A Mindful Geek

Get over it!

2010-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

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Booze, Diet Mind and Exorcising

2010-09-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

Booze

Twice last week I imbibed. Thursday of last week, Shari and I went to a local brewery where I had a 24 oz. Irish Red. It was oh so tasty. But I did notice that my body temperature dropped from 97.2 to 97.0 the next morning. Of course it was back up the following day so no worries.

This past Sunday we had a friend over to help us eat a lasagna and drink a bottle of wine. That pretty much boiled down to two glasses each, roughly the same alcohol content as the 24 oz. glass of beer. The next morning, my body temperature was all the way down to 96.5! It took two days to come back up!

So I did a little bit of research and talked with a chemist friend of mine and know what? Alcohol lowers your body temperature. It's actually well known. People have died from hypothermia by consuming alcohol. Now there are a few things going on that makes this happen that I won't go into but suffice it to say, it causes you to lose body heat. And of course, when your body temperature goes down, the ambient temperature appears to be warmer so you get hot, throw off the covers, turn on the fan and make it worse.

So it looks like I'm off the booze until my body temperature is up close to normal. I'm shooting for 97.8 and am currently at 97.3. Considering I started at 96.1 (!), I'd so I'm doing okay. Although that's hard for me to admit.

Diet Mind

I just can't help it. My mind is still stuck on "diet" mode. I keep honestly believing that I can't have stuff like lasagna, pizza or ice cream. I have my list of prohibited items: white flour, sugar and vegetable oil. But I can't avoid them! So I worry and get a bit hang-dog about it. But the fact of the matter is, I've had pasta and chocolate and my body temperature continues to climb (ignoring the alcohol affect). The take home lesson? Don't avoid these items. Don't be a pain-in-the ass about what you are eating. If your wife makes you a lasagna with garlic bread, eat it! Want a turtle sundae at 9:00 pm? Go for it. Don't avoid it! But don't chase it down, either. You'll be fine as long as you mostly eat well and track your body temperature.

Exorcise the Exercise

I have been powerlifting for the past six months and have made some incredible gains. But I am going to take the advice of Matt Stone and Jon Gabriel and give it a rest. Oddly enough, this is kind of tough for me to do! I really don't want to lose any gains I've made! But honestly, I doubt that's going to happen. My body temperature is up and once it's to 97.7, I'll start back with the weight training. You never know! This could happen next week!

Gonna fix my guts!

2010-09-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Weight problem

I have had a weight problem most of my life. I'm not morbidly obese although many doctors would label me "obese." Honestly, I've got a belly and my body fat percentage seems to want to hang out at around 30. So really, just above "overweight" according to BMI. Never really hindered me physically, just sometimes I feel chunky and rarely do I appreciate the roll when I sit down.

As most people who are overweight, I am guilty of yo-yo dieting. In 2000 I was at my heaviest weighing 233 pounds. At five-foot, seven-inches, that's a hefty load! In 2002, I joined Weight Watchers and managed to get down to 147 pounds (about six pounds below my goal of 153). The irony about getting down to 147 was that I didn't really look any different, just smaller. Same gut, same flab. Not unlike a melted snowman. I also noticed this to be true of all of the "lifetime members" at Weight Watchers. Nobody looked fit. At all.

In 2004, I had some major life changes which produced a ton of stress. And guess what? I put weight back on. Now unlike most yo-yo dieters, I did not go over my former weight. As a matter of fact, I have stayed under that weight. Currently, at my heaviest since 2004, I weigh around 192 pounds. Now granted since then I have started strength training and have put on a significant amount of muscle. I'm what you would call "overweight" with 29% body fat.

Burn metabolism, burn

A month or so ago I came across a blog titled 180 Degree Health. I honestly couldn't tell you how I found it but I'm guessing it was referenced from another blog. I know that Zen to Fitness has 180 Degree Health on their "what I read" list.

Anyway, I checked out the blog and found much of what Matt Stone, the owner, had to say about health and fitness.

So I read Matt Stone's free e-book as well as his 180 Degree Metabolism and even picked up Jon Gabriel's The Gabriel Method which, new-age visualize-a-stream crap aside, was a fantastic read. I feel that these author/researchers are really on to something and I have to say, I feel a bit hang-dog about the way I've been treating my body. So, per Stone and Gabriel's recommendations, I have decided to take some action.

So what are they saying? Well, since I've been spending my adult life either dieting or eating crap, my metabolism isn't running as efficiently as it should. This is easily testable by taking your morning temperature. Ideally, your waking temp should be around 98.2 although I am going to guess that if you are anywhere close to 98, you're doing okay.

Fix it

Fix your metabolism. So how is this done? Well, strangely enough, nobody is 100% sure. Out of all of the mysteries science has solved, how our metabolism functions is one that eludes us. But studies point to several culprits for slowing down the metabolism: refined carbs, increased Omega-6 fatty acids (i.e., vegetable oils), super-sweet substances (high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners), over exercise, stress, lack of sleep and CALORIC DEFICITS. So basically, the American lifestyle.

So for the past couple of weeks I have been taking some steps to try and fix some of the damage I have done over the years.

No more dieting. I am eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not. My focus has been on whole foods with nothing artificial. No margarine or vegetable oil (coconut oil seems to be the huge exception); no sodas; no alcohol; no refined carbohydrates. Now by "no" I mean they aren't a part of my daily food routine. I've had ice cream, because I wanted ice cream. Deprivation is stupid. If I want it, I'm going to eat it. But when I am neutral on what I want, which is the case 90% of the time, I'm eat whole foods with a ton of nutrients.
Easy on the exercise. This is another "don't force" issue. Personally, I love lifting weights so I have been continuing with the strength training. But other than that, I'm taking it easy. If I do any type of cardio, it's high-intensity interval training which has been shown in studies to help increase the metabolism.
Sleep. I'm not a huge sleeper. Leave me to wake up on my own and I'll sleep maybe eight hours but am fully functional at five. But I really need to make sure I'm getting plenty of sleep. This has been the hardest step for me since my wife likes to stay up pretty late and enjoys my company.
Meditation. This covers the stress part. I've actually had a meditation routine for several years but I'm not as steady with my practice as I should be.
Track my body temperature. I want it to be around 98 degrees in the morning. So far it has gone from 96.1 to 96.6.

This is something to do for about a month or until my body temperature reaches 98 degrees. I am not looking to lose weight doing this. That's not the point. My goal is to re-feed my body and get my metabolism up. Weight loss comes later and will be the topic of another blog posting.

Geek and Gamer Girls: Team Unicorn!

2010-09-14T07:37:00.001-07:00

EMBED-Geek and Gamer Girls Song - Watch more free videos

Monstrous Discrepancies

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Feels so good!

2010-07-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Humans: the geeks of the animal kingdom.

2010-07-11T11:28:00.001-07:00

It's great you're a romantic!

2010-07-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

T9 Balls Out Speed!

2010-06-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

My Elephant Journal Post: An Open Letter!

2010-06-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, a post of mine went up on Elephant Journal titled An Open Letter to New Age Girls. It is currently ranked as "The Most Popular." I find this to be somewhat surprising. It's pretty short and is definitely a bit on the snarky side. And of course, some people have been taking it too seriously which, I suppose, is part of the point. But the main point behind the piece is that Zen has a tendency to be lumped into the category of "New Age." Well it ain't.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

Super Bronte Sisters!

2010-06-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Super Bronte Sisters

This lettuce died!

2010-06-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Problem

2010-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

High-Speed Scanner!

2010-06-24T06:19:00.001-07:00

Tic Tok Star Trek

2010-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Immortal Dog!

2010-06-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

When the Dream Disappears

2010-06-17T05:41:00.001-07:00

This is what she means...

2010-06-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

I Love Kong-ans!

2010-06-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I like kong-an practice. There. I admit it, okay. I have fought it for years but like a stalker, them damn kong-ans kept bugging me and bugging me until I gave in and you know what? Sometimes a stalker DOES know what's best for you.

Let me explain what happened.

I sat a retreat this past weekend at the Kansas Zen Center. Actually, I was House Master (or as I prefer to be called, Haus Meister Meisterhaus), but that's not really relevant. I just wanted to share the "Haus Meister Meisterhaus" line because it makes me giggle. Anyway! This retreat was led by guest teacher Zen Master Soeng Hyang (Barbara Rhodes), guiding teacher of the Kwan Um School of Zen. This means she's the top-cat. This also meant that she would be doing interviews. It's at these interviews that you are asked kong-ans.

For those who don't know what a kong-an is, here is how it is explained at the KZC website:

Kong-ans (Ch.: kung-an, Jap.: koan) have their origin in records of encounters between Zen practitioners in ancient China. In kong-an practice, the teacher asks questions and the student answers them. People sometimes say that the purpose of kong-an practice is for the teacher to check the student’s mind, but that’s not the point. The purpose of kong-an practice is to help us cut through our thinking. It is an essential part of our practice.

Here's a famous example:

A monk asked Joju, “Does a dog have Buddha nature?” Joju answered “Mu.”

That’s the kong-an. Then there are questions attached to the kong-an, for example: “Does a dog have Buddha nature?"

You then answer the question. Got it?

For me, this has been the most nerve racking part of practicing Zen. And sitting in an interview with Zen Master Soeng Hyang was bound to produce all kinds of anxiety, right? Well, no, actually. ZM Soeng Hyang very eloquently explained to me the purpose of the kong-an interview. You see, it's not so much about giving the right answer. It's about being present, hearing the kong-an, looking at the situation and allowing yourself to answer with full confidence. Not unlike a child.

Ask a 6-year old how much 1 + 1 is. "2." Now tell the child, "No it's not." What's her response? "Yeah it is, now get me some ice cream!"

What if you do the same thing with an adult? "1 + 1 does not equal 2!" They will begin to question themselves. Maybe 1 + 1 does NOT equal 2! Maybe I've been lied to this entire time! Maybe 1 + 1 = 3 because you have two numbers (2) and one answer (1) which equals 3!

The confidence that the child has in answering the question and sticking to her guns is something we all should strive for in our every day lives. Kong-an practice helps build this.

So what can I say other than, "I loves me some kong-ans!"

What is Enough Mind?

2010-06-10T08:27:00.001-07:00

An open letter to new age chicks.

2010-06-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

I practice Zen and I don't hide that fact. But sometimes I wonder if I should. I'm not at all embarrassed by this fact. Nor do I need to hide it because my family will freak out. Nor do I fear how people will treat me. But because new age chicks see "zen" and they attach on to you like a lamprey on a shark.

I understand why this is, honestly. I mean, new age girls usually start upon a spiritual journey by reading some pop-oriented material where the word "zen" is used as to mean "serene" or "of significant spiritual value." So saying that you "study Zen" is translated into "I study serenity" and what's more new age than that!

I am a zen practitioner. I believe in experience. I believe in action and reaction. I believe in consequence and responsibility. I believe in sticking to my guns. I believe in figuring out for myself what's right and wrong. I believe in diet, exercise and meditation.

I don't care about UFO's.
I am not into metaphysics
I have no desire to astral project myself.
I don't care about gods and goddesses
I believe that vision boards are a waste of time.
Chakra, schmakra.

If these things exist, they don't need me to believe in them. If my chakras open up, then they open up. If the universe wants to give me a big fucking car than let it. If Mercury's retrograde through Aquarius means communication will be janky, so fucking what? I will deal with these things when and if they are presented to me. I have enough to handle with living my day-to-day life to worry about such things until they become a part of my day-to-day life. Why waste my energy?

Also, can we please stop using "Zen" as an adjective? Thanks!

Namaste, bitches!

Blake

100% Crazy

2010-06-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

A talk after a kong-an reading, by Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim

Sometimes a student will decide to fast during Yong Maeng Jong Jin or a seven-day retreat. He begins strong. First day, second day, only water. Third day, "...maybe I'll have a little orange juice..." Fourth day, "...just a half slice of bread..." Fifth day, the student gets a headache; "...think I'll take a little nap..." Seventh day, starving, he stuffs himself. This is what is called "head is a dragon, tail is a snake.''

I decide, then I don't do. This means I don't believe in myself. Ask a child, "What is one plus two?" "Three." "Is that correct?" "Sure, it's correct.'' He believes in himself, so he doesn't think about it. "One plus two doesn't equal three..." "It does too! My teacher said so!" A child's mind doesn't shake so easily. But Zen students! They cling to words and thinking.

Your mind is always one of these three: lost mind, empty mind, or clear mind. On the street, a thief comes up. "Give me your money!" How is your mind then? Somebody says sex mind is Zen mind, but if you suddenly found a gun in your face while you're making love, would your mind move? If you're afraid you'll lose your life, you have lost your mind.

Empty mind won't move. "This is a hold up!" "Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum." "You want some lead in your head?" "Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum..." "Are you crazy?" "Om mani padme hum...'' Crazy/sane, alive/dead. It is all one to empty mind.

And clear mind? "Give me money!" "How much do you want?" "Shut up, you... give me all of it!" No fear. Just check the mind behind the gun.

