Author Archives: jespada

A Sketch of Frank Espada’s Life

63. On 29th St._photo by Jason Espada
On 29th St., in San Francisco.  Photo by Jason Espada

The following was written in 2014, in preparation for visits from curators, who were coming to view the entire range of my father’s work, within the space of a few short days.  I took this as an opportunity to touch upon the most significant events in his life, and to celebrate the man I had come to know more fully through organizing his archive.

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The Puerto Rican Diaspora

Documenting the Puerto Rican Experience in the 20th and 21st centuries

Imagine if you will conceiving of a project that would document the Puerto Rican experience across the United States… Imagine further that this project would be undertaken by someone who is widely respected as an advocate for these people, and that this person, in addition, is a first-rate photographer… Continue reading

From Eugene Smith to Frank Espada

{Photo credits: Eugene Smith, by Don Getsug; Frank Espada, Big Sur, 1984, by Jason Espada}

As soon as I heard the photographer W. Eugene Smith’s voice, in a documentary produced for Japanese television, I recognized him immediately as a spiritual ancestor. It was not just what he said that was so moving, and familiar to me, but his fierce love and commitment to the people he photographed.

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Once upon a time, a letter…

I will date myself now by telling you that once I used to write letters, and receive them. These were always special occasions, and something to be cherished. Since the advent of the computer though, hardly anyone writes letters by hand anymore, and so of course, almost no one receives them. Now that this is so, I’m thinking, people really don’t know what they’re missing.

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Where Two Worlds Meet

Terma, The Word Made Flesh, and Divine Manifestation

I had an unusual occurrence last night, that followed my thinking about the magical side of Dharma, and writing about terma, or the tradition they speak of in Tibetan Buddhism of teachings coming into this world as a precise result of the needs of the time.

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The Heart and Mind of a Person on a Spiritual Path

From Mundane View to Pure Perception

As soon as we begin to practice a spiritual path, we become aware that we are seeing things differently than the average person. To the ordinary mind, there is not much to celebrate here, and certainly not anything worthy of reverence; the common view is jaded, corrupt, and impoverished, and it offers very little to depend on in difficult times.

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A Through-line for Zen Study and Practice

One way of thinking of the Buddha is that he was a reformer of Indian spirituality. He saw the limitations of how people of his time were practicing, and he introduced new language and insights to guide them to freedom. His gifts continue to be received, and new ways of talking about practicing his teachings have evolved, and they will continue to do so…

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Why so many words?

A story goes that once there was a Zen master and his apprentice. It was their custom every morning, after meditation and before breakfast, to go for a long walk through the woods, along mountain trails, and back through fields on the way back to their simple monastery…

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Third Ear Music

We usually listen to music in an active way, reaching out, linear. Certain types of music, however, require a different kind of listening for their appreciation. On Saturday night I went to see Ustad Habib Khan, playing the sitar, and Swapan Chaudhuri on the tablas, at the Vedic Cultural Center in Berkeley, in a performance of ragas, traditional music of India…

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Hearing Beethoven

When we talk about the major figures in Western Classical music, Mozart is seen as representing the unique genius of Classicism. His music is the easiest to approach.  J.S. Bach is on another level, such that it is almost difficult to think of him only as a composer. His art is filled with mystery, passion, profundity, and exaltation. He is thought of as the apex of the Baroque.

The influence of Beethoven, in comparison to other composers, in my thinking, eclipses the boundaries of music. When his music is known in context, we can begin to understand just how much it changed, not only music, but all of Western consciousness and Western Culture…

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The Supreme Siddhi of Mahamudra

The Supreme Siddhi of Mahamudra Retreat, by Ani Tenzin Palmo, Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, California, June 8th through 10th, 2018.

