05/31/2026
For those who know me through Orange Photography, this project may feel like a different side of my work, but in many ways it grows from the same place. Photography has always been my way of paying attention—of listening more deeply, witnessing people with care, and trying to honor the quiet dignity of their stories.
Beyond the Cushion is a long-term documentary project exploring how Buddhist practice is lived in the modern world. Through photography, video, and personal storytelling, the project shares the real-life experiences of diverse practitioners and how the Dharma takes shape beyond temples, retreats, and formal practice—inside ordinary lives, relationships, work, grief, healing, and service.
Although the website has existed quietly for some time, I’ve mostly used it as a working space to organize the stories, themes, and interviews. Over the past six months, I’ve worked with an art director to make the project more approachable in both structure and visual presentation. It is still very much evolving, but today felt like the right day to open the doors more fully, especially with the blessings of Khenpo Chophel.
In the coming months, I’ll begin sharing more from the project through social media as I continue building the platform and community around it. My hope is that this work will eventually support a larger publishing conversation, but more importantly, that it will help bring these stories of lived practice to the people who may benefit from them.
Being an unknown author and photographer in the traditional publishing world comes with real challenges. But I believe there is something meaningful in this project: an honest, documentary look at how ancient practices continue to transform real lives in our modern world.
You can read more about the vision for Beyond the Cushion on the website. I’ll ask for more direct feedback later, but for now, I simply wanted to share this offering.
May whatever merit comes from this work be multiplied for the benefit of all beings.
For many, the path into Buddhism doesn’t begin with belief—it begins with a question. A quiet sense that there’s more to understand about the mind, about suffering, and about how to live with greater clarity and compassion.
