One Hand Speaks

What is the sound of one hand clapping? Oddly enough, I am asked this question often. Having only one hand I guess I can understand this happening on some level. Being Buddhist adds and extra layer of magnetism to the phrase. Despite being one of the most quoted and well known Zen Koans in modern history, it is actually being said and asked incorrectly. The great Japanese Monk, writer, calligrapher, and Zen Master, Hakuin Ekaku (1685- 1768), originally asked, "Two hands clap and there is a...

What do you do when you are using the only hand you have? I guess you can only be doing what you are doing. For me this is a life long consideration and contemplation. It is actually a quality of my one-handed life. This means when I am brushing my teeth there is a very good chance I will not be doing something with my other hand. It may sound a bit odd to hear it that way. But have you ever did something else with your other hand while you were brushing your teeth? Were you getting a glass...

In the spring of 1993 a group of 6 friends and I left Seattle, Washington for Las Vegas, Nevada to see the Grateful Dead. We had tickets to all three shows. So we rented a van, drove for 24 hours straight and arrived late night before the first concert. Sting opened up for the Dead and things unfolded as normal as normal can be at a Grateful Dead show. The Saturday was a very different story. Things began with the excitement of any Saturday show and well attended concert. Things changed as...

What would things look like in a one-handed world? This is a question I have asked myself time and time again. It is actually a thought and consideration worthy of contemplation for a one-handed guy. I remember when I was a very young boy I saw a television commercial with a twist. It was slice-of-life moments about a "normal" guy attending a university where everyone had a disability. It played to the opposite view most people experience. All the books were were in braille, the height of...

"Hey mister, are you a superhero?" This was the question asked of me from a 5 year-old boy at the San Francisco airport. I had just cleared the security check point and was now putting on my boots, my jacket, and gathering my things just like everyone else. The next thing I know I can feel someone tugging at the bottom of my very long leather coat. As I turned around to look who it was I saw no one there. Realizing the tugs were soft and low to the ground I turned my gaze toward the...

Storytelling is an art. From the beginning of early modern human life up to open-mic nights people have loved telling stories and listening to stories. From necessity to pure entertainment a story can pack quite the punch. Whether we are passing down the heritage and knowledge of our culture or simply standing on stage sharing a part of our life, crafting the right story can take some work. Sometimes as speakers and storytellers we have to tell "our story" and deliver our message while...

Jodi Eichelberger, Artistic Director of Story Story Night in Boise, Idaho, interviews AlejAndro Anastasio about his first ever Story Story Night story and where he is now in relation to that story. It was part of the "On the Road: Stories of Travel" show from July 2010. AlejAndro spoke about some of his adventures riding his bicycle from Seattle, Washington to just outside of Chicago, Illinois to his home town of South Bend, Indiana. The interview was cut down and added to the original story...

Inspiration comes from many sources, in many ways, and at any time. This past Sunday morning I was driving around running a few errands and listening to the radio when inspiration struck. I was just wondering what story I wanted to share on my podcast this week as I was pulling into a local supermarket. I was listening to the radio DJ talking about the artist he was about to play for his next selection. He mentioned how this person had not produced an album or a song in a very long time. For...

My heart skipped a beat when this little 6 year-old girl said to me, "You look really cute with your one hand." The only thing making this moment better was that it was in an Aikido dojo during a training seminar I was attending in San Diego, California. I was on the mat waiting for the next class to start when I noticed this little 6 year-old girl looking at me and my one-handedness. So I smiled and waved to her with my "short side" and she smiled back. After a bit of quality and sincere...

It is a tragic story to say the least. I slammed right into a pedestrian while riding my bicycle. As a life long bicycle commuter and avid bicyclist since I was a child, I guess it was only a matter of time and probability before I hit someone. I myself have almost been killed a number of times by cars not paying attention and being a reckless bicycler on the road. Once I had the not-so-great pleasure of being "doored" in Seattle. This guy opened his door right into me and I took a pretty...

