The wisdom tradition of Buddhism has influenced many American poets, including Gary Snyder, Jane Hirshfield, and Sam Hamill. In Start Again, Dignity, Laurence Musgrove traces through verse his study of Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness in the relatively isolated expanses of West Texas. With no retreat centers or meditation teachers nearby, he documents his spiritual journey in original sutras, calling into dialogue the imagined persona of the Buddha. These poems address many of the foundational truths of Buddhist study, including impermanence, human suffering, and selflessness. They also show an established professor and student of Buddhism struggling to develop and maintain a meditation practice, sustained and generous attention, and a fearless engagement with a beautifully imperfect world.