Commentary on Advice for Mountain Retreat, by the Eighth Kamtrul Rinpoche

Complete audio recordings:

Friday evening, June 8th, 2018

Saturday, June 9th, 2018, morning session – I

Transcript of an excerpt, A Healthy Sense of Self

Saturday, June 9th, 2018, morning session – II

Saturday, June 9th, 2018, evening session – audio

On the meditation section of the text:

Transcript

Saturday, June 9th, 2018, evening session, questions and answers

Sunday, June 10th, 2018, closing session

 

 

Esoteric Buddhism

Friends, a couple of months ago I came across a wonderful podcast called ‘This Esoteric Life’. In it, Christopher ‘Free’ covers a broad range of subjects from The Western Esoteric Tradition, and he does so in an inspired way. So I sent him a message and suggested we do a program on Buddhism and A Belief in the Miraculous as a starting point, and here it is. The program we did together is titled, ‘Esoteric Buddhism‘.

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Books by Jason Espada








Clicking on any of these will take you to their individual pages, with samples, and ordering information.

More below.

 

Then there is this.

Buddhist Poetry


From four collections, 1985 to 2018.





2009-2015.



2006 to 2007.

And this, 1985 to 2005.

 

If resources are an issue, get in touch with me and I’ll make it not an issue.


Free ebooks, in .pdf format, updated 11/1/2022

A Resource for the Practice of Meditation – Third Edition (2021)

A Key to Buddhist Wisdom Teachings

A Concise Set of Buddhist Healing Prayers and Practices

The Wisdom of Impermanence – Twenty One Essays

Ten Essays on Healing

As Editor:

An Anthology of Buddhist Prayer (2008)

Metta and Readings on the Mahayana (updated 11/1/2022)

Cultivating the Field of Joy – Buddhist Readings to Uplift the Heart

The Stages of the Path Teachings – A Selection of Texts

The Beautiful Path – Readings on Ethics, to Soothe and Brighten the Mind

Essays on Purification, by Various Authors

Vajrasattva Commentaries, by Various Authors

Mahayana Prayers and Poetry.pdf; Audio (2012)

Teachings on Bodhicitta, in two volumes: One, and Two

Great Perfection Teachings

Teachings on Mahamudra

Paritta Recitation – Protective Readings from the Pali Canon, Audio, (2022)

with an introduction, The Blessings of Paritta.pdf; Audio (2021)

Reflections on Impermanence and Transcendent Renunciation

Aiming for Freedom – Readings on Transcendent Renunciation

Teachings on Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

On The Avatamsaka Sutra

On the Vajrayana

A Collection of Prayers to Tara  (updated 2/14/2021)

Chenrezig Sadhanas and Commentaries – in four volumes: One, Two, Three, and Four

A Collection of Buddhist Methods for Healing (279 pgs., 2020)

Dedication Prayers

Dedication Prayers from Various Teachers

Dedication Prayers – 6/16/2021

Prayers for the time of transition – 4/26/2020

Teachings on Humility from the Buddhist and Christian Traditions

The Discourses of the Buddha – from the Pali Canon

Audio – on youtube; and, on Bandcamp

If you would like to support my work here, or at abuddhistlibrary.com,
contributions in any amount are appreciated.

 

Essays on the Frank Espada Archive

To view my father’s photography, please visit thefrankespadagalleries.com

The notes and essays in this collection were written over the last couple of years, as I’ve prepared for events, and communicated with scholars, curators, and representatives from universities. In a few cases, I’ve included something just because it has a family story or two in it.  Perhaps all together these will help someone who is interested to get a fuller idea of who my father was, along with his own writing, and his art, of course.

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Hope and Betrayal in the Age of Obama

When it comes to the legacy of Barack Obama, the Left is divided. Some see him as a heroic figure that did his best for the country, despite Republican opposition, while others see him as a traitor to progressive values.  With Trump’s election, it’s essential that we understand what took place during Obama’s presidency because it’s only in knowing our recent history that a unified progressive movement can make it’s way forward.  We owe ourselves and the coming generation of activists at least this much.

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Confronting Revisionist History – On The Vietnam Veteran Experience

Last year I wrote an article, The New Extreme of the American Left, that describes the way many people who identify themselves as progressives today view the modern soldier. I began my article with what I thought was a given: In the late 1960’s and early 70’s, as American soldiers returned from Vietnam, they were met with scorn, spat on in airports, and called “baby killers”. To my surprise, I learned that there is another narrative, being held up by the left in particular (commondreams, truthout, alternet, seattletimesthat says vets were never spit upon.  I found this hard to believe, and so I did a bit of research.

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