Ma Jo one day took his student Pae Chang riding on the river. They had a good time. A flock of birds flew overhead, going south. Ma Jo asked, "What is that?" "Birds." "Where are they going?" "South." "Is that right?" "Yes.'' Ma Jo grabbed his nose and twisted it hard. "Aaaggghh!" Very painful! "Where did the birds go?" Pae Chang couldn't answer. They came back to the temple. Later Pae Chang's friends came upon him holding his nose and crying, "Oh my nose!'' His friends asked him, "Why are you crying?" He just kept right on. They kept asking, "What's wrong?" Finally Pae Chang said, "Ask the master." So they went to Ma Jo. "Why is he crying?" "Ask him!" So they went back. "The master said to ask you." Pae Chang suddenly stopped crying and began laughing just as hard. His friends were very surprised. "Are you crazy?" "Ma Jo is the crazy one!'' They all went back to Ma Jo. "Now he's laughing and says you're crazy!" Ma Jo understood Pae Chang's mind then. So what does it mean? Crying mind and laughing mind: are they the same or different? Crazy mind, sane mind. Completely crazy, 100% crazy, believe-in-myself crazy - that's completely clear mind.

At Jong Hae Sah Temple in Korea they had three months of sitting, three months vacation. During vacation, everybody had to collect money or food and bring it back for the sitting period. At that time Zen Master Mang Gong was just beginning the temple and had no money. So the students would go around to the homes of lay people, recite the Heart Sutra, get rice or money and bring it back to the monastery. But when my teacher Ko Bong got rice, he'd sell it at the end of the day and go out drinking - laughing and singing. Everybody else came back at the end of vacation with sacks of rice. All he ever brought back was alcohol. Then he'd be drinking and shouting all night, "This temple's no good! Buddhism is full of shit! Mang Gong doesn't understand Dharma! He's a low class master!"

Once Mang Gong showed up during one of Ko Bong's rampages and screamed at him, "What do you understand?" Everybody was waiting to see what would happen. "KO BONG!'' "Yes!" "Why are you always insulting me behind my back?" Ko Bong looked completely surprised and offended. "Zen Master, I never said anything about you! I was talking about this good-for-nothing Mang Gong!" "Mang Gong? What do you mean, Mang Gong? I'M MANG GONG! What's the difference between me and Mang Gong?" "KAAAATZ!" Ko Bong yelled, loud enough to split your ears. "Go sleep it off," Mang Gong said, and left the room.

My teacher's actions were very bad, but he always kept clear mind. Drink and sex did not hinder it. He always kept just-now mind. ''Mang Gong? What's the difference between me and Mang Gong?" "KAAAATZ!" That katz is very important. Better than money or bags of rice. Mang Gong never bothered Ko Bong for anything after that. Dragon head, dragon tail; Ko Bong believed completely in himself.

Happy Geek Pride Day!

2010-05-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

My name is Blake and I'm a geek. It's true. For those of you who know me, this comes as no surprise. But for those who don't, it's not a difficult conclusion to come to. I am a law librarian. Trading in the court room for the library is tantamount to trading in Atticus Finch for Rupert Giles.

I let it slip, didn't I? The real reason I'm a geek? It's not because I'm a law librarian, although that does give me some geek street cred. What makes me a geek is that I get the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference. And I know that Star Wars premiered on this day in 1977. And, according to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy today is Towel Day. And Terry Pratchett's Discworld celebrates the Glorious 25th of May.

Well today is something else. Today is Geek Pride Day! It's a day which claims that every person can claim the right to be a geek! There is even a manifesto:

Rights:
The right to be even geekier.
The right to not leave your house.
The right to not like football or any other sport.
The right to associate with other nerds.
The right to have few friends (or none at all).
The right to have as many geeky friends as you want.
The right to be out of style.
The right to be overweight and near-sighted.
The right to show off your geekiness.
The right to take over the world.

Responsibilities:
Be a geek, no matter what.
Try to be nerdier than anyone else.
If there is a discussion about something geeky, you must give your opinion.
To save and protect all geeky material.
Do everything you can to show off geeky stuff as a "museum of geekiness."
Don't be a generalized geek. You must specialize in something.
Attend every nerdy movie on opening night and buy every geeky book before anyone else.
Wait in line on every opening night. If you can go in costume or at least with a related T-shirt, all the better.
Never throw away anything related to geekdom.
Try to take over the world!

So in celebration of this most joyous of days I say to you:

May the Force be with you.
Live long and prosper.
Inconceivable!
Kneel before Zod!
Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler…
This is my Boomstick!
NEE!
Excelsior!
The Dude abides.
One ring to rule them all
With great power there must also come — great responsibility.

Can you guess these films? Do you have other quotes? Feel free to add by leaving a comment!

Super Sexy CPR

2010-05-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Periodic Table of Superheroes.

2010-05-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian Pyramid

2010-05-17T08:57:00.001-07:00

How Shari and I met...

2010-05-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

IF

2010-05-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Robin's Big Date!

2010-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Robin's Big Date

Will Smith is guilty!

2010-05-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

What's available in May?

2010-05-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Now I am a huge believer in eating foods that are in season. Of course this is more of a guideline or goal than a strict practice. That being said, so many of use (me included) grew up so removed from the farm that maybe we don't know what is in season. Sure we have a vague idea that apples come into season sometime in the fall and watermelon in the summer. So how do we know what's in season? One simple way to find out is to head on down to your local farmer's market. What's there is what's in season (for the most part). But if you are like me, you want to know ahead of time what you are going to run into. Maybe even have a few recipes available?

For this reason, I have decided that close to the first of the month, I will share with everyone what is in are about to be in season.

May foods in season in the Midwest:

Arugula (aka rocket). It's like lettuce but tastes nutty. Once the weather turns hot, it'll turn nasty.

Asparagus is allegedly in season April through June. But there is a catch here! One plant will only produce edible shoots for about two weeks. Then they turn tough. FYI, asparagus is actually the shoot of what turns into a fern-like plant and is actually quite lovely! They are hard to grow and come in many different colors.

Beets! I love beets! You can roast them, boil them or pickle them. I know that you are used to the red ones but they come in all kinds of fun colors and even stripes.

Carrots should be coming up although with proper storage, you can have them all year long. Heck, with a good enough hoop house, you can leave them in the ground. And yet again, there are a gazillion colors of carrots. Look for purple and red, my favorite!

Fava beans might be available. These are pretty labor intensive so not a lot of farmers will grow them. They go great with a nice bottle of Chianti... but you knew this.

Greens such as chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, beet greens – they can be used almost interchangeably in recipes (although each will add its own distinct flavor). Actually, you could use these where you might use spinach but some of this can have a bit of a kick.

Green garlic and garlic scapes look like giant green onions but taste like garlic. Well, they have a stronger taste than green onion but milder than garlic so adjust accordingly.

Herbs are popping up, especially basil and cilatro. Throw them into everything. You'll thank me later.

Lettuce, which is cool season, is available. With a good set up, you can actually keep lettuce and spinach all year long. Well, maybe not in the super-heat of the summer.

Morels might be lingering about. You can't grow these, though. You have to find them in the wild which I don't recommend you doing. There are "false morels" out there that can make you really, really sick. But if you do find them... YUM!

Mushrooms in general should be available. That being said, if they are being grown and not just gathered, they are available all year long.

Onions aren't technically "in season" but they store easily and a good farmer will have some available. Same is true with...

Potatoes!

Radishes. I'm not a huge fan but hey! There they are!

Rhubarb has been up for about a month. Have you had rhubarb pie? You should. Trust me.

Spinach is up where lettuce is up. I can eat spinach every day. True story.

As far as meat, chicken and turkey are available, of course. You can probably find lamb, beef, bison and pork. However, with summer coming on, the focus should be away from meats and towards veggies. Meat was eaten more in the winter when not a lot of other foods were available. Fish will be abundant although you don't see much fish at a farmer's market.

Of course with modern advances in food storage, it is possible to eat local food all year. My recommendation? But a little extra at the farmer's market and freeze or can it! Virtually everything on my list can be easily stored.

Cat Protection

2010-05-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

How Geeks Meditate

2010-05-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Gardening Tips with Willie Nelson

2010-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Mouth Hoodies

2010-05-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Available from Mouthman.com, these geekishly stylish hoodies are making the rounds on the blog-o-sphere so I figured, why not? They come in a ton of different designs and sizes for kids and adults.

What is Zen?

2010-04-26T06:24:00.001-07:00

Zen is very simple... What are you?

In this whole world everyone searches for happiness outside, but nobody understands their true self inside.

Everybody says, "I" -- "I want this, I am like that..." But nobody understands this "I." Before you were born, where did your I come from? When you die, where will your I go? If you sincerely ask, "what am I?" sooner or later you will run into a wall where all thinking is cut off. We call this "don't know."

Zen is keeping this "don't know" mind always and everywhere.

When walking, standing, sitting,
lying down, speaking, being
silent, moving, being still.
At all times, in all places, without
interruption -- what is this?
One mind is infinite kalpas.

Meditation in Zen means keeping don't-know mind when bowing, chanting and sitting Zen. This is formal Zen practice. And when doing something, just do it. When driving, just drive; when eating, just eat; when working, just work.

Finally, your don't-know mind will become clear. Then you can see the sky, only blue. You can see the tree, only green. Your mind is like a clear mirror. Red comes, the mirror is red; white comes the mirror is white. A hungry person comes, you can give him food; a thirsty person comes, you can give her something to drink. There is no desire for myself, only for all beings. That mind is already enlightenment, what we call Great Love, Great Compassion, the Great Bodhisattva Way. It's very simple, not difficult!

So Buddha said that all beings have Buddha-nature (enlightenment nature). But Zen Master Joju said that a dog has no Buddha-nature. Which one is right? Which one is wrong? If you find that, you find the true way.

Never forget.

2010-04-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock

2010-04-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

It goes off every 108 minutes. From ThinkGeek.com.

My dog is a villian from vaudville!

2010-03-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's a ball with a mustache, a must have for any dog owner!

Jane Wiedlin at Planet Comicon in KC

2010-03-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Star Wars tuna anyone?

2010-03-30T09:33:00.001-07:00

Kansas Zen Center Happenings

2010-03-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

You are cordially invited to join us for any of these events. Newcomers are welcome.

Saturday, March 27, 9am to 12 or 1 PM -- Zen Center Spring Cleaning. We will do some light cleaning and maintenance work around the house and dharma room. There's dripping faucet in the basement bathroom that needs attention, some yard clean up, that kind of thing.

Friday, April 2nd, 7 PM - Carnatic Violin Concert -- Carnatic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_music) violinist and South Indian Classical musician Purnaprjna will be accompanied by an Indian hand drummer. If you have never heard Indian microtonal music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtones) you owe it to yourself to experience this. Purnapraja favors favors the acoustics and intimate setting of our Dharma room for his performances. He is also a mathematics professor at KU (http://www.math.ku.edu/~purna/). Requested donation to Benefit the Kansas Zen Center, $10.00.

Sunday, April 11th, 10:30 AM - Buddha's Birthday & Precepts Ceremony. We will bath the baby Buddha (ask someone about the history of this celebration) and celebrate our new 5 and 10 preceptees.

We look forward to seeing you!

Say you're the first to make contact...

2010-03-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Jay-Z's Garden

2010-03-22T07:33:00.001-07:00

Predators trailer... o_O

2010-03-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Will I ever be this awesome?

2010-03-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

I know Photoshop!

2010-03-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Iron Man 2 Trailer Remix

2010-03-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

St. Patrick's Day survival for fatties...

2010-03-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

So St. Patrick's Day is coming up and you know what that means! Food and booze! But there are ways to enjoy yourself without utterly and completely blowing your diet! What's the key? Not eating? Not drinking? Sure I guess those work. But you know what I prefer? Preparing!

In case you didn't know, I am a follower of the Weight Watchers program. It works for me. So in all of this, I will be talking about "points." Don't understand "points"? Well just multiply what I'm saying but like 50 and pretend I'm talking about calories. Or ignore this and go on your merry way.

The key to surviving St. Patrick's Day is banking your weekly allowance points (35 points), knowing food values and being as active as possible.

So let's say you get 24 points a day and you have all of your 35 weekly points all saved up! Good for you! That gives you 59 points to play with! Excellent!

So what about food values? Well it's hard to know exact food values without having the nutritional value right in front of you. But considering Weight Watchers is what I call an "ish" diet, as long as you come close, you should be okay. So here's a list of popular items with their point values.

Bangers and Mash:
You are familiar with this one, no? It's sausage and mashed potatoes. It'll cost you 13 points.

Shephard's pie:
One of my personal favorites, Shephard's pie will run you around 10 points.

Corned Beef and Cabbage:
I'm kind of "meh" about corned beef and cabbage and at 15 points, not really worth it to me.

Fish and Chips:
I can really gorge myself on fish and chips and I used to think that the points were insane! However, 15 points out of a limit of around 60 for the day ain't so bad.

Guiness:
Guiness runs about 10 calories per ounce. You know what else runs 10 calories per ounce? Bud Lite, Coors Lite and Miller Lite. That's right! Ounce per ounce, Guinness is one of the most low-cal beers around (that's Guiness draft, not Guiness Extra Stout). Guinness will cost you 3 per pint. Or, if you are being served Guiness in a 12-ounce cup, 2 points.

