Alexander Stuart

Ang Lee's The Life of Pi (Courtesy: 20th Century Fox). The Wrap is reporting that genius Chinese/Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee's spectacular new 3D film, The Life of Pi , based on Yann Martel's 2001 fantasy novel, is the sensation of the CinemaCon convention, casting more predictable blockbusters, such as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and Ridley Scott's Prometheus, into the shade. Lee - whose films have ranged from the extraordinarily moving The Ice Storm , the equally powerful, Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain , through the thrills and astonishing beauty of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  to the more gentle but still controversial romantic comedy, The Wedding Banquet  (Lee's American debut as a director) - has an almost unrivaled ability to take whatever material he is working with and find its deepest emotional roots. Writing in The Wrap, Brent Lang commented that, " If Avatar was 3D's Birth of a Nation , then Ang Lee's Life of Pi m

The Most Astounding Fact from Max Schlickenmeyer . Video from KarmaTube Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tells us what astonishes him most about our universe: that the atoms comprising our bodies are literally made of star-dust. "So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us," he says. "There is a level of connectivity" - which is what most of us want in life: to feel connected, relevant. (Courtesy of KarmaTube ) This video is just astonishingly beautiful - and connects on so many different levels. I was thinking of Joni Mitchell's song Woodstock the other day, and its beautiful refrain: "We are stardust, we are golden And we've got to get ourselves back to the Garden." This also is the essence of Buddhism: that the cosmos, including us, is one inseparable wonder. Things, includin

Photograph by Alexander Chow-Stuart. We were lucky enough to be invited to a friend's ranch in Groveland on Friday night, for a bonfire party and barbecue - and a celebration of the sunset, the full moon, Easter, whatever you wanted it to be. The views were breathtaking (Groveland is situated close to the western edge of Yosemite National Park), and the company was wonderful. This sunset over the hills surrounding Don Pedro Lake just blew me away. I feel totally blessed to live as part of this incredible land, with such a fascinating history of pioneers and gold miners, of hardship and vast resolve. Many thanks to Cecil and Steve for inviting us to their home. We all had a wonderful, truly unforgettable evening. And if you visit Groveland, check out the Priest Station Cafe for great food and incredible views.

Because of the number of inquiries I have been receiving about my first meditation workshop on Saturday April 14th, I am reposting this earlier post. Please note that the address given in the very generous Union Democrat article about this workshop was an error. The Central Sierra Arts Council is at: 193 S. Washington Street, Sonora, CA 95370  (directly opposite the Bank of America building at the intersection with Stockton). Thank you, Alexander... Photograph by Hudson Chow-Stuart. My first meditation workshop in Sonora will be on Saturday April 14th from 1:30pm-3:30pm at the Central Sierra Arts Council , 193 S. Washington Street, Sonora. It is called The Pleasure of Breathing and will explore the role meditation and Buddhism have played in my life for the past 21 years.  I will read beautiful, inspiring passages from some of the books I reflect upon daily, such as T S Eliot's Four Quartets, The Dhammapada (Buddha's Teachings) and the Bhagavad Gita - and I will teach

I was feeling nostalgic for my old blog, Loving The Wolf - and for the Pacific, which is two or three hours farther away than it used to be - so here is a rerun of my final post on Loving The Wolf , called Sunset Over The Pacific - posted on Wednesday August 18 2010:    Photograph by Alexander Chow-Stuart. Yesterday, at the end of a day of writing, we took our children to the beach for dinner al fresco as the sun set. It was a reminder of just how beautiful the simplest things can be. Watching children enjoying the ocean is magical in itself...as is the sun dipping down over the hills and the beach. We cannot create anything as intensely moving and memorable as a single moment in the company of those we love, or the astonishing complexity and beauty of each instant on this planet... Photograph by Alexander Chow-Stuart. Photograph by Alexander Chow-Stuart.