Picture of Sensei Alex Kakuyo

Sensei Alex Kakuyo

Sensei Alex Kakuyo is the North American Correspondent for BDG. He is a Buddhist teacher and breathwork facilitator. A former marine, he served in both Iraq and Afghanistan before finding the Dharma through a series of happy accidents. Sensei Alex holds a B.A. in philosophy from Wabash College and his life's work is helping students to bridge the gap between the finite and the infinite. Using movement, meditation, and gratitude practices, he helps them find inner peace in every moment. Sensei Alex is the author of Perfectly Ordinary: Buddhist Teachings for Everyday Life (independently published 2020). His book and other writings can be found on his website: The Same Old Zen. His column, The Ordinary Buddhist, is published monthly.

A World of Weeds and Mud

Just as the seasons change each year bringing growth, flourishing, and loss, the seasons of our lives remind us of the Buddha’s wisdom about impermanence

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Grab Some Warm Clothes

Sensei Alex Kakuyo teaches us that Buddhism does not make us superhuman. It helps us be honest about our ordinary human nature

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False Spring and Lost Hope

A fleeting “false spring” becomes a gentle lesson in Buddhist teachings on impermanence, reminding us that hope and disappointment arise together, and both must be held lightly

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Good Tea and Correct Desires

It’s easy to interpret the Buddha’s teaching on desires as prohibitive, but in fact we must find balance in our competing interests, spiritual and otherwise

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rooftops of houses covered in deep snow

Learning to Take Refuge

A winter morning of snow, animals, and tea becomes a quiet reflection on the Buddhist practice of taking refuge and actively building shelter from suffering

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