Yoshin Eka Dave Klaus
California
My name is Yoshin Eka Dave Klaus, (Willow-Heart Favorable-Wisdom), but most folks call me Dave.
I have taken vows as a Hollow Bones priest in order to take my practice deeper and to publicly commit myself to a life of service and integrity and mindfulness and meditation.
I sit because it helps me to see the world as it really is and to understand that nothing needs fixing: not me, not the climate, and certainly not the heart of humankind.
When I allow myself to settle down and listen without judgment and without categories, I am reassured that all is unfolding perfectly within the endless cycle of change, amongst the glorious abundance and the profound suffering of this world.
And, at the same time, I am committed to supporting and cultivating positive social change through mindful compassionate stewardship, by serving as a connector and cultivator of healthy community, and by speaking my truth honestly and vulnerably in the public forum.
My career as a Public Defender attorney in Oakland, California, thus offers me many opportunities to practice this dharma. As a courtroom litigator and as a martial artist black belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, I have learned that in each moment’s arising flash of even the most contentious and charged conflicts lies the opportunity for alchemical transformation and profound healing.
Not surprisingly, this practice comes in handy in my family life as well, with my beloved wife and two teenage kids as my most honored teachers!
As a leader in my Burning Man community and as an active brother with the ManKind Project, I am learning constantly from my emotional koan and meditative practice and doing my best to share what I find. To this end, I publish prose and poetry and photography, and you can find my blog Breathe.Burn.Bee at www.daveklaus.net. (You can also find the blog page on Facebook at Breathe.Burn.Bee and find me there as well as Dave Klaus.)
I am committed to a life of compassion, wisdom, mindfulness, nonviolence, and skillful means, and I will endeavor to always do my very best to relieve the suffering in this world, of others and of myself.
How beautiful is this precious life! How brilliant and glorious! How miraculous! How grateful I am for this dharma and this beautiful awakening community!