I explain the Triple Gem to Westerners who know nothing about Buddhism in an unconventional way. I use an analogy that helps them understand what the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha really mean — through something they already respect: Einstein and the laws of physics. The Buddha — The Discoverer When I talk about the Buddha, I say he’s like a scientist — but not just any scientist. He’s like Einstein in some ways.

I went to the sacred Blue Room cave today with a friend named Narayandass. Its waters are known for their healing powers. I made a recording of some chanting before we meditated there. It was a special time and extremely high on my “Before I Go” list. A recording can be found at https://archive.org/details/Blueroomkauai. The raw recording has nothing added but was trimmed at the beginning and end of the file.