Irish Car Bombs:
Yes, combining Guinness with whisky and Bailey’s Irish Cream does give it a higher points value. With the addition of a creamy, sugary liqueur, an Irish car bomb represents about 5 point values. But you know what? Two of these are you are pretty well set!

So you have roughly 60 points to spend throughout the day. But this does not take into consideration any exercise you might be getting. My recommendation? Hit the gym the days before St. Patrick's Day. And on the day of? Walk, walk and walk. Hop from bar to bar, location to location. I am lucky enough to live around one mile away from the parade route so I'll be walking there, to the bars, and back.

Of course I would be neglecting my duties as a fellow human being if I didn't remind everyone to please be careful and do not drink and drive. Please designate a driver and pay for that driver's food.

Marriage vs. Civil Union

2010-02-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

Help me out here, I think I may be confused.

Is marriage a religious act or not? Because I keep hearing how marriage is religious and that gays shouldn't marry because it's against Christianity and blah blah blah. Okay fine. Let's accept, for the sake of argument, that marriage is religious and that homosexual marriages are banned based on Christian doctrine. Hell, let's say that every single religion out there that has in it's arsenal some prohibition against gays marrying. Fine. You can't get married in the eyes of the church!

Marriage is a religious act.

So here's where I am confused. The United States of America recognizes marriages as de facto evidence contractual unions between two individuals. When those two people are a male and a female, we call that a "marriage." Now some states allow two people of the same sex to join in a contractual union but we don't call it a "marriage" because they can't be married since it's against religious doctrine. We call these "civil unions." Am I right so far?

Here is where I am utterly confused. Why does the United States government recognize marriages AT ALL? I mean, I'm okay with a wedding being evidence of the intent of two people to join not only in a spiritual union ("marriage") but also in a contractual union ("civil union"). But why do we use religion to determine why people should and should not be united? Am I confused about the fact that there is a separation between church and state here?

So check it! I don't believe that people should be "married" in the eyes of the government. Not straights, not gays. It's all Civil Unions. Whether or not you are "married" is between you and your church. And we should ALL be allowed to join into contractual unions with whomever we choose.

Besides, if anyone should not be allowed to marry it should be atheists.

Brad Warner in Kansas City

2010-02-10T16:56:00.000-08:00

Marriage and divorce resources just in time for Valentine's Day!

2010-02-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is coming up and you are thinking of changing the status of your relationship. Well the Wheat Law Library is here to help! Whether you are looking to get married or divorced, we have all of the information you need! Not to mention the forms you need to file.

For information on the web, the Kansas Bar breaks things down nicely. It explains requirements for both marriage and divorce.

Both marriages and divorces are filed with the district court. Although what is required for a marriage doesn't change all too much from one county to another, you will want to check your county when filing for divorce. Douglas County, for example, has a page for getting married as well as a page for getting divorced.

And of course we have tons of resources here at the Wheat Law Library!

The Martindale Hubbell Law Digest contains a brief synopsis of the requirements for marriage and divorce not only in Kansas but also in the other 49 states.

Practitioner's Gude to Family Law is a source put out by the Kansas Bar Association. It contains all of the information you need for marriage and virtually every form you would need to file for divorce.

Kansas Law and Practice: Kansas Family Law is another great series that breaks down the law of marriage and divorce and provides some forms.

These are just a few! We have many more for your legal enjoyment.

So Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at the Wheat Law Library!

Black History Month on SCOTUSblog

2010-02-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

February is Black History Month and in recognition, SCOTUSblog has set up a rather impressive line-up for their programming on Race and the Supreme Court. Over the next four weeks, law professors, litigators, journalists and other top professionals will be donating their time to discuss the United States Supreme Court's historical impact on the black community. These posts promise to reflect "diverse and sometimes divergent views, opinions, attitudes, and assumptions."

Here is a list of their scheduled postings from the website :

Week 1

“Has the Supreme Court Been Mainly a Friend or a Foe to African Americans?: The Supreme Court’s Impact on Black History for the Past Fifty Years”
–Michael Klarman, professor at Harvard Law School

“Ending Racial Preferences”
–Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity

“Justice Kennedy’s Evolving Views On Race”
–Heather Gerken, professor at Yale Law School

Podcast: Interview on Brown v. Board of Education and subsequent litigation over black civil rights
–Jack Greenberg, professor at Columbia Law School and former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund

Week 2

“NAMUDNO: Right Question, Wrong Case”
–Abigail Thernstrom, vice-chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute

“Jones v. Alfred Mayer and the Uniqueness Of Race”
–Michael Rosman, general counsel for the Center for Individual Rights

“The Supreme Court, Race, and Political Representation”
–Kenneth Mack, professor at Harvard Law School

Post on Buchanan v. Warley and residential segregation
–David Bernstein, professor at George Mason University School of Law

Podcast with Vernon Jordan, former president of the National Urban League and civil rights litigator (topic TBA)

Week 3

Podcast: “The Unexpected Consequences of Brown v. Board of Education on African American Schools and Education in the South”
–David Cecelski, historian and author of Along Freedom Road, Hyde County, North Carolina, and the Fate of Black Schools in the South

Podcast on Brown v. Board of Education
–Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio

“The Global Impact of Brown v. Board of Education”
–Mary Dudziak, professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and founder of the Legal History Blog

“What Can Brown Do For You?: The Court’s Struggle Over the Meaning of Equal Protection”
–Pamela Karlan, professor at Stanford Law School

Week 4

Post on “disparate impact analysis” and the Constitution
–Gail Heriot, former commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and present professor at the University of San Diego Law School

Podcast with David Stras, law professor at the University of Minnesota, on his experience clerking for Justice Clarence Thomas

“What Powell v. McCormack Teaches Us About Racial Politics in a Constitutional Democracy”
–Kareem Crayton, professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law

I recommend checking out the blog as well as subscribing to the RSS feed.

New Award Ceremony

2010-02-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

I am starting an award ceremony amongst my friends. Send me your pay stubs from this year and last and give me your boss' name and number. You may qualify for an award! Here are the categories and how I will judge them:

Best new artist: if you didn't make money last year you are a "new artist." Out of the new artists, if you made the most money, you win.

Best female artist: if you are a female and you made more money than any other female, you win.

Best male artist: if you are a male and you made more money than any other male, you win.

Artist of the year: if you mad more money than any other person who submits, you win.

Album of the year: if the company you work for makes more money off of all of your work product then any other company made off of those who submit, you win.

Song of the year: whichever one-time project made the most money wins.

Video of the year: if one of you company's clients made more money off of one of your projects than anyone else's clients made off of them, you win. FYI this is actually the hardest category to get numbers for and so is most suspect.

Well I think that's about it. I mean we could make more categories based on industries such as Best New Artist in the Legal Profession. It would be easy enough to do once we have numbers and know in which field you work.

But the important thing is I won't be looking at the creativity, complexity or quality of your work.

So submit today!
Blake

How to hide your nasty self on FaceBook.

2010-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

I have been collecting friends from every part of my life from people I celebrate with to people I work with to people I teach. Now I had never really given much thought to what I do and say on FaceBook. Honestly, my life is pretty PG-13. But recently I have decided that I should start hiding content from certain classes of people. I mean does my boss really need to know that I made an appointment to get another tattoo? Honestly, she knows that I have tattoos and doesn't care all that much. But does that matter? I came to the conclusion that although my boss doesn't care that I drop an F-bomb, I still shouldn't say it in front of her. So last night, I sat down, created a "hide stuff from" list and the revamped my privacy settings. My first post with these new settings was the foulest thing I had ever written. People were so impressed that they asked me to type up a tutorial on how to say filthy things on FaceBook while hiding it from sensitive eyes. So here it is!

At the top of FaceBook, select "friends."

You should see a list of your friends. Above that list, there is a button that reads "Create New List." Guess what? You are going to select it.

A window should pop up. Enter a name for your list. I chose "work" because most of the people who will go into the list will be people I work with and students. But name it as you will.

Next, choose people to be in that list. If you aren't sure how a person knows you, I suggest erring on the side of caution. You can always remove that person from the list.

Choose "create list" and you are done!

(NOTE: To add or remove people, simply go to "friends" and find that person. There is a drop-down menu next to their name which allows you to add or remove.)

Next, under "settings," choose "privacy." This is where we start selecting which lists can see what on your profile. When you select "profile information," you will see a drop-down list of who can see what. To block people on a list from seeing certain information, you need to click the black triangle and go to "customize." There will be two portions here: "make visible" and "hide from." Under "hide from," type in the name of your list and "Save Setting." Congratulations! You just hid that bit of your profile to an entire group. And of course you can choose individuals to hide from like your Mom or teacher by simply typing in their name. Being on a list is not required it just makes it easier to block content from a whole group of people.

To view your profile, select "Preview My Profile" at the top of this page. It will show you what a stranger will see. But let's say you want to see what your boss sees! Well, type your boss' name in the box labeled "preview how your profile appears to a specific person."

Important! "Posts by me" is your wall. If you want to hide your wall from people on the list, add the list to your "hide from." I don't do this simply because there are some things I want them to see. But how do I hide some posts and not others? Here's the secret!

First get your privacy settings in place. Now you want to post an update. Once you click inside of the box, you will notice a little lock in the right-hand corner. Select it and a drop-down menu appears. Type in the name of the list you want to hide your post from and it will be so hidden. When they look at your wall, all they'll see is your nice, clean posts. Not the nasty, mean, ugly posts.

The same holds true for notes which you can hide from people.

Does all of this make sense? I hope so! Good luck and happy posting!

Westlaw, Lexis: times are a changin'

2010-01-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

It looks like my plans for a daily blog aren't going as planned. No worries! I'll just post them when I can which just might mean Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

So have you heard about Westlaw and LexisNexis and how they are changing with the times? The New York Times reported yesterday that Westlaw and LexisNexis will undergo some major changes in order to accommodate a younger class of lawyers who have cut their teeth on such search interfaces provided Google and Microsoft.

I confirmed all of this with the LexisNexis rep yesterday but am still waiting to hear back from Westlaw. According to the article, Westlaw will introduce its changes on Feb. 1; LexisNexis has yet to specify a date.

This presents itself with a wonderful opportunity for us to grant everyone in Green Hall the chance to go through some training and brush up on research skills! We will present at least two group trainings: one for faculty and staff and another for students. For those who need specialized training, we can arrange small group sessions or even one-on-one training as your scheduling permits.

No times have been set up but I will let you know as soon as we have something scheduled. And as always, contact me if you have any questions!

My name is Blake and I love comics.

2010-01-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

In my youth, I enjoyed collecting and reading comic books. For the most part, I enjoyed your typical super-hero pulp like Superman, X-Men, Batman and Daredevil. My love continued through my early twenties as I not only continued to collect but also work in various comic book stores. Eventually, comics took a back seat to other pursuits such as work and schooling. I sold my collection and bid farewell to what I believed to be a childhood relationship. Little was I to realize how wrong I was.

In late 2008, I learned that one of my favorite graphic novels was to be released in 2009. I went out and purchased a copy of Watchmen and reread it, this time, with the eyes of someone who had three degrees under his belt (Philosophy, Law and Information Science). I noticed the overtly legal theories of justice being portrayed by each character. I also noticed that these characters represented archetypes of comic book super heroes: Batman, Superman, the Question, Wonder Woman and the Atom. In a flash, it dawned on me that the heroes of my youth might be able to be used to explain different legal theories!

Working with another Law Librarian, I began looking at various academic sources to see if this work has been done before. Aside from some basic Law and Superman articles, we could find nothing. So, we read, took notes and came up with a presentation entitled Superheroes and the Law which we presented at a regional Law Librarian’s conference. The presentation was well attended with positive feedback from the audience.

While working on this presentation, which is a general overview, I discovered that there are many legal issues surrounding comics. Anywhere from law suits between publishers to copyright issues to legal symbolism in the comic books themselves. I found my niche!

I also found a reason to get back into comics. At first I started buying every damn thing. Then, slowly, I noticed I only looked forward to a small handful. Why buy the rest? Save some money and focus on the basics but pick up graphic novels as they come out.

So that's where I am with regards to comic books. I'm not a collector, but an admirer who is going to focus his academic career on them.

King Kong-an Interview

2010-01-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

I missed Zen practice with the Kansas City Zen Group last night. Actually, I missed my bus which set my entire evening back such that I would have arrived an half-hour late. Really, it's no big deal, missing a sitting. People may wonder where you are but everyone knows that life is busy. They also know that I commute to work and when I take the bus, it takes me ninety minutes to get home. But last night was our monthly interviews and I really don't like missing them.

So what is an "interview"? Well, an interview goes like this: you sit in front of the teacher and s/he reads you a small story and then asks you questions pertaining to that story which you answer. Sometimes you answer correctly but usually, you answer wrong. The stories are known in Korean as a "kong-an" ("koan" in Japanese) and have a rich history in the Zen tradition, especially with Rinzai.

Here is a famous example of a kong-an from the Kansas Zen Center's website:

A monk asked Joju, “Does a dog have Buddha nature?” Joju answered “Mu.”
That’s the kong-an. Then there are questions attached to the kong-an, for example: “Does a dog have Buddha nature?”