Something very special happened when I met the Dalai Lama in 2005. He was coming to Sun Valley, Idaho to give two public teachings. It was an incredibly rare opportunity to be able to attend. It was even more rare to attend with my local Boise Sangha and our Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Dzogchen Khenpo Rinpoche. The first one was specifically for children and the youth of America. The next day was a general public teaching for adults. What we did not know until the day before we arrived in the...

In 2017 I spent about a month in Tibet and China. I went on the request of a very good friend who wanted me to help her in support of a Medical Mission in the Dzogchen Valley of Tibet. This was a very rare opportunity as a Buddhist to visit Tibet. Additionally, as a Dzogchen Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist, this was also a rare chance to visit the home village of my Buddhist Teacher and the Dzogchen Monastery. Most importantly, this was a beneficial occasion to be in the service of people who...

My family has been living in the same apartment for the past seven years. It is located right next to the Boise Greenbelt and the Boise River. The Boise River Greenbelt is a paved pathway that runs on both sides of the river for people’s enjoyment and recreation. Over the years I have seen the seasonal ebb and flow of people from summer to winter. In the winter the Greenbelt is open and vast. In the summer it is usually very well populated and active. I love to see families riding their...

One of my biggest fears in life has been to break my right hand or my wrist. I have come close many times. Once I broke my right collar bone taking a big air jump with a bad landing on my snowboard. When I was in college at Indiana University at a party I was sitting on the floor watching our basketball team on television. Some girl who had a bit too much to drink tripped and fell on the small group of us who were sitting on the floor. As I tried to roll out of her way she landed on my open...

This is a short "slice-of-life" story about my one-handed life, riding the bus in the city of Seattle, and the word "disability." Riding the public bus system in Downtown Seattle, Washington is story enough. I think that can be said for any major city. However, the seven years I lived in Seattle during the explosion of the Grunge music scene was a very special time. Public Transportation was a thing! Generally speaking, people loved riding the bus, the ferries, and the Light Rail. There was...

Almost on a daily basis I get asked by someone what happened to my hand. How you ask me about myself tells me a lot about you. I learn so much about who you are as a person by how you ask me why I am the way I am as a person. I say this because I have been asked countless times about my hand or lack of hand. Most of the time people ask me a preparatory question in order to ask a question. It is as if they are asking me permission to ask the real question. "Can I ask you a question?" Once I...

Would you travel with your mother? Is your mother your ideal travel partner? What does it mean to travel internationally with a 73 year-old woman who happens to be your mother? These are the questions I have been asking myself for the past two years. Deep contemplation and inner exploration as I investigate what it means to take my mother traveling to other countries. Yet, the true question of consideration I find myself asking me is, "What am I willing to do to help my mother fulfill some...

Some people are moving out of the mainstream, giving up most of their positions, and living in a van, school bus, or converted vehicle. This is actually becoming a very popular "trending" lifestyle. In fact, there are many well known "Youtubers" who have accumulated quite the following doing the van thing. You can find it all on Youtube. There are people showing how they do it, how to do it, and offering a "day-in-the-life" or a "slice-o-life" living life in a van. One day at my job I was...

We all know how limiting life can be when we hurt a finger, thumb, or our hands. But when you only have one hand, the smallest injury has the hugest consequences. Especially when it is your only thumb that is injured. This past week I got a large deep cut on the pad of my thumb. I knew as soon as I cut myself it was going to really set me back and limit my capacity. When you live life with one hand, the use of your thumb is worth its weight in gold. I forget at times how much I depend on my...

Some stories just show up and blossom in the funniest of places and at the oddest of times. This One Hand Speaks story happened just about five days ago as I type in this exact moment. It was a somewhat common interaction I often have about my one-handed life. Well... I guess it is not that common. But it is something that unfolds in my life from time to time. What I found so odd and cool about the interaction is that it happened at my local supermarket while I was at an ATM machine getting...