What is the Bodhi Post?
I’ve always been a curious person. Someone who loves to get lost in the documentary section of Netflix, or who spends hours at a time spiraling down a rabbit hole on Wikipedia or Google as I explore a topic and the inevitable tangents it would create. One of those tangents is how Bodhi Post got its name, and I think in that way it perfectly captures the essence of what we’ll try to do here.
While I’ve written about baseball for many years now for sites like Beyond the Box Score and Baseball Prospectus, it hasn’t always been the thing that I’ve most wanted to write about. Writing has become a means to an end for me. A way to process and gain closure on the things that occupy my mind. In the same way that photographers just have a different eye for the world around us, so too do writers. We observe things and often start weaving them together into a compelling story — incapable of stopping ourselves from sharing our perspective on the world.
This isn’t a baseball website. Far from it. What I want this to be, is a tangent from the lives of the many writers that I’ve grown accustomed to reading. A place where someone can share their thoughts in a more structured way. When a writer doesn’t have a publisher willing to publish their thoughts on a particular topic that they want to write about, Bodhi Post will be that publisher.
This site will hopefully grow and change. It may serve as a stepping stone for writers who want to build their portfolio in order to land jobs at other sites or media outlets. I’m fine with that. It may be a side project for writers who love where they are at and what they’re doing, but just want an outlet for some of their miscellaneous thoughts, passions, or insights. It may be, one day down the road, the end of the line for writers who want a home that empowers them to be the best version of themselves. I hope this site will be all these things.
For readers, the value we offer is straightforward. We will deliver well-written, interesting stories on fascinating topics. We hope to feature some of your favorite writers, and many writers you’ve likely never heard of. As we explore and share the world around us, I hope you will explore and share the writers who bring those stories to life.
“Bodhi Post” was the perfect name for this venture because it resulted from a several week long excursion to find the right namesake for the idea behind this venture. After hundreds of fits and starts — a result of unavailable URLs or general uneasiness making a decision — the choice became clear.
The site is named for the tree under which Gautama Buddha, the central figure of Buddhism found enlightenment. While seated under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya, India, Gautama Buddha vowed to not arise until he discovered the truth. It is during this time that he spent a reported 49 days in meditation under the tree before becoming enlightened, achieving a state of Bodhi — in Buddhism is the understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the true nature of things. It is traditionally translated into English with the word enlightenment, although its literal meaning is closer to “awakening.” The tree was thus renamed the Bodhi Tree, a sacred pipal whose descendents are still alive today — In fact the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, planted from the southern branch of the original Bodhi Tree, is said to be the oldest living human-planted tree with a known planting date having been planted in Sri Lanka in 249 BC.
This site likely won’t help anyone achieve enlightenment or an awakening unfortunately. Hopefully though, it opens your eyes to interesting stories, talented writers, and serves the purpose of advancing good writing. That is a worthy purpose in my mind.