So what is the point of kong-an practice? People sometimes say that the purpose of kong-an practice is for the teacher to check the student’s mind, but that’s not the point. The purpose of kong-an practice is to help us cut through our thinking (see KZC's website). You see, you cannot reason your way through a kong-an. Trust me. I've tried. Thinking about it doesn't work. Answering a kong-an often requires us to use intuition, although I hesitate to use that word.

So basically, it's a situation in which you are being posed a question where to answer it, you must cut through the meaning of the story and applying it to your situation right then, right there. For someone who holds degrees in philosophy, law and information science, where thought, reason and critical thinking have been nurtured and honed, kong-ans are tough. But I will tell you this: I have never, EVER left an interview with a frown on my face. It is not unusual that I have a good laugh at myself and my reactions.

So fear not the kong-an interview! Do as many as you can! It's at least good for a nice chuckle.

Weight and Self-Regulation

2010-01-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Are weight issues related to self-regulation? If you have issues with food, do you have a tendency to have issues with other forms of self-regulation like time and money?

If you don't know, I have always had weight/food issues. I reached my heaviest in 1999 at 233 lbs, went down to 153 and made my way back to 190. I am currently on a downward movement and have been for a couple of years (oh so slowly, which is fine by me!). So what have I learned in my years of dieting?

Most of the issues in my life have come from one, central problem: my ability to self-regulate. On top of that, I have noticed that my friends who have weight problems also have problems in self-regulation.

The main areas where self-regulation seem to manifest in problems appear to be with regards to

time
money
diet

Personally, I have never had an issue with time. But money and diet? Oh yeah! Big time!

So what has helped me to start losing weight again isn't just a diet plan. It's been learning self-regulation. In order for me to lose weight, I decided that I needed to come up with a method for controlling all aspects of my life. So here's what I have done:

Made a schedule. I have scheduled everything that's going to happen throughout the day from what time I'm getting up (5:00 am), to breakfast (6:30 am) to what time am I meditate (9:00 pm) and head to bed (10:00 pm). I am not incredibly strict with regards to my schedule since, as I said before, time has never been an issue. But my wife, who does have time-management problems, has everything broken down and put reminders in her calendar. When the beep goes off, it's time for her to move on to what she needs to do next.
Made a money budget. I have an iPhone, which has proven to be a life-saver! Not only does it make me super-cool, but it has apps and as the commercials say, "There's an app for that." I found an app for budgeting. Now, whenever I buy something, I put it in my iPhone right then, right there, before I even leave the counter. It has helped me tremendously!
Found a food budget. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I love Weight Watchers and I'll tell you why: each food item gets a point value and you get to eat a certain number of points per day. It's not unlike a checking account! And the rules are similar: if you want something big, save up points. And of course my iPhone makes using Weight Watchers easier for me.

I'm not telling anyone to run out and get an iPhone or join Weight Watchers. These are tools that seem to fit my personality. Also, being a guy, I really don't have the luxury of carrying a purse where I can stow away a calendar, cell phone, MP3 player, diet journal and check book. Relying solely on one device has really made things simpler for me. I do recommend, however, that if you diet, use a diet that relies on numbers be it counting carbs or calories. There are tons of diets out there. Just make sure you choose one that is healthy. Hell! Go ask your doctor!

So that's about it. I will let you know how my weight loss is progressing and will post any tips that might pop up in my head!

I'm back!

2010-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Birds flyin' high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
yeah, its a new dawn its a new day its a new life for me ooooooooh
AND I'M FEELING GOOD

Man I love me some Nina Simone. There's just something raw about her music... something organic.

Anyway, I have decided to fire up my blog again. That being said, there are a few issues that I run into when it comes to blogging. Okay... really it's just one issue.

I'M INTO SO MANY THINGS!

I'm a law librarian.

I read comic books.

I practice Zen.

I am a huge geek.

But aren't I assuming that blogs HAVE to be single-subject? Isn't this on of the reasons Brad Warner's blog, Hardcore Zen, gets poo-pooed by many in the Zen community?

Well you know what? I really don't care! This blog isn't about Zen, comics or the law. It's about me and the things I like. However, I will set up a schedule to make things easier on me and my readers. Below is a rough draft.

Monday - crap that came to me during the weekend

Tuesday - stuff pertaining to law librarianship (I'm posting this already so why not?)

Wednesday - Zen, since Tuesday night is when my Sangha meets

Thursday - comic book... they come out on Wednesday

Friday - I don't know

Now to top all of this off, I am back on Weight Watchers and I think I will share that. Weigh-in is on Wednesday nights so maybe two blogs on Thursday or every-other week, rotating with comics? Not sure.

Any suggestions would be most helpful!

Thanks!
Blake

Happy Bodhi Day!

2009-12-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Where ever Buddhism goes, it picks up the customs and bits of the culture from the country it arrives in. So perhaps we should incorporate Buddhism with some of our winter holiday customs? After all the Christian celebration of Christmas was incorporated with the Roman celebration of Saturnalia and also Soltice customs. And Jeebus' Birfday, of course.

December 8 is Bodhi Day, by some Buddhist traditions. This day honors the enlightment of Siddhartha Gautama. Bodhi Day would be a good way to integrate the winter holidays with Buddhism. Here are some suggestions for integrating our customs with Buddhism:

* String multicolored lights around your home. These lights represent enlightenment.That they are multicolored represents the many pathways all of which are valid. Turn on the lights each evening starting on December 8 and for 30days after. Your neighbors will simply think they are Christmas lights and would never guess that you are a complete heathen.

* Light a candle every night to symbolize enlightenment. And to cover up the smell of your litter boxes. What are you doing with four cats anyway?

* The Bo tree (ficus religiousa) is the tree under which the Buddha sat. Buy a potted live ficus tree for your home (a ficus benjamina will do if you can't find a ficus religiousa) decorate this tree with lights, strings of beads representing how all things are united, and three shiny bulbs representing the three jewels of Buddhism. Yes, a ficus tree. The tree favored by malls everywhere.

* Sujata offered The Buddha milk and rice which helped him to regain his strength so that he could become enlightened. A breakfast of milk and rice would be a way to start Bodhi day with mindfulness. Or Rice Krispies® . Or Rice Krispies® Treats!

* Make Bo tree cookies or Bo leaf cookies - the leaves are heart shaped so you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter and ice them green. And when people ask, "Why green hearts?" you can say they are Vulcan hearts in celebration of the release of Star Trek on DVD.

So how will you celebrate? I plan on hanging lights and eating Rice Krispies® Treats with a glass of milk. I might make some Snickerdoodles. Man I love Snickerdoodles!

Five Precepts and Buddha's Enlightenment Ceremony

2009-11-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 13th, I will be taking the Five Precepts at the Kansas Zen Center and taking part in the Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony. You are invited to participate !This all begins at 10:30 a.m. with lunch following.

Kansas Zen Center
1423 New York
Lawrence, KS

For more information, visit the Kansas Zen Center's website at http://kansaszencenter.org/. Look under "Events."

Hope to see you there!
Blake

Random Thoughts

2009-11-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Random Thoughts for the Day

* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die

* Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong

* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger

* There is great need for a sarcasm font

* How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

* Was learning cursive really necessary?

* Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood

* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the
person died

* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired

* Bad decisions make good stories

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for
the rest of the day

* Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I
don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear
I did not make any changes to

* "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this --
ever

* I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn
it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to
voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away?

* I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.

* My 5-year old nephew asked me in the car the other day "Uncle Blake, what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?

* I think the freezer deserves a light as well

I wouldn't call myself a Buddhist...

2009-08-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I started meditating because it helped me, big time. I wasn't interested in becoming a Buddhist at all. As a matter of fact, I avoided joining a Sangha (a community of Buddhists) like the plague. But it was suggested to me that I do so by a teacher I greatly respect, Brad Warner.

I searched for a group that had a legitimate lineage. I was not interested in Buddhist reading groups! They have a tendency to simply want to look like Buddhists. I wanted a group whose main focus was meditating so I knew I wanted to find a Zen group ("zen" means "meditation"). I came across a group that sits near me called the Kwan Um School of Zen which descends from the Chongye School of Zen in Korea . Very down-to-earth. Sure they are into interviewing, chanting and bowing, which were new to me, but every sangha has its own "thing."

So I went one Tuesday evening to the Unity Temple on the Plaza and sat. I attended their Intro to Zen Class and their Compass of Zen Class at the Kansas Zen Center in Lawrence, KS. I sat one one-day retreat and one weekend retreat and plan to sit one of each again this fall. This winter, I hope to receive the precepts which pretty much means I would officially become a Zenny (my phrase).

But I really wouldn't call myself a Buddhist. Sure I sit Zen style. But I also hit the heavy bag. Does that make me a boxer?

Blake

Oh yeah! If anyone is in the Kansas City/Lawrence area and is interested in learning more, there is a Foundations of Zen Class on Thursdays, September 17 and September 24 at 7 p.m. The cost is $20 for both sessions. The money is used to help support the Zen Center (keeping the lights on and all). Led by Dharma Teacher Jane Gnojek who is the cat's meow.

http://kansaszencenter.org/

"Zen" eating

2009-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks, I've shared with people my experience of sitting a retreat at the Kansas Zen Center. People seem pretty cool with everything except for the dining part. "You eat quickly? Doesn't sound very Zen?" They always seem to think that "Zen Eating" would be slow, feeling every texture, taking in every taste. Nope! That's Mindful Eating. Nothing wrong with Mindful Eating. Just like there's nothing wrong with Mindful Meditation! It's just not Zen style. Here is a bit from the Kwan Um Temple Rules with regards to eating. Keep in mind that these are rules for the temple, not for everyday life.

On Eating

An eminent teacher said, "A day without work is a day without eating."

There are two kinds of work: inside work and outside work. Inside work is keeping clear mind. Outside work is cutting off selfish desires and helping others.

First work, then eat.

Eat in silence. Do not make unnecessary noise.

While eating, attend only to yourself. Do not be concerned with the actions of others.

Accept what is served with gratitude. Do not cling to your likes and dislikes.

Do not seek satisfaction in eating. Eat only to support yourself in your practice. (my emphasis)

Though you may eat good food all your life, your body will die.

The Great Way is not difficult.
Simply cut off all thought of good and bad.
Salt is salty,
Sugar is sweet.

So there you have it! I hope this helps clear things up?

Last Weekend's Retreat

2009-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

So I sat my first weekend-long retreat this past weekend. If you ever get the chance to attend an extended retreat, I highly suggest you do so. And if you do, here's a bit of insider information.

Sitting for a great length of time is really not bad at all. At no point did I think to myself, "You know... they have my money and really would not care if I just got up and left." Also, my feet never fell asleep. This had not been the case before. I don't know if it's because I have been sitting for a while or it it's because I've been exercising more or what. But I was expecting complete gimpiness but it never occurred.

Meals are a bit quarky but really, really cool. There are bowls involved and proper placement of stuff. Also you have to eat everything you take. Not too difficult for a chubber like me!

The rest periods are the worst part and can be somewhat awkward at the beginning. Really, the only rules you have to stick to is keeping silent. So you can wander around town if you want. Most people just napped. It was like walking into a cat lady's house on a hot afternoon. Everyone just found a place and crashed. I walked around the block and discovered that the cats in the neighborhood surrounding the Zen Center aren't as friendly as the cats in my neighborhood. HISSSSSSSSSS!

Well that's about all I can tell you. If and when the chance arises, I am sure I will sit another retreat. I can't share with you the effects but just know that they are there.

A special thanks to everyone who made this possible: Thom Pastor, Judy Roitman and Tom Davis for being good bosses; Jane Gnojek for all the yummy food; and Rita Sooby for being a patient cushion neighbor, not caring that I kept getting whacked with the whacking stick (what's that called?) or sploshing my water all over the place, making a big, wet mess. There were a lot of other people there, too, and without them I would not have had the experience I did. THANKS EVERYBODY!

Only going forward 'cause we can't find reverse!

2009-05-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

We all know that Star Trek opens up today and that everyone will be blogging about it. They might say how totally awesome it looks or how everyone hopes that this is J.J. Abrams redemption for putting out that POS Cloverfield. Instead, I would like to point you to my so far favorite tribute to Star Trek: [Adult Swim]. AS has every Star Trek bit from their entire repertoire. Below is my favorite.

Live Long and Prosper, Bitches!

Superheroes Super Healthy Cookbook

2009-05-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

From Daily Scans comes a book put out by DC Comics back in 1981. It's a cookbook entitled The Superheroes Super Healthy Cookbook. It has all kinds of goodies like Green Arrow's "My Secret Pizza" and the "Batmix." My favorite, though, is Wonderwoman catching a banana missile. Oh yeah!

By the way, if anyone finds one, I'd love to have it!

