BODHI BILL, DMin, BCC-ret.
Artist, Writer, Songsmith, Buddhist, Activist, Retired Hospice Chaplain, Friend to the Living & Dying.
In the Beginning
I WAS BORN artistic and imaginative, my creativity fueled by undiagnosed ADHD—which was otherwise not helpful. While art, music and writing came easy, practical life was a challenge.
Also, my affinity for Eastern spirituality didn’t help much either, residing in ashrams in California and India, leading to no practical outcomes. Since creativity was my only employable asset, that’s how I started my career: graphic designer, art director, copywriter, creative director—empty and vapid, but a living.
The Turning Point
In midlife, I had a profound mystical experience at the bedside of a dying family friend who was deeply distraught. Intuitively, I was able to gently untangle his despair. He died peacefully the next morning.
Stunned by this, I volunteered for hospice to learn more and discovered chaplaincy—and that, to my amazement, it was a calling. I studied and trained for nearly a decade to become a board-certified chaplain, then spent the next decade working with the dying in a regional hospital. A deeply fulfilling time.
A Mysterious Opening
Around the same time, a mysterious channel opened in my mind—whenever it wanted—initially sending down captivating songs. However, midlife didn’t seem an optimal time break into showbiz, especially in the midst of a major career transition, so I set all that aside for another day.
My Legacy Project
Now retired, I am gathering together the best of those songs, musings, and whatnot, jotted in notebooks along the way, and offering them to whomever might find comfort, joy and meaning in them.
If that’s you, then it’s all been worth it.
Education and Certifications
- Long Beach & San Francisco State Universities: Bachelor of Art—graphic design, photography, experimental animation and film-making.
- Naropa University: Master of Liberal Arts in Spirituality. Graduated with honors.
- Ubiquity/Wisdom University: Doctor of Ministry focused on spirituality and dying.
- Association of Professional Chaplains: Board Certified Chaplain.
- Association of Death Education & Counseling: Certified in Thanatology (the study of dying).
- Lincoln Elementary: Best handwriting (printing) in all three first grade classes. All three!
Postscript
Like Gandhi and King, I hold spirituality as a foundation for addressing the increasing cruelty and injustice in this world—not as an escape. Without it, as engaged citizens, we risk either burning out and giving up or succumbing to the darkness we resist.
What I offer is a respite from the action, not a retreat from the battle. That never ends. So breathe. Be kind. Remain centered. Do your best. Namaste.
