Did we win?
I have thought of myself as a Buddhist for over 40 years. Okay. So I'm a sort-of Buddhist. I can live with that.

I just read through my latest copy of The Shambhala Sun. It's a great magazine and usually I find one or two articles of interest. Today I was bored, and read through the whole thing. The issue was peppered with ads for American Buddhist teachers looking like used car salesmen. Glowingly healthy, with brilliant toothy smiles, and names like Lama Hanapurna Charlene Bagwell, they positively radiated happiness and soothing enlightenment.

Whatever happened to the Four Noble Truths? I may be a sort-of Buddhist, but I have the First Noble Truth [dukkha, or suffering] carved into my soul. So why is everybody so excruciatingly happy? ...................... did we win?