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i was shocked to learn this weekend and very happy that not all christmas trees are dead. what i mean is if they are cut but a couple big branches are left on the stump, then a new tree will grow back in its place from the same root system. all this time i thought commercial christmas trees were wasteful - growing an adult tree just to kill it - but that wasn’t necessarily the case. so if i get a tree in the future, i’ll try to look for a tree farm with that practice.
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i love the site grouphug and when i want to soften my heart i’ll stop by there sometimes. it’s moderated and though you never quite now if a story is real or not you can just imagine peering into each person’s life and suffering.
today thanks to joi i’ve found another gem, a blog in japan dedicated to the hard work of others. just a stream of thanks and appreciation. joi thought it expressed the socialist work ethic of many japanese well, where appreciation is more valued than a tip, but it reminds me more of a universal need.
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had an idea this morning for a short film, let me know what you think.
we go around and get 5 minutes with any international major companies CEO’s or Presidents that we can, and put them in front of a camera just in their office or wherever they want, and we ask them one question, “what would you wish or aspire for the world.” they can mention their company or whatever they want, spontaneously or scripted. it’s entirely up to them.
then edit it all together as a single short film.
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whatever the nation, skill in pastry making has been regarded worldwide as a passport to matrimony. in hungarian villages, for example, no girl was considered eligible until her strudel dough had become so translucent that her beloved could read the newspaper through it.
from the joy of cooking, i’m not kidding (thanks amy)
so for men in silicon valley, what do you think marks us as suitable suitors?
- our own sourceforge project
- coding the cool easter egg in the latest hot online game
- new year’s resolution to bathe daily
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found a new web site about meditation, which attempts to be a portal of sorts to books and pithy summaries of the different traditions of meditation.
it’s also interesting that the site might be self-funding through the book referrals. each book link has an amazon affiliate referral in it. with enough revenue from those they could bid on a google ad word for meditation and create a simple business model around informational web sites that self-publicize. brilliant.
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read this quote today (thanks gina) and though it’s perhaps more cheerleader than philosophy, it does make me look at my desk today and wonder how i get anything done. time for some cleanup…
The will to win means nothing if you haven’t the will to prepare
- Juma Ikangaa, Won NYC Marathon in 1989
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i’ve been back for only ten days, but i’m already stressed about leaving again. right at the new year i’m heading back into retreat for another month.
this next month is part two of a three part program in tibetan buddhism. this next one will have half as much sitting meditation as first month; the rest of our time is dedicated to studying the shravakayana, pratyekabuddhayana, and bodhisattvayana paths. these are the foundation and core components of the tradition - exploring suffering, discipline, openness, wisdom, and compassion.
i was curious how much of my one month meditation retreat would stay with me. back to full speed at work, any calm and gentleness i had from the retreat evaporated. but i’ve noticed a couple changes. first, i’m only getting hooked or trapped by 98% of my emotions like anger and craving. that’s a marked improvement from the 99% hook-age just before the retreat. some afflicted emotions are easier to see as impermanent or baseless now. second, when i sit even for a half hour it is much easier to settle and wake up and soften. i can be feeling blue or irritated or restless, and even a short period of meditation adds a lot of space to the situation. so i can’t say that a month of meditation caused a huge shift in my life, but the subtle differences seem pretty helpful.
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wow, it feels really jarring to be back at home after this month retreat. jarring in a subtle way, like i’m getting used to my house all over again. i was surprised at the height of the shower head this morning. was it always that height? little things like that seem odd to me.
in all the meditation retreat was amazing - the best way i’ve spent a month vacation yet. it gave me a clearer view of how meditation is supposed to work and how it relates to this idea of ‘enlightenment’, what the major reasons to meditate for me really are, plus a ton of practice on the cushion to experience that understanding first hand. we sat about nine hours a day, plus another hour and a half of eating each meal in a meditative way.
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