Crazy Comic Weekend

2009-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens up today! Go buy your tickets now before they sell out! Many theaters are offering promotions as a means of celebrating (and to get your business). My favorite is the old standby, "dress up as a character." My wife and I discussed who we would dress up as were we to actually dress up. Although not in the movie, she decided she we be that girl with the white stripe in her hair ("Rogue?"). I said that I could do Wolverine but she didn't think me to be tall enough. Apparently she doesn't know Wolverine's actual height or she would realize that I am actually too tall to play the part (I'm over by four inches). She decided I should be the guy with the eyes who wears those glasses ("Cyclops?"). That's an easy costume.

Also, don't forget that tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! Blackest Night #0 (pictured) is one of the many books being handed out and it is the one I am most excited for. Supplies are limited so I suggest you get there there moment your comic book store opens. And just like the Wolverine movie, there will be all kinds of promotions. I suggest you simply wear what you wore the night before to the showing of Wolverine, assuming you went in costume!

GeekDad Props

2009-04-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned something about The Stand being acted out on Twitter? 'Member that? Well I informed the powers that be at Wired.com's GeekDad blog and you know what? They ran with it! So check out the posting!

Thanks to GeekDad Eric Banks for thanking me. Is this going to be an infinite thanking circle? Because we could destroy the universe with one of those!

Taking a Stand on Twitter

2009-04-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today I received some strange notices on Twitter. It started with the statement, "Abigail Freemantle (motherabigail) is now following your updates on Twitter." Next came Randall Flagg, then Stu Redman and finally Larry Underwood. They are tweeting each other and I have been watching it unfold. Anyone recognize these people? They are characters from Stephen King's The Stand. Read it? Earlier I posted the comment "Now is a bad time to read The Stand."

Do you get it?

Randall Flagg http://twitter.com/VegasWalkinDude
Larry Underwood http://twitter.com/larry_underwood
Abigail Freemantle http://twitter.com/motherabigail
Stu Redman http://twitter.com/Stu_Redman

I am not sure if there are more. I will keep you posted.

Blake

CoZ9: Six Paramitas, One Thousand Hands and One Thousand Eyes

2009-04-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

This lesson turned out being a little rough simply because each article I referenced seemed to call things by different names. So if I'm off on a few of these, sorry!

This week's lesson is on the Six Paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism. For those who don't know (like me), the term Paramita or Parami means "Perfect" or "Perfection". In Buddhism, the Paramitas (in our case, six) refer to the perfection or culmination of certain virtues. These virtues are cultivated as a way of purification, purifying karma and helping the aspirant to live an unobstructed life, while reaching the goal of Enlightenment. This is a perfect placement of this lesson because last lesson (which I did not blog about) was about Karma.

Okay, so the Six Paramitas are:

Generosity (dana)
Precepts (conduct) (sila)
Perseverance (patience) (khanti)
Effort (energy) (virha)
Samadhi (meditation)
Wisdom (prajna)

In Therevada Buddhism, the list is a little different for four more added just in case:

Generosity
Conduct
Renunciation (nekkhamma)
Wisdom
Energy
Patience
Truthfulness (sacca)
Determination (adhitthana)
Loving-kindness (metta)
Equanimity (upekkha)

It would appear that Therevada adds renunciation, truthfulness, loving-kindness and equanimity. Determination is listed with meditation left out. In theory, they could be the same although it's not entirely clear.

I find it interesting that one of the virtues being culminated in Theravada is one of renunciation. When I read "renunciation" I automatically think of joining a monestary. But upon further study, it would appear that "renunciation" is to give up the world and lead a holy life. It is also one of the first steps in the "right thought" (or "right intention") parts of the eightfold path (8FP).

Some of these others seem to come directly from the eightfold path (or vice versa).

Here is the 8FP for review:
Right View
Right Thought
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right meditation

Effort and meditation are just straight up listed in the 8FP. Wisdom and mindfulness the same thing, maybe? Wisdom is what is gained from direct understanding of the four noble truths, one of the truths being the 8FP. Energy is effort. Truthfulness... truth... as in "four noble"? Could be! Equanimity, in Therevada, is the effect of meditation. So really, equanimity is kinda meditation? But what about determination? I'm so confused. And tired.

Thousand Eyes and Hands Sutra Comments:

We were also asked to look at the Thousand Eyes and Hands Sutra. Man does it have some comic-book level cosmology in it! I mean, it pretty much states that Avalokitesvara has a thousand arms and a thousand eyes! Straight out of Lovecrafts' Cthulhu mythos!

Some things I noticed:

Avalokitesvara bodhisattva is refered as "it." Supports my Chtulul theory. Although this may have something to do with how some cultures see Avalokitesvara as male and others as female and a few as being both. "It" is one way to show gender neutrality. But when you take into account that this sutra states, when memorized and chanted, it fulfills our wishes and wipes out all bad karma, "it" might just be some mystical being from another somewhere.

There is referance to "the heaven, the dragon and the holy beings." And there seems to be lots of different types of hells. I'm sure each represents more than just "filled with swords." There are tons of worlds. I'm starting to think that each different world or hell represents different states of minds. Although I still like the Chtulu theory. To top it off, there are many different names for Kwan Se Um Bosal (aka, Avalokitesvara; aka "It"), each being a different incarnation in charge of different aspects of cosmology.

There is talk of "rebirth" but seems to be more symbolic refering to the body as a "bright flag" and mind as "the wonder." Does this mean that reincarnation is a metaphor?

There is a little repentance. Very churchy, but it's all good.

And finally, there is one line I feel is the true take-home point behind everything:

"Our karma has no self-nature; it arises only out of mind. If the mind disappears, our karma will also disappear."

Weekendiness

2009-04-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

I guess Shari and I had a very busy weekend! I won't bore you with all of the details! I'll just give you a break down.

Friday: Shari and I ate pizza with my nephew and his girlfriend at Waldo Pizza. He had just gotten his lip pierced and was in the city. So nice to see him!

Saturday: I had my Compass of Zen class in the morning (ALWAYS an awesome time) and worked on the farm from noon until three. We showered, napped then headed off to couples yoga with our friends John and Trina.

Sunday: We started the day off at church. I have got to say that I love the services. However, they offer a ton of classes and lectures that are a bit too new-age for me. Perhaps it's the pragmatic Buddhist in me but I really don't need to see someone channeling the 12 Archangels. Granted, these are separate from the church's teachings and I have to constantly remind myself! But honestly, I wish they wouldn't put this crap in the bulletins. It just scares the straights.

Anyway, after church, Rachel (my good friend from law school), Shari and I headed off to Wally World for some gardening supplies including a brand new electric lawn mower. Our last one died right at the end of the season last year. I am so excited to start this bad boy up! Well we did some yard work, went to the grocery store, made cupcakes and walked the dogs. By the way, our tulips are gorgeous and no... the picture above is not ours although they are not far off.

Over all, it was a nice weekend. A bit busy but not in a bad way. I hope everyone else had a good one as well.

Crazy Weekend, Yo!

2009-03-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Southwestern Association of Law Libraries (SWALL) annual meeting. A colleague of mine, Lauren (who will probably read this so I won't talk smack about her), and I volunteered to lecture on Superheroes and the Theories of Legal Jurisprudence. That's a fancy way of saying that comic book superheroes tend to represent certain theories of criminal justice and those theories can be studied by reading comic books. Our talk took place Thursday afternoon and was one of the first ones so turnout was good (also the topic is kinda cool if I do say so myself). Shari snuck in and was able to see me lecture. It was her first time watching!

I knew how exciting Law Librarians could be so I was worried that Shari wouldn't be able to keep up with all of our craziness but she was quite the trooper! It helped that there was a Latinos in Science conference going on at the hotel at the same time. She wandered from display to display, picking up materials she might find useful in the classroom. There was a ton of horticulture stuff!

We trapesed around Old Town and ate a ton of food. We even went into downtown Albuquerque to eat pizza and watch the KU game. I got a migraine from a chocolate brownie which I totally deserved! Lauren even saw me eat it and she was like, "You are so going to get a headache." I totally believe I wouldn't have had she kept her trap shut!

Our return flight was scheduled for Saturday morning. You see, we had a cupcake party to attend Saturday night and there was no way we were going to miss that! Okay... there was a way: the closing of the Kansas City airport. A freak storm hit KC while we were in the air and the pilot was required to turn the plane around. We had to spend another night in Albuquerque! Luckily we were able to book a flight for early Sunday morning. We spent Saturday evening in a casino where I played blackjack and Shari fed the slots.

SWALL ended up being one of the best conferences I had ever been to (even with the canceled flight). It was small and I got to meet everyone. It also helped that the conference was being held in the hotel so there was no time loss going from room to meetings. The people there were great and I met a lot of new friends.

Farmer Blake

2009-03-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the work of authors such as Michael Pollan and the growing popularity of the 100 Mile Diet, the demand for locally produced farm products has grown beyond what is available. To help address this issue, K-State set up the Growing Growers program. Growing Growers started as a response to requests by area organic growers for a training program to increase numbers of local organic producers. Through Growing Growers, one can take part in a training program which facilitates on-farm apprenticeships complemented by workshops on critical skills. The idea is to train new growers and improve the skills of existing growers to meet large demand for local and organically grown produce in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

I found out about this program just under a month ago. Okay, I heard about it from Shari last year but it didn't really sink in until a friend of mine brought it up in February. So I emailed the director and a whole slew of host farms with the hopes that Shari and I could take part in this program.

I suppose I should explain a bit here for those who know me but yet find themselves shocked that I am at all interested in farming. For the longest time, I have dreamed of having a hobbie farm. It wasn't one of those dreams that gets me into K-State to study agriculture. I wasn't driven to go out and actually start a farm for profit. Instead, it was a, "When I settle down, I want to have some land with crops, horses, chickens and goats." Well I think we are a parcel of land away from this happening. And should we end up selling our products to local vendors and at market, then great!

Of course, this is the small version of the dream. The BIG version involves the above mentioned farm with a bed & breakfast and retreat center. The retreat center would be rented out to groups who wish to do working retreats such as working on the farm! Slick, eh? Also, we could bring in at-risk kids during the summer months to get them reconnected with the earth. Shari says it does wonders. She would know! Her masters is in counseling (she would run the at-risk part, by the way). But it's real easy to get carried away in fantasies, especially big ones.

Regardless of where I end up, I have a good understanding of my next step and that's to get my hands dirty. Shari and I visited several farms in the Kansas City area and each one as different as can be. I know that I could learn so much from each one! I talked with many people, sharing our dream and listened to their advice. After many visits, Shari and I found a match with the Kansas City Community Farm. The KCCF is a smal, two acre farm in Kansas City, Kansas, just six miles away from our house. They have a monstrous greenhouse! They rent out pallets to the community so that people can start their seeds. Anyone can rent space there and I saw that some local farms, such as Badseed Farm (the farm that provides my favorite restaurant, Eden Alley, with their veggies), start their plants there. They have had school groups come in to visit and work on the farm, something that Shari finds very appealing. It seems to be a very busy place which means they have to run a tight ship. This adds a layer of farm management which is attractive to me. Also, the smaller size of the farm would be closer to what Shari and I would be dealing with.

Needless to say, I am very excited to be a part of this program. I will keep you all up to date on what's going on with it.

Comic Life

2009-03-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered a really cool program called Comic Life. It's a drag-and-drop comic book creator. Basically, it's scrap-booking for geeks. Check out the comic I did using pictures from last Halloween. It's pretty slick, yo!

CoZ5: The Heart Sutra

2009-02-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Maha
Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutra

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
when practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita
perceives that all five skandhas are empty
and is saved from all suffering and distress.

Shariputra,
form does not differ from emptiness,
emptiness does not differ from form.
That which is form is emptiness,
that which is emptiness, form.

The same is true of feelings,
perceptions, impulses, consciousness.

Shariputra,
all dharmas are marked with emptiness;
they do not appear or disappear,
are not tainted or pure,
do not increase or decrease.

Therefore, in emptiness no form, no feelings,
perceptions, impulses, consciousness.

No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind;
no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch,
no object of mind;
no realm of eyes
and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness.

No ignorance and also no extinction of it,
and so forth until no old age or death
and also no extinction of it.
No suffering, no origination,
no stopping, no path, no cognition,
also no attainment with nothing to attain.

The Bodhisattva depends on Prajna Paramita
and the mind is no hindrance;
without any hindrance no fears exist.
Far apart from every perverted view one dwells in Nirvana.

In the three worlds
all Buddhas depend on Prajna Paramita
and attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi.

Therefore, know that the Prajna Paramita
is the great transcendent mantra
is the great bright mantra,
is the utmost mantra,
is the supreme mantra,
which is able to relieve all suffering
and is true, not false.
So proclaim the Prajna Paramita mantra,
proclaim the mantra which says:

gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha
gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha
gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha.

This is the Heart Sutra. Or rather, the Sutra (sutra) of the Heart (hrdaya) of the Perfection of Insight (prajna paramita). The Perfection of Insight Sutra is much longer. I have not seen it but I'm guessing that where in the Heart Sutra is says, "and so forth, " the Perfection fo Insight Sutra actually lists the stuff the Heart Sutra is so forth-ing.

To help understand what is being said here, I should probably define some words/concepts.

