Andrew Schelling
Andrew Schelling is a poet, essayist, and translator of the poetry of India. He has taught at Naropa University for twenty years and from 1993–96 served as chair of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics founded by Alan Ginsburg and Anne Waldman. His publications include Tea Shack Interior and The Wisdom Anthology of North American Buddhist Poetry. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Books, Courses & Podcasts
The Clouds Should Know Me by Now
This unique collection presents the verse, much of it translated for the first time, of fourteen eminent Chinese Buddhist poet monks. Featuring the original Chinese as well as english translations and historical introductions by Burton Watson, J.P. Seaton, Paul Hansen, James Sanford, and the editors, this book provides an appreciation and understanding of this elegant and traditional expression of spirituality.
“So take a walk with…these cranky, melancholy, lonely, mischievous poet-ancestors. Their songs are stout as a pilgrim’s stave or a pair of good shoes, and were meant to be taken on the great journey.”—Andrew Schelling, from his Introduction
The Wisdom Anthology of North American Buddhist Poetry
Playful, thoughtful, and important, the 28 poets found in The Wisdom Anthology of North American Buddhist Poetry offer innovations on traditional and time-honored Buddhist poetic forms.
This unique collection brings us African Americans reading the Black diaspora through the eyes of exiled Tibetan monks; Americans of Vietnamese and Tibetan heritage wrestling with the cultural norms of their parents or ancestors; Zen and Dada inspired performance pieces; and groundbreaking writings from the pioneers of the Beat movement, so many of whom remain not just relevant but vital to this day.
With its eclectic mix of acknowledged elders and newly emergent voices, this landmark anthology vividly displays how Buddhism is influencing the character of contemporary poetry.
Includes biographical notes and historical introduction by the editor, enhancing its value for workshop and classroom use.
Includes works by:
- Diane di Prima
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti
- Norman Fischer
- Sam Hamill
- Jane Hirshfield
- Mike O’Connor
- Gary Snyder
- Eliot Weinberger
- Philip Whalen
- Michael McClure
- Leslie Scalapino
- and more…
Related Content
Shaila Catherine: Beyond Distraction (#158)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features Shaila Catherine, who has been practicing meditation since 1980, with more than eight years of accumulated silent retreat experience. She has taught insight meditation since 1996 in the U.S. and internationally, dedicating several years to studying with masters in India, Nepal, and Thailand. She is the founder of Bodhi Courses—an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay—a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley. Shaila has completed a one-year intensive meditation retreat and trained in jhana, metta, samadhi, and vipassana practices. Shaila is also the author of Beyond Distraction, Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, and Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhāna and Vipassanā.
Beyond Distraction is also available as an upcoming Wisdom Academy online course!
In this episode, host Daniel Aitken and Shaila discuss
- what distraction and intention mean for meditators at every level of experience;
- ‘wholesomeness’ and mental states rooted in greed, hate, and delusion;
- mindfulness, the construction of identity, and recognizing conditioning;
- realistic strategies for overcoming restlessness and distraction as presented in her new book Beyond Distraction;
- her experience with deep meditative states and practical wisdom we can apply now;
- shifting habitual patterns and thoughts by identifying and examining them gently;
- wisely approaching concentration and the joyful cultivation of insight;
- and much more!
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!
Alejandro Chaoul on Body Buddhism (#135)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features an interview with Dr. Alejandro Chaoul, who has studied Tibetan yoga for thirty years with the tradition’s greatest masters, including Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Dr. Chaoul and host Daniel Aitken explore
- Tsa Lung Trul Khor (“channel/wind obstacle-clearing techniques”) yoga practice and its place in Dzogchen meditation;
- the practice of “Body Buddhism,” integrating the body with the mind and breath;
- the benefits of purification practices like Tsa Lung Trul Khor and the subtle body;
- practices to help restore “dimmed awareness” to clarity;
- quick techniques that can be applied immediately in practice and daily life for balancing;
- his book with Wisdom, Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath, and Mind;
- and more.
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!
A Peaceful Piggy’s Guide to Sickness and Death, Sadness and Love
When someone we love gets sick, we little piggies worry! It can feel scary when a person we care about is sick or in a hospital. Luckily, there is one good thing we peaceful piggies can do: meditate.
This is a story about love.
Experiencing a loved one’s illness or death is challenging for both children and their grownups. With three distinct sections to choose from—when someone we love is sick, dying, or has died—this guide will help you easily find soothing and practical mindfulness activities focused on what your young one needs in order to guide them through their big emotions and questions. These practices will help calm and empower children—and their grownups—as they discover they can still be with their loved ones through their heart connection, no matter where they are.
Click here for an animated video based on the story.
Pamela Weiss: Real Health, Real Freedom, and Fierce Feminine Buddhism (#131)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features an interview with Pamela Weiss. Pamela is the author of A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism, a teacher in the Insight tradition, and has received Dharma transmission from Teah Strozer at the Brooklyn Zen Center.
Pamela and host Daniel Aitken discuss
- how she found Buddhism through illness, and the vital role of self-compassion on her path;
- key ideas in Zen, such as the practice of “just sitting,” and Pamela’s own journey and insights with these practices;
- her fascinating journey between the world of the monastery and the lay world;
- her recent book;
- and much more.
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!
Koshin Paley Ellison: Making All of Life a Place of Practice (#125)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features a conversation with Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison. Koshin is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and certified chaplaincy educator. Koshin and host Daniel Aitken discuss the Commit-to-Sit: 90-Day Commitment to Practice he ran earlier this year; his most recent book, Wholehearted; his wisdom for making all of life a place of practice, from the bedsides of the dying, to intimate relationships, and to the heart of New York City and beyond.
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Dharma for Difficult Times (#124)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features a conversation with beloved teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.
Rinpoche and host Daniel Aitken discuss
- practice during lockdown (this episode was recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic),
- working with anxiety and stress,
- how to choose which teachings to follow,
- how to understand the nature of your mind,
- how Rinpoche structures his teachings for his students,
- and much more.
Rinpoche is the author of several bestselling books and oversees the Tergar Meditation Community, an international network of Buddhist meditation centers. He is the son of the renowned meditation master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and was formally enthroned as the seventh incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche by Tai Situ Rinpoche when he was twelve years old. When he was twenty years old, Rinpoche was appointed as the functioning abbot of Sherab Ling Monastery. In addition to his extensive background in meditation and Buddhist philosophy, Mingyur Rinpoche has held a lifelong interest in psychology, physics, and neurology. He teaches regularly throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!
Chris Ives: Meditations on the Trail (#115)
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features a conversation with writer, professor, and Wisdom author Chris Ives. Chris has published two books with Wisdom: Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage and Meditations on the Trail: A Guidebook for Self-Discovery, which came out on May 11, 2021. In this conversation, Chris and host Daniel Aitken explore the idea at the heart of these two books: that the hiking trail and the spiritual path can often be one and the same. When we bring a certain presence to our time in nature—whether it’s a city park or the Appalachian trail—that time can become a profound and spiritual experience. And our time in the outdoors can also lead to insights and wisdom that we can then take with us to the cushion, or wherever our spiritual practice takes place. Topics discussed include
- how to turn preparing for a hike into a mindfulness practice;
- shared values between spiritual practice and hiking, such as simplicity;
- how to prepare a mindful and respectful mind-state for entering the hiking experience;
- how to be more fully present while hiking;
- the difference between various terms that can be helpful for practicing mindful hiking, such as mindfulness, immersing yourself, and presencing;
- and much more.
Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great way to support us and it helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!