Hi friends! This is little Vrtti cat. He lives food as much as I love democracy.

In Vietnam, there are myriad little lakes formed from bomb craters—in which lotus flowers grow. That image sticks with me. The Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh taught, no mud, no lotus. Without the mud, the flower cannot grow. What will we grow from the mud we are collectively in?

Happy birthday Thay! Thanks for posting this, we can really use his example right now. Take good care!

They could be brothers! Have a good night my friend.

Happy #caturday friends! Hope that tonight you find a bit of the peace that little Bodhicitta is feeling right now in front of the fire. In case you need it, sending a hug to you! #cats #mindfulness

Indeed. We don’t often get to choose the mud. It’s real muddy right now. As a professor and teacher I’m trying to rise to the occasion!

Here it is on the publisher website—it’s being published by Parallax, the Plum Village press. Take care! www.parallax.org/product/on-m...

You’ll like my new book, bringing mindfulness to democracy inspired by the Plum Village tradition and Thich Nhat Hanh. Will be posting a lot more about it in the coming weeks! Take good care!

Indeed! It’s also to reframe the much as an opportunity as much as a crisis.

In Vietnam, there are myriad little lakes formed from bomb craters—in which lotus flowers grow. That image sticks with me. The Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh taught, no mud, no lotus. Without the mud, the flower cannot grow. What will we grow from the mud we are collectively in?

Happy #caturday friends! This is little Vrtti cat. He says the first rule of being a cat is do not obey in advance. He says this is also a good rule for people when dealing with authoritarians. Unless those authoritarians are cats. He insists you should obey #cats. Wanna be tyrants? Not so much.

When a week feels like years,

Take a mindful breath.
Feel the earth under your feet.
Be where you are.

As you breathe in, say to yourself, I know that I am breathing in.
As you breathe out, say to yourself, I know that I am breathing out.

Repeat as needed. And it will be needed repeatedly.

Well said my friend!

Today is the 80th anniversary of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It’s a great day for contemplation and to remember, in the words of the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, that “there is no way to peace, peace is the way.”

Well said!

When a week feels like years,

Take a mindful breath.
Feel the earth under your feet.
Be where you are.

As you breathe in, say to yourself, I know that I am breathing in.
As you breathe out, say to yourself, I know that I am breathing out.

Repeat as needed. And it will be needed repeatedly.

You too my friend!

Dear friends, I know that many people are having a tough week. Here's a mindfulness survival kit I put together for feeling a little more centered, connected, and grounded when the world is on fire. Always happy to connect! Thank you for all that you are doing.
#mindfulness #democracy #resist

Morning my friend!

Thanks for sharing a link to your books! I’m excited to check them out—going to see if my university library has Spiritual Democracy tomorrow. And I’d love to talk more with you about all of this. Hope that you’re doing well!

I'm publishing a book in Feb 2026, On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World with Parallax Press (started by the beloved Thich Nhat Hanh). I have a new Substack exploring interdependence—would love you to join me!

adeclarationofinterdependence.substack.com

In Vietnam, there are myriad little lakes formed from bomb craters—in which lotus flowers grow. That image sticks with me. The Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh taught, no mud, no lotus. Without the mud, the flower cannot grow. What will we grow from the mud we are collectively in?

Hi George!

Congrats George—you’re the best!