Avalokitesvara: this is Kwan Yin (Chinese), Konnon (Japanese) or Kwan Um (Korean). Legend has it that Avalokitesvara, an enlightened being (Bodhisattva) realized the truth behind the Heart Sutra while meditating. Avalokitesvare is known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It is rumored that the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara*.

Shariputra: this is the person to whom this talk is given. I don't know why it's left in.

Skandha: these are those things which make up the human experience. Eyes/sight, ears/hearing, nose/smelling, tongue/taste, body/touch, mind/thinking. So when they say that all five skandas are empty, what's being said is what your senses pick up ain't the way things are (or rather, ain't what you make them out to be).

"Ignorance and so forth until no old age or death": aka, Dependant Origination. Remember that post a couple of weeks ago? No? Slacker! Go back and look! BTW, the "and so forth" is ten things. I'm guessing the original went through and listed each one.

Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi: this translates into something like, "unexcelled perfect enlightenment." I'm not sure why they don't translate everything but there you are.

"Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha": "Gone, gone, gone to the shore beyond." By the way, it's pronounced GAH-TAY although it is fun to go hilbilly and say GAYT GAYT PARA-GAYT.

The Heart Sutra sums up Mahayana Buddhism quite well and is chanted all the damn time. It sticks in your head more than that new McDonald's fish sammich song.

* Just so you know, Buddhism doesn't preach anything about the afterlife and is completely silent on reincarnation. So believe it if you will! Personally, I'm sceptical.

Superman vs. Captain Marvel

2009-02-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

So I'm home, sick, recovering from some stomach bug, grading homework and watching Justice League Unlimited. I'm on disc three and one of the episodes, the title of which I missed, features Captain Marvel/Shazam. The tension between Superman and Captain Marvel is thick. Well, that's a misstatement. Supes is really, REALLY annoyed with Capt. Marvel. Anyone know why? Well I DO!

You see, back in 1940, Fawcett Comics featured a character called Captain Marvel in their Whiz Comics. National Comics (which eventually becomes DC Comics) got all up in a huff because they were convinced that Capt. Marvel was an infringement on their copyright. You see, Superman came out in Action Comics two years before. Although the lower court said, "Nuh uh! Captain Marvel doesn't have eyeball lasers!", The appeals court, under Learned Hand (you law geeks know Learned Hand), sent it all back, saying that yeah... there prolly was some type of infringment. They had to hash it out and figure out monetary damage.

Thanks to the suit, Fawcett Comics was disolved (or at least the superhero line) and DC acquired the rights to Captain Marvel in 1970.

So when someone asks you who wins between Capt. Marvel and Superman? Well, in court, Superman.

OH... The case, by the way, is National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications, 191 F.2d 594, (2d Cir. 1951)

CoZ4: Mahayana Buddhism and the Four Great Vows

2009-02-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

Mahayana Buddhism

There are those who believe that Hinayana was the first form of Buddhism that Siddharta taught. That he was easing people into Buddhism; to prepare peoples' minds for his great view. So he taught them that life is a big, fat, disappointment and that it is ignorance, desire and suffering that made it so. That you must understand that the world is impermanent and attain insight into impurity and non-self. He taught that you can attain Nirvana ($8.99 for a used CD). If you do actions and avoid bad, you can get happiness. All you have to do is follow the precepts! Pure mind, stillness and bliss? Sign me up!

So what is Mahayana Buddhism? Well, as the story goes, Siddharta started to expand on Buddhism as his students matured. The emphasis moved away from suffering, impurity or the concepts of "good" and "bad." Instead, Mahayana focuses on what we can do with this suffering to take away others' suffering. There's a greater focus here on "function" as in, "What is your proper function?"

It begins with showing that the world is empty (what with all this changing going on). The funny thing is that once you realize that the world is empty and you realize that suffering is of the world, you figure out that... well... suffering is empty. Yep. There is no suffering (okay, okay... so something being "empty" is NOT the same as in not existing, but you get my point). So where Hinyana ends with emptiness, Mahayana uses it as a starting point. To boot, Mahayana teaches that practicing isn't something that one does for oneself but rather it's something one does for all ya'll! It is vowing to not enter into Nirvana until the last sentient being is saved from suffering (which didn't Nirvana help end the suffering that was late 80's pop music?).

Mahayana has six main teaching points.

1. Insight into the existence and nonexistence of the Dharmas. All substance is empty and without self-nature. Since everything is empty, it is all the same.

2. Insight into the fact that there are no external tangible characteristics, and that all is emptiness. This is names and forms which are created by your mind. Wait? How? "You" and "mind" are empty? Exactly! Emptiness begets emptiness, yo! Believing otherwise makes you a not-so-happy camper.

3. Insight into existence, emptiness and the Middle Way (not Milky Way which is a far inferior candy bar compared to Snickers). Emptiness already IS the Middle Way: no good, no bad; no here, no there; no birth, no death; no I, no you. Since nothing ever comes or goes, everything is already complete, lacking nothing (since there's nothing to lack).

4. Insight into the true aspect of all phenomena. Emptiness is absolute. And my Absolute is empty. Too many vodka martinis. Since everything is empty, everthing is complete. Therefore, everything is the truth just as they are: sun, moon, cat, poop, all truth! Dog is barking: truth. Sky is blue: truth. Hinayana says that nothing is truth since it's always changing. This is a major difference!

5. Insight into the mutual interpenetration (bow chicka bow bow) of all phenomena. Everything is truth so everything exists with no hindrance. Clouds move through the sky but they do not hinder the sky. Just as, eventually, thoughts or feelings cannot hinder you. You can use happiness or suffering to help others!

6. Insight which sees that phenomena themselves are the Absolute. Now this isn't just book learning type of understanding. This is more along the lines of experiencing that all things are absolute just as they are. There's a level of attainment involved. Once that happens, all of your actions are for others since there is no "I."

So with an empty mind, we become like a mirror. A mirror is empty. But when a kitten is held in front of it, it reflects kitten. When a gray hair appears, it reflects a gray hair. It doesn't like or dislike. It just reflects.

Four Great Vows

Mahayana is known as the Bodhisattva Way. There are four vows which are spoken, stating the practitioner's commitment to this path. I have listed here the vows as we say them with the Kwan Um school. I also listed alternate versions for the fun of it.

1. Sentient beings are numberless. We vow to save them all.

to save innumerable living beings,[1]
I vow to deliver innumerable sentient beings[2]
Sentient Beings Are Numberless, I Vow to Liberate Them[3]
to help all sentient beings[4]

2. Delusions are endless. We vow to cut through them all.

to eradicate countless earthly desires,[1]
I vow to eliminate all vexations.[2]
Desires are Inexhaustible, I Vow to Put an End to Them[3]
to terminate all vexations[4]

3. The teachings are infinite. We vow to learn them all.

to master immeasurable Buddhist teachings[1]
I vow to master limitless approaches to Dharma.[2]
The Dharmas Are Boundless, I Vow to Master Them[3]
to learn all the Buddha Dharma (Buddha's teachings)[4]

4. The Buddha Way is inconceivable. We vow to attain it.

to attain supreme enlightenment[1]
I vow to attain supreme buddhahood.[2]
The Buddha's Way is Unsurpassable, I Vow to Become It[3]
to attain the highest enlightenment or Buddhahood[4]

Normally we say the vows after chanting whenever we get together. I'm supposed to memorize them. I guess rote is the only way to go, huh? Unless I can come up with a mnemonic device: SDTB... Sleeping Dogs Try Biting? Southern Dames Tame Boys? Sloppy Dressers Tie Bows?

I'll think about it.

[1]http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=824
[2]http://www.ashokaedu.net/coursedev/chan/chan8a.htm
[3]http://www.cuke.com/dchad%20misc/four-vows.html
[4]http://www.chan1.org/ddp/channews/12-1994.html

CoZ3: Four Noble Truths and Three Seals

2009-02-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

Four Noble Truths

Today's homework assignment involves the Four Noble Truths (or as I like to say them, the Four Nople Troofs). For those of you who don't already know, after Siddharta sat under the ficus tree for however long he sat (six years is the common myth), he emerged with the basics of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Now of course he didn't just sit down and say, "Here are these four things. Memorize them." Nah... that would have been too easy. Instead he gave them some foreign name then explained them. So when you see the Four Noble Truths, you are really seeing somebody else's interpretation of what those truths are. Wouldn't it be interesting to see several different versions of the Four Noble Truths? I know that my guiding teacher thinks it would be interesting! So here we go.

NOTE: Zen Master Seung Sahn's version will be the first.

1. Suffering: all things are suffering.

Life means suffering.[1]

The Nature of Suffering, "Dukkha" (not to be confused with Count Dooku, although perhaps we have some insight into his name):
"This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering."[2]

The Existence of Impermanence.[3]

This is Suffering.[4]

Existence is suffering (The truth of suffering).[5][6]

2. Origination: the twelve links of dependent origination, in order.

The origin of suffering is attachment.[1]

Suffering's Origin, "Samudaya" (NOT Mocha Chocalata ya ya):
"This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination."[2]

The Arising of Suffering Because of Craving.[3]

The Causes of Suffering.[4]

Suffering is caused by desire (The truth of the cause of suffering).[5]

This suffering is caused by human craving.[6]

3. Stopping: the twelve links of dependent origination, in reverse order.

The cessation of suffering is attainable.[1]

Suffering's Cessation, "Nirodha" (Remember the TV show, Rhoda? It was a spin-off of Mary Tyler Moore.):
"This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it."[2]

The Cessation of Suffering.[3]

SUffering Can End, Nirvana is Peace.[4]

Eliminate the cause of suffering and the suffering will cease to arise (The truth of cessation of suffering).[5]

There is a cessation of the suffering, which is nirvana (unless you don't like Grunge).[6]

4. The path: the eightfold path.

The path to the cessation of suffering.[1]

The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, "Magga":
"This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."[2]

The Middle Way, or the Noble Eightfold Path.[3]

The True Path, or Eight-fold Noble Path.[4]

The eight fold path (or middle way) is the way to eliminate desire (The truth of the path).[5]

Nirvana can be achieved, in this or future lives, through the "eightfold path." DANG![6]

The Three Seals of Existence

Another realization the Siddharta came to was that all things are marked by three characteristics. The understanding of each of these leaves an scar on your consciousness that can never be removed!

1. All compound things are impermanent. Things are constantly changing from creation to destruction. Knowing this helps you to not be so attached to stuff.

2. All Dharmas are without self-nature. Since things constantly change, nothing has a lasting essence, not laws or names or cats or pineapples or blogs!

3. Nirvana is perfect stillness. Understanding that things are impermanent and without self-nature, you are not taken in my names and forms. This leads you to understand that the universe is already completely empty and still. Nothing ever comes and goes!

[1] http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths

[3] http://www.4truths.com/

[4] http://viewonbuddhism.org/4_noble_truths.html

[5] http://www.amazing-thailand.com/Relig.html

[6] http://rfraley301.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html

Don't it just figure?

2009-02-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

"What is your meditation practice?"

"I sit zazen for twenty-five minutes every day."

"I want you to do bowing meditation. Preferably all 108. It should only take you twelve minutes but you will be sweaty."

Oh yeah! And your legs will hate you.

That's what I get for blogging about bowing.

108 Bows

2009-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

So last night we were talking about bowing meditation. During early morning practice, it is common to do 108 bows/prostrations. For those who don't know what a prostration is, it has nothing to do with with a guy's butt-gland. It is when you get down on all fours and stick your forehead on the floor, or in the case of morning practice, on the cushion. The question came up as to why we do 108. What is the significance of the number 108? Well, being a research geek, I decided to do a little snooping around. Here is what I found.

The ancient Indians were excellent mathematicians and 108 may be the product of a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108).
Hindu and Buddhist prayer bead (malas) have 108 beads.
There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.
The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
According to Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.
In Pythagorean, the nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same. ie: 0 to 9 is all one needs to make up an infinite amount of numbers.
There are 108 Upanishads in the Muktikopanishad.
There are 540 (108 * 5) doors to the Great Hall of Valhalla in Nordic mythology.
The number of stitches on a baseball and also the name of a popular baseball magazine.
The sum of "The Numbers" in the TV show Lost (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42). It is also the number of minutes within which these numbers must be entered into the computer and the button must be pushed. 108 is also the number of days the Oceanic 6 spent on the island.
There are 108 cards in an Uno deck.

So who knows exactly why 108 bows. It appears to have been a mystical number back in the day. But if anyone asks, I'm either going with Lost or Uno.

CoZ 2: Dependent Origination and the Twelve Links

2009-01-30T08:18:00.000-08:00

This is my homework assignment for Compass of Zen class #2. See my previous posting for a better explanation of what I'm doing.

Mutual causality, dependent origination or pratityasamutpada

To arise from conditions.
To be extinct from conditions.
If I exist, that exists.
If I cease to exist, that ceases to exist.

In simplest terms, mutual causality means that the existence of a thing is dependent on the existence of all other things. That really, nothing has an intrinsic nature of its own but is valued based upon its relationship to everything else in either time, space or both.

Mutual causality is relativistic in appearance. Each person, place or thing creates it's own world. My past experiences create for me associations with objects and ideas that are my own. The sun I see is not the sun you see. But I did not name it "sun." Nor did I compress hydrogen until fusion occurred making the sun. So even though I create my own world, my world is dependant upon other causes.

