by aneeta mitha feeling affirmed in my creativity, in my expression and in my being is an unfamiliar feeling to me; it is an act that i'm learning to do for myself and one that i'm learning to receive from others. as a desi queer womyn of radical descent, i hardly see myself reflected in the u.s. media—we are invisibilized and subjugated to the margins of exotic, token, or impossible. turning wheel media co ...

by Nathan G. Thompson I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. My grade school assignments frequently included little titles, poems, or stories, regardless of the original content. Some of the teachers thought these additions were cute, while others were annoyed by them. Later, in high school, I began taking creative writing classes. The near consistent praise for my writing skills started rolling ...

By Derek Rasmussen This year, the Idle No More movement focused on Earth Day to bring attention on the links between Indigenous issues and the environmental movement. Events leading up to Earth Day included an impressive ‘Nation2Nation’ dialogue between Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg leaders like Ellen Gabriel and Leanne Simpson and Canadian activist Naomi Klein in Toronto [videos linked here and here]. Rus ...

by Fredrick Douglas Kakinami Cloyd You should study the green mountains, using numerous worlds as your standard. You should clearly examine the green mountains' walking and your own walking. —Zen Master Dōgen, Mountains and Waters Sutra (Sansuikyō) As we practice embodying the time of Kaliyuga, Mo-Fa, Mappō, how are we to take up this great practice and the self/no-self? And in investigating such common Bud ...

By Josh Korda and Joshua Stephens Taken as set of interventions conducted on the self against conditioned, habitual ways of being, the correspondences between the Buddha's teaching, and practices accounted for in the literature of decolonization – both as a political project and a psychological process (particularly for those of us who are of the colonizer) – are manifold. Engaged dhamma practice is not – i ...

By Jeff Gee A. Top Ten Forms of Illegal Theft Grand Theft Auto Home and Office Burglary Cheating on Taxes Shoplifting from Department Stores Embezzlement Pickpocketing Pirating DVDs Swiping Office Supplies Calling In Sick When You’re Really Not Stealing the Little Kid’s Lunch Money These are crimes we commit against each other. They hurt the perpetrator as well as the victim. B. Top Ten Forms of Legal Larce ...

Cease to do evil, then learn to do good By Derek Rasmussen (thanks to Dru Oja Jay for editing help) Indigenous people are at the front lines of some of the largest environmental battles of the current era, from tar sands in Alberta to rainforests in the Amazon. Naturally, some non-Indigenous people want to help out. The well-intentioned and progressive point of view seems often to be, "we need to understand ...

A monk asked Yun Men, “What are the teachings of a whole lifetime?” Yun Men said, “An appropriate response.” The Compassionate Earth Walk traces the Keystone XL route through the Great Plains. The ancient practice of pilgrimage responds to present and future environmental catastrophe, focusing on its causes in our own culture. We walk as a blessing to the earth and to those we meet, and as a prayer for all ...

For the many years Sue Moon served as editor of Turning Wheel, the magazine was known for being interested in personal story as an entry point to understanding the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows of the world we live in. Telling our stories to each other is healing; we feel not so alone in our suffering. In telling our stories, we begin to recognize that our lives are not entirely of our own making (yet anot ...

"Old log in the river (see face?)" By pjsixft ("PJ") We had intended to share this poem last month, during The Lies That Build Empire, but due to a mixup on our part, it slipped through the cracks. In a way, I'm glad for the new timing. Following last night's episode in Brooklyn, when New York City police shot and killed a sixteen-year-old black boy (spurring the neighborhood to protest), Lawrence's poem is ...