Namaste, Sara. I’m glad you asked. We do indeed. I’d like to start by mentioning that the first text to teach many of Hatha yoga’s central principles and practices was the Amṛtasiddhi, composed by Vajrayāna Buddhists. In ancient times, the breath was considered sacred. In the Hebrew tradition, there is Ruach, “the breath of God.” In Chinese thought, it is Chi, “the cosmic breath.” In India, it is Prana, “the vital breath.” Among American Indians, it was “the secret of life,”

Hi Sally—You are correct. Like the word “mindfulness,” there can be many different interpretations. I will share my understanding here and how we teach it in the Order of the Dragonfly. And while I have written extensively on the subject (see https://www.asksenseitony.com/store), I will offer a brief description here. First, let’s define our terms. The English word actually carries more of the meaning of deep reflection or “chewing something over,” which can be very different

Hi George—That’s understandable, because that word can mean different things to different people. I always like to start by defining my terms. This word originates in Sanskrit as “sati,” which means “to remember, recollect, or observe.” And what is it we are remembering? In the Dragonfly Sangha, it means, first and foremost, to remember who we truly are and to take refuge in our True Self. Second, it means to observe and analyze how the Ego Self’s conditioned thoughts cause u

Hi Marie— I love your question; I think many others have it too. When I was growing up, the churches we attended had very limited liturgy, but my later experiences in the Episcopal Church developed in me a love and appreciation for “the smells and bells.” In our Dragonfly Sangha we have drawn from three primary Buddhist roots: Zen, Shin, and Tantra. In these older traditions, liturgy is central. It’s part of what in Sanskrit could be called puja or bhakti. You might say it is

“Tell a little truth with many lies. It’s the only way I’ve found.” — Straight Through the Heart, Ronnie James Dio “There are some truths so big they can only be told with lies.” — Comedian Pete Holmes Teachers in our faith tradition—the ordained priest, short for presbyter (meaning elder in the Sacred Way)—have several roles: pastor, presider, pedagogue, and provocateur. To those in pain they are compassionate counselors and comforters. To those who belong to the sangha they

Hi Miguel - An honest question. After all, knowing whether something is true is always pertinent to deciding how we want to live our lives. So let’s unpack the word “true” first. The word true comes from the Old English triewe or treowe, meaning "faithful”. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic treuwaz, which relates to the idea of reliance, integrity, help, protection, support and is originally from the Proto-Indo-European root deru-, meaning "to be firm or rooted” and it is

Hi Bill- Hanamatsuri is a Japanese word that means “flower festival”. The Buddhist traditions of temperate climes observe this event during the springtime. While we are a Navayana or new movement in Buddhism, we honor our roots by utilizing certain words in (stone sculpture of Queen Maya before giving birth - 200 CE Afghanistan) Japanese terminology. It is known in our liturgical cycle known as the Season of Rebirth. We lift up the miraculous birth of Shakyamu

Dear Sensei Tony- What does the Buddha Shakyamuni mean to you? This is Samuel. Thank you for this question. Wow. It’s a big one! Well, there isn’t really enough room in this exchange to tell you everything he means to me because he literally has been a central figure in my entire life. My devotion to his teachings and legacy are so intertwined with my own, that I really can’t separate them. That being said, let me outline what some scholars have written: ‘The Buddha was consi

Dearest Sensei: Can you please describe the True Self? This is Bob. Hi Bob -What most people mistake as their selves is the outer shell, the Ego Self. It is created out of physical and social conditioning and is experienced as separate from our True Self. And while I’ve written about this in several books ( https://www.asksenseitony.com/store ), I will summarize here in brief: • The True Self lies beneath the ego, and is our true nature and ground of our personal being. It i

Dear Sensei Tony: What do you think of what people call“the law of attraction”? This is Paul. Hi Paul. What an interesting query. My personal understanding is that everything in nature obeys certain laws of action and reaction, that in an interdependent reality, all things are connected. Now, I also believe that consciousness is primary and that it is creative, but I know that this creativity is greatly affected by our own human limitations. Please see The Second Principle

Hi Andrew. That’s a deep question. My immediate answer is no, but this is an important and complex topic. Some scholars have said that the practice of sacrifice reflects some sort of primal blood lust or instinctive death drive, but I believe that evolutionary psychology reveals that the origin of sacrifice is in the feeling of safety with one’s fellows when such an act brought survival of the group. I believe that blood sacrifice, of either animals or human beings, was ori

Dear Sensei Tony: Is it wrong to desire things? This is Mary. Hi Mary. What a splendid question! This is a confusing topic for Buddhists, especially when they hear things like, “Have no desire or expectations.” But this is often the very reason we take up the Dharma! We rightly desire to be free from suffering and expect to experience awakening. Now, some might say that we should only desire the correct things, such as enlightenment. But how do we know whether something we

“ When you were young And your heart was an open book You used to say, ‘Live and let live’ (You know you did, you know you did, you know you did) But if this ever-changing world in which we live in Makes you give in and cry. Say live and let die” ( Paul & Linda McCartney ] As we move into 2026 there are three practices that I encourage throughout the year. The first is to forgive and forget . Forgive yourself for not knowing before what only wisdom and the passing of time cou

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These words are part of the lyrics to a song I wrote and performed with my rock band, Apollos. They are inspired by the words of Christ...

Dear Sensei - I used to be an Episcopalian before formally entering our Buddhist community by taking the Precepts. I was always confused...

Dear Sensei - What does it mean to ‘Feed the Hungry Ghosts? Enjoy All Hallows’ Eve. This is Sara. Happy Halloween, Sara. That phrase is...

Dear Sensei: How can we have a mindful relationship to money? This is David. Hi David- This is a question that I, unfortunately, do not...