About

Hi, I’m Katinka Hesselink, your host.

I was a rather prominent Theosophist till 2011, when I quit the Theosophical Society. The last few years of my membership there I’d run a rather controversial, but also somewhat popular blog on the organisation: Modern Theosophy. I’m not proud of my Modern Theosophy blog, but it did fulfill a vital function for me: it allowed me to share my thoughts about issues in that rather small world. 

I took refuge summer 2011, becoming a formal Buddhist, something that been coming on for years. In part it is because I think it is folly to believe we can have spirituality without religion. Rituals and social cohesion have their place. However, we can be smart about religion. Just because I am a devoted Buddhist, doesn’t mean I answer to any authority but my own karma. Nor does it mean that I have to ignore scandals within the Buddhist world or that I have to limit myself to just one Buddhist tradition. 

My main aim is, as it always was, to find wisdom. 

I am a member of the FPMT, because my main teacher teaches under their umbrella. I am old fashioned: believe in supporting organisations whose existence I profit from. As you read what I have to say, you will find that I don’t limit myself to the Gelugpa interpretation of Buddhism, or even the Tibetan one. However, because my main teacher is of that tradition, I do stay close to it in the doctrinal sense. I am rather lax in a ritual sense.

I feel I understand the Gelugpa interpretation better BECAUSE, not despite, my wide reading in Indian and Buddhist spirituality. Ultimately what matters is whether my practice is authentic and how it transforms my life. The rest is irrelevant. 

My main spiritual blog is All Considering, where I’m sure I’ll keep blogging. However, sometimes I have things to say that won’t interest a general spiritual audience. There is a lot of Buddhism that IS interesting to my main audience – and I will continue to share that there.

My main Book Review Blog is Great Spiritual Books – I review books publishers and agents send me as well as books I pick up on my own. As you can see there, my interests are quite varied.

I love spiritual quotes, so I have a blog about that as well: My Spiritual Quotes.

The above is only a fraction of my online presence. In fact, I make a living online, making it possible to host this blog without ads (for now) and studying Buddhism almost whenever I wish. I have more freedom than I’d have as a nun – and yes I do feel blessed at that. If you want to learn more about that side of my story, check out Marketing Spiritual. I specialize in online marketing, SEO and affiliate marketing. And no, the way I do it, it’s not sleazy at all.

It all started at Katinka Hesselink Net a site I started in 1998 or 1999 on Geocities. You can find the Buddhist section here. 

If you want to reach me, just mail: mail @ katinkahesselink.net