If you think about it, we create time and space. When you are bored, time moves slowly. When you face a person, North is different for you both.

Time creates primary cause and space controls condition and inevitable result. Where time and space meet (or where cause and condition meet), we get a result (effect).

Here is an illustration to help:

A good example! If someone is very attached to alcohol (cause) and they are attached to a situation where alcohol is abundent (condition), they will going to suffer (effect). Being attached to a primary cause and a condition or situation, the result will always be suffering.

To escape suffering, you must escape time and space. You must escape cause and effect. Put down your opinions, conditions and situations.

The Twelve Links in the Chain of Dependent Origination

Within the thought process, there are twelve steps which arise that always lead to suffering.

Ignorance. This is the arrival of a thought which indicates we do not understand the impermanence of the world.
Mental formation (karma). The solidification of the thought which is dependent on our habitual views.
Consciousness. Or rather, "I am."
Name and form. Once you have "I," you have "not I" and you begin categorizing phenomena.
The six senses. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind begin here leading to:
Contact. Interacting with stuff and labeling it.
Sensation. This is the effect contact has on our senses. From here on, we are controlled by our six senses.
Desire. "I like that."
Clinging. "I want more."
Existence. "I think therefore I am."
Life. "I am alive and I am 37."
Old age, suffering, death. That's life!

These steps can be worked in different orders or by looking at different sections. Steps 1-5 focus on the self without any outside influence. Steps 1 and 2 can be seen as you "previous life," be it an actual life or those things that exist before your mind is formed. Steps 6-10 are your interactions with the physical world. They also represent your "current life." 11 and 12 abstract constructs of what you believe will be. You see yourself as an age and that at some point, you will grow old, get sick and die. These two are also viewed to be your "next life."

Compass of Zen

2009-01-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

I am taking a course called Compass of Zen. Aside from the absence of grading, this is a course just like any other college course. There is a monster stack of books, reading assignments and homework. Okay, so we don't really HAVE to turn in homework but it is suggested that we work through the exercises, especially if you want to become a Dharma Teacher. So I have decided to work through these exercises here, in my blog, for everyone to enjoy. So here goes!

The Story of Guatama Buddha

Siddharta Guatama was a prince who lived in a palace located in Southern Nepal. His father saw to it that he received everything he could ever want. The ugliness and harshness of the world was shielded from his eyes. Even his video games were rated E for Everyone.

Like a busted pipe, the harshness of the world eventually leaked into Siddharta's eye. He witnessed sickness, old age and suffering. He wanted to know why it is that such things must happen. Why is there suffereing? His world of material excess did not answer this question so he ran away, turning his back on his wife and child, renouncing the world to become a religious beggar.

For six years, Siddharta studied with gurus to no avail. So he renounced the path of the mendicant. Having everything didn't help answer his question and neither did having nothing. So Siddharta decided to follow a more moderate path known as The Middle Way. Doing so, he gained enlightenment becoming a Buddha. He attracted a band of followers and he traveled around teaching others his method for escaping suffering. He became a master plumber.

Hinayana/Theravada

First of all, let me just say that I mean no disrespect to Theravada Buddhism when I use the term "Hinayana." In case you don't know, Hinayana is often seen as an insult since the word translates into "lesser vehicle." But Theravada and Hinayana are the same... well... Theravada has its roots in Hinayana... and that's my point here.

Out of all of the various schools of Buddhism, Hinayana is the oldest. Some claim that this is what Siddharta taught his early followers. Nobody knows for sure.

Hinayana, as well as all Buddhism, teaches that all things are impermanent. How so? Well, just sitting there, you are shedding cells and getting older. Each time the wind hits a rock, that rock gets smaller. Every experience you have changes the way you think. Unfortunately, we like to believe that things are permanent. We attach ourselves to objects and ideas only to become upset when things change. We call this "suffering." Hinayana wants you to realize this, to shed your perceptions, accept emptiness and eventually, end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth (aka, Nirvana).

Suffering comes, for the most part, in eight parts:

Birth. You know it hurts everyone involved!
Old age. Thanks to vanity and incontinence.
Sickness. Who LIKES sickness? I mean HONESTLY!
Death. It's not the death but the antici
Seperation from loved ones. As the song goes, "turn the page!"
Being around those you dislike. Or as I like to call it, "going to work." KIDDING!
Not getting what you desire. Like a Wii for Christmas. WTF?
Imbalance of the five skandhas: form, feelings, perceptions, impulses and consciousness. I guess this is like being fat, being sad,drinking too much or obsessing over stuff.

It is also taught there nothing is pure. This includes purity of both body and mind. Loving lists, Hinayana has a list of impurities, aka, "human desires." Now keep in mind that desires are neither good nor bad! These are just things humans have a tendency to obsess over.

Material wealth. Stuff, stuff and more stuff!
Sex. Bow chicka bow bow!
Fame. Not just famous, but being noticed. Bucking. Being a pimp.
Food. Gluttony! Being haunted by a hungry ghost.
Sleep. Ten hours just might be a little too much, no?

To top out today's blog, we come to nonself. Just as it sounds, this means you really don't exist. But don't worry, nothing exists. It makes sense considering that "all things are impermanent." If things constantly change then there is nothing you can point to and say, "This is that thing."

This is the king of lists! Imagine having to memorize all of this!

Characteristics of all external phenomena

Arising. Birth, creation, poking its head out of the ground.
Stability. There you are!
Decline. Getting old, wearing out, fading away.
Dissolution. Death, wood chipper, rotting.

Aspects of the mind. Just like stuff only faster (usually).

Arising. A thought appears!
Stability. You mull it over.
Differentiation. This is this thought and not that thought.
Extinction. And it's gone

Finally we have cause, effect and samsara. Some would call this karma although others say that karma is nothing more than a habit of doing the same cause for the same effect. This is pretty basic, really. Everything has a cause and every cause has an effect. A good cause leads to a good result and a bad cause leads to a bad result. Karma! Samsara is nothing more than the cycles of cause and effect; of arising and dissolution. Nirvana is breaking this cycle. Nirvana is canceling out your karma.

Within cause and effect, we have primary cause and dependent origination. I won't go into those right now. But just know that they are coming!

Foundations of Zen

2009-01-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 27th, the Kansas Zen Center is hosting a class entitled Foundations of Zen. This is a basic introductory course to the practice of Zen in the tradition of Kwan Um (it's like the Japanese Rinzai only Korean). Zen is a form of Buddhism that focuses on practice, not on ritual or religious dogma. Therefore, one can be a Zen Christian, Zen Muslim, Zen Atheist, Zen Pagan or whatever!

The class goes from 7:00 - 8:30 and is a two-parter with the second part being on Tuesday, February 3rd. The cost is $20 for both classes. I would kind of like to get a small group together to attend. Let me know if you are interested and if maybe you know some other people who would like to go.

The Kansas Zen Center is located at:
1423 New York Street
Lawrence, KS
http://kansaszencenter.org/

Thanks!
Blake

Et in terra pax hominibus.

2008-12-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

At this time of year, there is a lot of talk about "peace." Okay, maybe not a lot of "talk," but a lot of "peace on earth" cliches. But what does "peace" really mean?

Peace is not something that is measured outside of ourselves. There is no way we can look at someone and determine whether or not they are at peace. Peace is not life without conflict. Nobody lives without conflict. The sheer fact that we eat means that there will be conflict over the last cookie. Peace, rather, is a state of being. One can be at peace in the 'burbs or one can be at peace in a war-torn state. Having a peaceful mind helps us make peaceful decisions. It helps us understand the difference between conflict management and conflict resolution. It helps us understand when to pick up the drum and when to pick up the fiddle. It helps us see what is most important in our lives.

So my Christmas wish for you is this:

May you find the path that leads you to peace.

p.s. - "hominibus" is NOT a type of van

RIP Bettie Page

2008-12-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

I have no doubt that there's a lot of people blogging on this today. But if you didn't know, Bettie Page died yesterday at the age of 85, resulting from a heart attack. Bettie Page inadvertently turned me into a man. She was that pin-up chick from the 1950's with the bangs and the red lips that oh so many girls try to copy but fail so miserably. But it was Bettie who introduced me to the art of pin-up and fetish photography. This resulted in a Pavlovian-type response in me where I get excited at the cite of a pale skinned, dark haired, banged-up chick with red lips. I have since been reconditioned but Bettie, you permanently changed my sexuality as you have for countless numbers of people. And in that change, you will live forever.

So a toast to Bettie Page! You are beautiful!

Happy Bodhi Day!

2008-12-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

December 8 is Bodhi Day, by some Buddhist traditions. This day honors the enlightment of Siddhartha Gautama. Bodhi Day would be a good way to integrate the winter holidays with Buddhism. Here are some suggestions for integrating our customs with Buddhism:

String multicolored lights around your home. These lights represent enlightenment.That they are multicolored represents the many pathways all of which are valid. Turn on the lights each evening starting on December 8 and for 30days after. Your neighbors will simply think they are Christmas lights and would never guess that you are a complete heathen.
Light a candle everynight to symbolize enlightenment. And to cover up the smell of your litter boxes. What are you doing with four cats anyway?
The Bo tree (ficus religiousa) is the tree under which the Buddha sat. Buy a potted live ficus tree for your home (a ficus benjamina will do if you can't find a ficus religiousa) decorate this tree with lights, strings of beads representing how all things are united, and three shiny bulbs representing the three jewels of Buddhism. Yes, a ficus tree. The tree favored by malls everywhere.
Sujata offered The Buddha milk and rice which helped him to regain his strength so that he could become enlightened. A breakfast of milk and rice would be a way to start Bodhi day with mindfulness. Or Rice Krispies® . Or Rice Krispies® Treats!
Make Bo tree cookies or Bo leaf cookies - the leaves are heart shaped so you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter and ice them green. And when people ask, "Why green hearts?" you can say they are Vulcan hearts in celebration of the 11th Star Trek movie coming out next summer.

So how are we celebrating Bodhi Day? Well, yesterday, I strung up lights outside. Tonight, Shari and I are going to dig out the artificial tree to see if it's still any good. If it is, we'll set it up. If not, we are going to go get a live tree (actually more environmentally friendly to get a live one than use a fake one, fyi) and decorate it. We will all eat Rice Krispies® Treats which I made last night and drink egg nog tea since neither one of us are big fans of regular egg nog.

Marriage: the holy trinity

2008-12-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

I think people confuse "marriage" with a "wedding." A wedding is the ceremony celebrating the union of two people in marriage. You don't need a wedding to create a marriage.

It is we who create the sacred. When we say, "Marriage is sacred," we are reminding ourselves that marriage is more than just a contract; more than a tax benefit; more than a way to pass property between two people. Marriage is a work of art that two people spend the rest of their lives creating. When you make decisions, you no longer simply take yourself into consideration. You take into account you, your spouse and your marriage: the holy trinity.

Marriage is not for everyone and that's okay. But for those who find someone with whom they can create something sacred, it's a wonderful experience.

Walmart Bingo

2008-11-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today's Batman

2008-11-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

Each time a new Batman movie is made or whenever the comic book gets an update, the writers do their best to make Batman fit in today's world. Batman first appeared in print in 1939. Hitler invades Poland, Einstein writes Roosevelt encourging the building of an atomic bomb. America is going through a great depression. It's a different world. One where there's a great economic divide and science is taking off. It makes sense the Bruce Wayne should be tuxedo wearing, playboy industrialist. It also makes sense that Batman should be a scientist, able to use knowledge as well as physical prowess to best his enemies.

But what if Batman we were to do a complete rewrite of Batman? I mean, "playboy industrialist"? That is more rare than a caped superhero. More likely, his dad have been an ex-football player who owned his own car dealership. Better yet, he would own a whole fleet of dealerships. Bruce would have never had to work, giving him plenty of time to hit the gym with his bros. Upon his parents' deaths, the dealerships would have been left to him as well as his family fortune.

Broken, he would go to college where he would join a fraternity. Drinking, tanning and date rape would be the norm. He would pursue a degree in criminal justice because he wants to be a cop and bust some heads.

But deep down inside, there would be this longing... this urge for meaning. Bruce would sign up for a computer class and fall in love. A couple of classes taken, behind his frat bros' backs, each semester. He would befriend geeks who would introduce him to Dungeons and Dragons, comic books, sci-fi, Star Wars and all things relating to geek culture. Bruce would gradute with a degree in computer science AND criminal justice.

But he would keep this world hidden. Just as the 1939 Bruce Wayne would travel and train with various gurus, so would our hero. Telling his entourage that he's off getting some foreign tang, he would get his master's in advanced industrial engineering. He would study with Tibetan monks, martial artists and magicians. He would gain the knowledge he would need, mixed along with his already totally buff bod, to start fighting crime.

Back home, Bruce takes over the family dealerships. He uses the costum garages to tinker with gadgets and build the rides he would need to become the ultimate super hero. Bruce Wayne would come to be known as BATMAN!

Douchebag by day, Geek by night!

