Walking the Eightfold Path through mindfulness, modern life, and the spaces between.
I'm Dan Arel — Communications leader, writer, father, and Buddhist exploring leadership, mindfulness, labor, and the work of living with more clarity and compassion.
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What I write about
four threads, one practiceWhat inspires the path
The teachings, teachers, and moments that keep pulling me back, the ones that still feel worth studying, practicing, and returning to.
Practice in daily life
Parenting, work, relationships, and the ordinary noise of life, where mindfulness has to hold up outside the cushion.
Buddhism and modern life
How old teachings speak to contemporary life, from attention and technology to the habits that shape how we live now.
Writing and reflection
Thinking out loud, making sense of what I’m learning, and using writing as a way to pay closer attention.
Recent reflections
latest writingBuddhism gave me ground when I needed it most
I have spent the better part of my life as an atheist, and, to be honest, I remain one. When I use the term atheist, I use it in an agnostic sense: I don’t know for a fact that …
Sam Harris and the mindfulness of hate
Sam Harris is a grifter. There is no other way to put it, even if that is a tough way to start a blog. For the last decade or so, Harris has moved away from his firebrand atheism …
A sound bath for skeptics
Today, at a conference I took part in a sound bath meditation, and found it incredibly relaxing and reduced my stress, anxiety, and even some pain in my back. However, I don’t …
Books
written by meI'm the author of Parenting without God and The Secular Activist.