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.”
There is No Refuge: My Zafu’s On Fire
By John Author It's everywhere; there's no denying it. I can turn off all my tech, but the minute I go to work---there it is...politics. Now don't run away yet Precious Reader! This isn't gonna turn out how you think it will, and I swear I'll never bring it up...
I Don’t Feel Like a Buddhist Anymore: The Lying Sage & The Digital Self
By John Author Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another installment of John Author's pretentious, winding, anarchistic inner monologue. Daniel Scharpenburg, my Dharma bro, said in his review of my book that I weave things together that don't initially...
The Biological, Evolutional, Sociological Case for Compassion.
By John Author I've never thought of myself as the most compassionate person, but my views about myself are usually wrong. A few studies have shown that our friends and loved ones usually know us better than we know ourselves. So, according to public...
How the Moon Teaches Us Impermanence {Part 4: Anatta}
By John Author Welcome, friends and lovers, to the final entry in the Anatta Series. This article desperately tries to tie the whole room together. Anatta, emptiness, or dependent arising is the central teaching in Buddhism. It’s outrageously difficult to...
Eat, Sleep, Work, Love…Die? The Race to Find a Place & Purpose
By John Author Life's a jungle. We might think that things have changed in the years between the caves and the office, but they haven't. Our technology evolves but our hearts are the same. So here we are, prisoners of the grind in a life that's utterly...
Is Buddhism Anti-American?
By John Author Is Buddhism anti-American? What is Buddhism anyway? Is it possible to ferret out some kinda genuine Buddhadharma by looking at what remains as it migrates across the world? Answers to these questions and more in the following...
Taoism & Buddhism: 2 Peas in a Pod.
By John Author I've been in a great mood the past few days. Even when everything is shitty, the good mood still vibes beneath it all. I've found myself giggling at the things that pissed me off a week ago. Working among the busy hubbub, the chaos of the retail...
It’s True, Mindfulness Can Suck…But it’s Supposed To.
By John Author I recently read an article detailing a blogger's experience with mindfulness. She learned about it from a friend, and it was fed to her as a "Feel Good" tool (Sheesh, that train was destined to derail right from the get-go). After...
Enlightenment: Do You Want Fries with That?
By John Author A somber figure stands at the crossroads. You can go left, or you can go right (Fuck you). This is a "false dilemma," and it pretty much dominates our entire lives. It permeates everything from grandiose ideals to mundane decisions---paper or...
Renegade Buddhism: The Community of Unified Loners.
By John Author Webster says that a renegade is, "Someone or something that causes trouble and cannot be controlled." Another definition is, "An individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior." So, The Renegade Buddhist is as good a title as any...
Is Social Media Networking a Hindrance to Buddhist Practice?
By Johnathon Pendall Welcome to the nerdiest column I've ever written. "Find statistics interesting? Want to impress your friends? Do you like spending hours calculating standard deviations by hand? Well, fret no more! For $52,000...