Bruce Wayne

Batman

To Change

2008-11-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

So the election is over and Obama won by an overwhelming majority. I think that this sends a very strong message that the direction the United States was heading was not the direction we wanted to go.

It is my hope that we can lay aside our differences and possible hurt feelings to work together. Our country is not in the greatest shape. If we want prosperity, we really need to reevalute our wants and needs not just as a country, but on an individual level. Keeping up with the Jones' is not going to work any longer. Living off of borrowed money is a thing of the past.

In Dickens' David Copperfield, Mr. Macawber says,“If a man had twenty pounds a year for his income, and spent nineteen pounds, nineteen shillings and sixpence, he would be happy; but that if he spent twenty pounds one shilling he would be miserable.”

The misery has finally hit. Let's look at the mistakes we've made as well as the mistakes others have made. Let's look at those who are prospering not only at home but abroad. We cannot be afraid to change because change is happening to us whether we like it or not. We cannot be afraid of losing our identity because as long as we are genuine, we will always be who we are.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

So Halloween is over and it definitely was not disappointing! I dressed up Friday for work. My outfit was simple: a Superman shirt under what I would normally wear. Friday night, Shari and I decked out as our favorite crappy super heroes, the Wonder Twins. Along with our friends Rachel (Frankenhooker) and Kevin (Guy Fawkes), we attending the Buzz Halloweenie Roast. The crowd was great!

Saturday night, we went to our friends' Halloween Party (Matt and Lindsay). There we met up with a couple of other members of the Justice League.

Here are some pics. Enjoy!

You are worthless?

2008-04-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I have been wondering about self-worth.

So why do we seek out self-worth? As far as we can tell, other animals don't seek out validation, why do we? And if this is self-worth, why do we insist on looking outside of ourselves? I mean, that seems counter to self-worth.

I know the "Oprah" answer to the self-worth question. The problem is that we seek out our self-worth in our partners and friends. If people find me attractive, funny, smart or kind, my sense of self-worth increases. She'd be right there for damn shit. People do this. Isn't it why we post the most attractive pictures of ourselves on MySpace? Isn't it why we feel good after someone has been flirting with us on the bus? And at the flip end, if someone makes fun of the way we look, we feel bad. If we have no date for the prom, we must be pieces of shits. Oprah would then say that we all need to come to realize that we are all precious, each in her own way (Oprah would say "her"). That we don't need anyone outside of ourselves to determine that we are sexy, funny or thin. That we determine that on our own. Now go look in a mirror and tell yourself: I am sexy, funny, kind and loved.

BULLSHIT! This is a load of crap! Regardless of where you find your "self-worth," you are doing one thing and one thing only: masturbating your ego. The problem isn't that we are seeking our self-worth outside of ourselves. The problem is we are seeking out self-worth.... PERIOD. Seeking out self-worth is feeding the ego and we must abandon the ego.

Okay... we don't need to abandon the ego completely. It's a very useful tool! I mean if I truly had no ego, I wouldn't know that I am different than you such that I wouldn't know I was hungry and if I did, I wouldn't know whose mouth to put the food into. But self-worth? Is that truly what the ego is for? Inflating our importance? I don't think so.

So don't look within yourself to find your self-worth. Rather, do not look for your self-worth. Because you are worthless. hehehe

Flickr

2008-03-24T12:52:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Passover Easter!

2008-02-26T08:21:00.001-08:00

Growing up, I attended a Presbyterian Church, a.k.a., the Church of Scotland. I loved this church dearly. It was all about love and acceptance. We learned all of the positive teachings of Jesus Christ. The cool thing about this church was that it was connected to a Jewish Synagogue. Which one, I really don't remember. I want to say Beth Shalom in Overland Park, which is no longer there. But honestly, it was so long ago I couldn't be 100%. My mom might remember but then I'd have to explain to her what a blog is and I'm not up for that right now. But I digress.

For Jewish holidays, we would celebrate at the temple. The one that really stands out in my mind is Passover.

Passover, for those who don't know, commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The name Passover derives from the night of the Tenth Plague when the Angel of Death saw lamb's blood on the doorposts of the houses of Israel and "skipped over" them and did not kill their firstborn. The meal of the Passover Seder commemorates this event. It was this meal we would celebrate. Leavened bread is not allowed (think Catholics and their prohibition on meat).
Passover will be happening soon although I'm not entirely sure when. The reason I know it's coming up? Because it's always around Easter time.

Now imagine being a child, learning that there was a plague brought on by the Angel of Death but if you put lamb's blood on your door you wouldn't die. You eat crappy bread on Saturday and are happy because you are the first born son (which I am) and didn't die. Then on Friday Jesus was killed and on Sunday he came back and the Easter Bunny would come and give you eggs and you eat the lamb whose blood you put on the door.

So yeah... I guess this explains a lot, huh?

Saving for Retirement?

2008-02-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

At my Zen group meeting thingy last night, the guiding teacher shared with us a story. Actually, it's more of a profound something someone said, but the setting is kinda important.

You see, there was this lady who worked with disabled children. What she did we might call "theater therapy." She would give them acting projects including, but not limited to, "act like someone who is abled." At one of her classes, she explained to the children that eventually, everyone becomes disabled. Everyone grows old. Everyone's body becomes weak and frail. Everyone's mind slips. Everyone will likely suffer heart attack, stroke, dementia, or Alzheimer's. It's just that some people get to spend some of their time being abled.

This got me thinking. Those of us who are lucky enough to be abled, should be spending our times of ability preparing for our times of disability. Since we start from a point and degrade from there, wouldn't it be in our best interests to make that point as high as possible? To keep our bodies from getting too weak, shouldn't we make ourselves as strong as possible? To keep our minds from going too dull, shouldn't we sharpen them as much as possible? And shouldn't we take away those things which bring about old age quickly?

Here's my though. We all know that when we have the ability to make money, we should put away from when we no longer can. Stowing away, say, 10% of our salary is just common sense. Well, what if we did the same with our time? What if we resolve to put away 10% of our time to save up for disability? This means that 2.4 hours of everyday would be devoted to strengthening our minds, bodies and spirits.

So let's break this down. First, let's do those things which help us generally. You know, they kinda help us with mind, body and spirit. Let's get enough sleep. How much sleep we need differs from person to person, so let's just say seven hours. When you lay down, set your alarm for seven hours later. Need to get up at 5:00 am? Well, perhaps you should get to bed by 10:00. Yeah, maybe it means you have to say "no" to Tuesday Night Happy Hour. But that's the sacrifice you have to make! I mean, we elect not to buy that new tv because we need to save, right? Have problems sleeping? My guess is that you 2.4 hours spent on yourself will put you to sleep faster than any medication.

Now let's look at our bodies.

Ick, right? Well put that aside. Let's see what we can do to take care of it. We all know that we need to eat right. So do it. But not every meal. That's crazy! Let's shoot for 80%. This means that out of five meals, one ain't so good. You can handle that, right? Of course the ideal would be to get all of the fiber and nutrients we need and you can look all that up. Do this for the four good meals.

Now we start chipping away at our 2.4 hours, or 144 minutes. We all know that we need to do ninety minutes of cardio every week, right? Didn't know that? Well now you do. You should also do sixty minutes of weight training. So that's five days, thirty minutes. Also, we should walk thirty minutes on top of that, every day. This thirty can be broken up throughout the day, say during your two fifteen minute breaks you get at work. For the days you don't do cardio or weight training, walk a little bit more. Clean your house. Whatever it is, just be active for that thirty minutes.

So we've already spent 60 minutes leaving us with 84.

Let's move to spirit. I know I know. What the hell? Spirit? Yes. Studies have shown that people who engage in spiritual activities live longer. Why? Because of the stress reduction, the 1 ager (well, besides time). Now I'm not recommending that you go to church every day. That's silly. Besides, "spirit" and "religion" are NOT the same thing. What I suggest is that you meditate or do yoga. Not sure how? Buy a guided meditation CD or join a yoga class. But you really should do this everyday. I'd go 30-60 minutes. Granted, you won't be able to do that right away, so ease into it.

Okay, now comes the mind. It's been proven that active minds stave off the affects of Alzheimer's and dementia. So whatever time you have left (I have 24 minutes), dedicate to mental activity. Learn a new language! Play Sudoko. Do lateral thinking exercises. And if you are like me, you can do this, oh say, during a commute or on the toilet.

So there you go! You just came up with a budget to help you save for retirement! With this simple plan you should be able to lesson the effects life has on us.

Peace!

Dow Jones Dharma Funds

2008-01-16T06:26:00.001-08:00

Want to invest but worried about its affect on your karma? Well Dow Jones makes it easy! The Dow Jones Dharma Index tracks stocks in companies that jive with the Dharma traditions like Hinduism and Buddhism. That's right! No alcohol, no adult entertainment, no violence, no gambling and no GMO. On top of that, corporate governance is closely watched as is environmental impact.

Pretty slick, eh. So now the Dow Jones wants people to find companies that fit the bill. So far, no luck!

Alright, I'm kidding about the last part.

Read about it in the Investment News.

So invest in Dharma Funds. Then, to balance yourself out, invest in this.

2007-12-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Japanese Monks Stage Fashion Show

By MARI YAMAGUCHI – 1 day ago

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese monks and nuns hit the catwalk in Tokyo on Saturday in a bid to spread Buddhism among younger people in this rapidly aging society.

The fashion show opened with a Buddhist prayer set to a hip-hop beat at the centuries-old Tsukiji Honganji temple, where nearly 40 monks and nuns from eight major Buddhist sects showed off elaborate robes in an effort to win back believers.

Five monks from each school walked on the runway, then chanted prayers and wrapped up in a grand finale with confetti resembling lotus petals.

Buddhist monks traditionally wear simple black robes. But to appeal to more fashion-conscious youth, the monks wore green and yellow clothes, some with gold embroidery. Others wore elaborate, multilayered robes.

"Their robes were gorgeous," said Sayaka Anma, one of the audience in her 20s, after the monks' show. "I was a bit surprised in the beginning, but it was very moving."

More than 1,200 years after it first arrived from mainland Asia, Buddhism in Japan is in crisis, priests say.

Almost three-quarters of Japan's population of 120 million are registered as Buddhist, but for many, the only time they enter a temple is to attend a funeral. That has sent many of the country's 75,000 temples into financial trouble.

Japan's aging population has meant more funerals, but the declining population and birth rate means fewer young people to share the bill to keep temples afloat.

"We wanted to show the young people that Buddhism is cool, and temples are not a place just for funerals," said Koji Matsubara, a chief monk at Tsukiji.

The Tsukiji Honganji offers theological seminars in English for foreign visitors, and has fitted its main hall with a pipe organ for Western-style weddings to attract young couples. Some other temples have also introduced cafes, art galleries and other innovations to reach out to young people who are interested in a different lifestyle.

"Many of us priests share the sense of crisis, and a need to do something to reach out to people," said priest Kosuke Kikkawa, 37, one of the organizers of Saturday's event. "We won't change Buddha's teachings, but perhaps we need a different presentation that can touch the feelings of the people today."

Happy Bodhi Day!

2007-12-07T07:13:00.001-08:00

Where ever Buddhism goes, it picks up the customs and bits of the culture from the country it arrives in. So perhaps we should find incorporate Buddhism with some of our winter holiday customs? Of course the compassion of the season fits right in with Buddhism as does rampant materialism (it does, right?). And of course Buddhism is not alone in incorporating celebrations. After all the Christian celebration of Christmas was incorporated with the Roman celebration of Saturnalia and also Soltice customs. And Jeebus' Birfday, of course.

December 8 is Bodhi Day, by some Buddhist traditions. This day honors the enlightment of Siddhartha Gautama. Bodhi Day would be a good way to integrate the winter holidays with Buddhism. Here are some suggestions for integrating our customs with Buddhism:

* String multicolored lights around your home. These lights represent enlightenment.That they are multicolored represents the many pathways all of which are valid. Turn on the lights each evening starting on December 8 and for 30days after. Your neighbors will simply think they are Christmas lights and would never guess that you are a complete heathen.
* Light a candle everynight to symbolize enlightenment. And to cover up the smell of your litter boxes. What are you doing with four cats anyway?
* The Bo tree (ficus religiousa) is the tree under which the Buddha sat. Buy a potted live ficus tree for your home (a ficus benjamina will do if you can't find a ficus religiousa) decorate this tree with lights, strings of beads representing how all things are united, and three shiny bulbs representing the three jewels of Buddhism. Yes, a ficus tree. The tree favored by malls everywhere.
* Sujata offered The Buddha milk and rice which helped him to regain his strength so that he could become enlightened. A breakfast of milk and rice would be a way to start Bodhi day with mindfulness. Or Rice Krispies® . Or Rice Krispies® Treats!
* Make Bo tree cookies or Bo leaf cookies - the leaves are heart shaped so you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter and ice them green. And when people ask, "Why green hearts?" you can say they are Vulcan hearts in celebration of the 11th Star Trek movie coming out next summer.

So how am I celebrating Bodhi Day? I am going over to a friend's house to watch UFC on Spike TV! We will all eat Rice Krispies® Treats and watch fighters beat each other down as The Buddha beat down Mara, the evil one, who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path!

That's a stretch, isn't it?