"The Buddha Walks into a Bar...."

I just find this effort and book terrific.  The Daily Beast headlines Meditation Teacher Lodro Rinzler Rebrands Buddhism to Deal with Drinking and Sex.  I'm not sure how much rebranding is going on here, but it's interesting nonetheless.  I read Rinzler column occasionally over at the Huffingtonpost.com because the title alone is funny - What Would Sid Do


The take on how to mindfully drink alcohol is worth the click over alone.  Well, alright, I will highlight it here, 

Rinzler gave me a crash-course in “right drinking” over a pot of Chrysanthemum tea. The first step is to know your intention: Is the drinking celebratory or to eliminate sorrow? Next, he says, taste the thing. You’ll drink better, he says, shirking the inferior sauce. As in silent meditation, he recommends observing your mind while consuming the beverage and labeling ideas or feelings that come up. And lastly, he advises knowing your limits, qualifying that he drinks less than he used to. “I try not to get to that point where I would say things that cause harm.”

but click over anyway for some more enlightenment or buy the book - The Buddha Walks into a Bar...

Ethan Nichtern is mentioned in the piece and he is the founder of the Interdependence Project, which is also worth the click.  I've never met Ethan, but I know his father David (whose Tuesday night Facebook Dharma Talks have been fantastic) and a dear friend of mine, Kim Stetz, teaches yoga there.    And here is a podcast where Lodro and Ethan talk about Lodro's book.  It's on my list to read now.