An opening reflection for the Dharma of the Dead series — a bit of tuning before the first song. This post sets the stage for exploring how Grateful Dead lyrics can function as contemplative teachings, ripening alongside our lives in ways that feel both personal and shared. It’s the beginning of an ongoing conversation with the songs that have shaped so many of us.
Some days I find myself suspended between feeling too much and not wanting to feel anything at all. Buddhist philosophy points to a middle way between these two extremes.
For the coyote in the Warner Brothers’ cartoons, hitting the ground usually meant he was about to get crushed by a boulder and mocked by his quarry, the roadrunner. “Meep meep!”
What does it mean for us?