Musings

The Mindful Life Blog

Mangroves and Myelin

The post discusses the parallels between natural phenomena and human habits, likening intentions to seeds and white matter to trees. It highlights the importance of nurturing intentions with attention for effective habit formation, citing studies that suggest a significant timeframe for habit establishment. Mindfulness is presented as a key factor for successful self-transformation.

Activist Device Security Guide: Defending Against Commercial Spyware

This guide draws on technical research from Citizen Lab, Amnesty International’s Security Lab, and Microsoft Threat Intelligence into four active commercial spyware families: Graphite (Paragon Solutions), Pegasus (NSO Group), Predator (Intellexa/Cytrox), and Reign (QuaDream). Actions are ordered by the best tradeoff between ease of implementation and protective effectiveness. If you, or someone you know, is experiencing domestic violence and digital surveillance may be involved, in addition to the information in this guide, I recommend that

When No Thing Works by Norma Wong

Chapter 2: Lens I am of mixed ancestry. Native Hawaiian—where most of my political work has resided—and Chinese. Specifically, the Hakka—stubborn and sturdy nomads of the place called China, who retained their own language, foods, and ways across vast timeplace, refusing to be fully assimilated in the one Han culture. 3/6/26 7:49 PM Ryūkō is neither Hawaiian nor Hakka. Ryūkō is my priest name, received when ordained in 2000 as a Rinzai Zen priest 3/6/26 7:49 PM

The Peril of AI Surveillance and Autonomous Weapons

Concealed within his fortress, the lord of Mordor sees all. His gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh. You know of what I speak, Gandalf: a great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame. -From Lord of the Rings, on the Eye of Sauron Anthropic’s CEO, Amodei, released a statement opposing the Pentagon’s terms that would enable mass domestic surveillance and the use of autonomous weapons. Amodei recognizes the extreme peril in combining these technologies with current

The Enlightened Perspective Pagoda

Discover a visual roadmap to the heart-mind. In this article, I share a pagoda drawing created on retreat that serves as a mnemonic for the Seven Factors of Awakening and the Satipatthana Sutta. Explore how the Five Precepts, Spiritual Faculties, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness come together to create a dynamic “wisdom lens” for modern practice.

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