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If you're wondering what that image has to do with my new book's title, the answer is nothing, but you'll learn more about it here . About my new book's title, you may know I'm working on a spiritual memoir using my life as an example of how suffering, especially trauma, leads to greater compassion and spiritual development. I have two very similar working titles and hope you’ll take a short survey  to help me choose between them or suggest one of your own. The poll is open t

I’m lifting my nose from the grindstone of working on my next book to announce that A Buddhist Path to Joy: The New Middle Way Expanded Edition  has been released as an audiobook. I recommend the 10 hours of listening as the best way to “read” the book, especially because it’s a bargain. Narrated by me, with voice actor Robin McAlpine  playing the role of AI bots Claude and Grok in two chapters, you can buy it for $6.99 on Apple. On Spotify, you can listen for free if you’re

The New Middle Way in Buddhist thought is a modern take on Buddha's teaching about avoiding extremes. You can have a job, family, and Netflix subscription while still pursuing spiritual development.

The release date for A Buddhist Path to Joy: The New Middle Way Expanded Edition by Mel Pine is Friday, October 17, 2025, so there's still a brief opportunity to buy the eBook for the pre-publication price of $2.99. Here's a sample chapter for free. Although the eBook and paperback are widely available , the audiobook won't go on sale until November. But you can listen to the author's narration and either watch the slideshow or read the text on this blog side . Sit in a qui

With 10 days to the relase date for A Buddhist Path to Joy: The New Middle Way Expanded Edition , IndieReader has awarded it 4+ Stars...

[You can listen to this article on Mel Pine's From the Pure Land podcast via your favorite podcast app or on his Substack page .] The...

I can now offer my soon-to-be-published book, A Buddhist Path to Joy, at no cost in two ways and at low cost in several others. These...

Created by Gemini 2.5 Flash Image from this prompt: Create an image of a male AI bot and a female AI bot sitting at a desk. Each is...

Develop concentration, monks. A concentrated mind understands things as they really are. —The Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya In that...

Chelsea Waves is an early adapter—not to technology and modern trends but in the ancient gifts of compassion and wisdom. The 35-year old...

In Buddhism, "world" often refers not just to the physical universe but to the mental and experiential realms created by the mind through...

You can't judge a book by its cover, but the best ones are heartfelt communications. The designer who worked on this cover for me...

The stupa of Mae Chi Kaew Sianglam (1901-1991) is a unique monument in Thai Buddhism, dedicated to a female Buddhist adept who people...

Have you fed your demons recently? A demon in this usage is anything that stands in the way of your liberation from needless suffering....

I came across a little-noticed new book yesterday, The Quantum Consciousness of A.I. by Joshua Harris. The author is a secular Franciscan...

The Buddha's focus was to eliminate needless suffering. In the Parable of the Poisoned Arrow, he makes that clear. Monk Mālunkyaputta...

Beautifully written and wisely organized, with well-chosen quotations, this new book will become a classic.

The stories of Jesus' life and the Buddha's are similar. Neither can be confirmed with certainty.

Amazon reader reviews are critical for the success of books and authors. When you’re browsing for a new book, you probably check out the...

We are reborn moment by moment. We approach each moment with all the clarity, compassion, and wisdom that we can muster and then go on to the next moment.