm a fat guy. That's part of my self-concept, but I was only able to create that by seeing someone skinnier than I am. If I'd only ever met people larger than me, I'd be a skinny guy---that would be my self-concept. We also learn who we are...
Why Can’t I Meditate?
By John Pendall Meditation is a safe space to get all the crazy out in the open. A lot of people are surprised by how un-meditative meditation can be. We're used to seeing all these images of smiling Buddhas and tranquil Yogis; it's easy to get discouraged....
Dependent Arising: The Dance of Wind and Feather
By John Pendall Over a decade ago, a close friend and I were walking down a back road that we call, "Butterfly Lane." Its legal name is a nonsensical string of apparently random numbers. Walking home beneath a warm summer sky, a peacock feather seemed to...
The Buddha’s Dream of Liberation {Book Review}
By John Pendall James William Coleman has done something that I once dreamed of doing, which is great because it means less work for me. The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature is part sight-seeing guide for Buddhist time...
I Practice DIY Buddhism Because this is What Fits
My high school mascot's name was Bob. He was an ear of corn wearing overalls. You can't make this stuff up. In a place where country music and rap happily shared the same studio apartment, the popular kids burned CD's, drove trucks with spinning rims, and their huge...