Arising and passing away: The Bodhi Tree Bookstore in Los Angeles is closing.

I remember my first trip to the Bodhi Tree bookstore in L.A. — I spent an hour sitting cross-legged on the floor reading Bodhi Leaves, the thin chap books printed by the Buddhist Publication Society. I left that day with two shopping bags worth of books that I couldn't find anywhere in New York City. Even Weiser's the venerable occult book shop and publisher in NYC didn't have the titles I found at Bodhi Tree.

Today, Weiser's is long gone. And the Bodhi Tree has just announced that they will be closing after this year. Another victim of real estate interests.

Of course, business is off because many of the books sold there are now available at most Barnes and Noble stores. And if you can't find it brick and mortar, it's always found online. In fact, one of my favorite little chap books from BPS is now available free online, along with dozens of other Bodhi Leaves at the BPS website.

While I am happy that the information is more easily found by those who seek it, I will miss the community aspect of the store, where conversation with the owners and staff was always a doorway to a new discovery — and a heartfelt connection happening in the moment. And I am happy for the owners, who, faced with declining sales find that the property sale will provide for them now that they are in their 70s. Still, I find myself wondering about the future of the book community. And the future of browsing — since so many of my discoveries came from browsing titles and sitting cross-legged on a floor in a bookstore.

Then again, as one teacher of mine once said — you already have the tools, now you have to use them. So I guess I should be spending more time sitting cross-legged on the floor without a book. Watching phenomena as they arise and pass away.