Well, we’re coming up now on the two-week anniversary of the infamous internationally livestreamed Ford-Kavanaugh showdown, compliments of the Senate Judiciary Committee. While I had no prior intention of viewing these proceedings, I somehow found myself tuning in at the very beginning of Ms. Ford’s testimony—and ended up watching the entire thing. Oh My Goodness And what a remarkable contrast …
Practice Notes
Practice Notes: Appetite, Irritation, Ratios
Mood I very much appreciate philosophy--and often find myself with an appetite for such texts, via eastern and western authors alike. But every now and again I'll shift into a mood in which pretty much all I can bear to read are the Ashtavakra and Avadhuta Gitas: the most direct pointing to nondual reality. In such a mood, even Longchenpa--whom I adore--feels a bit too flowery. My appetite is for …
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Practice Notes: Magic
Tip Of The Tongue I've been feeling curious, as of late, about the experience of not-quite-but-almost remembering something: of having it right on the tip of the tongue, so to speak. In these moments, there's the distinct sense of knowing that I know something--of almost palpably feeling the presence of this information, pressing up from who-knows-where--yet the final revelation of it has yet to …
Practice Notes: Friendly Fire
You've likely heard the phrase, "friendly fire." In a police or military context, it refers to harm rendered (accidentally, one assumes) to anyone not defined as the enemy. So for instance, in the heat of a chaotic gunfight, a stray bullet might come to lodge in the body of one of the "good guys," i.e. someone who's on your side. Or a bullet might stray to harm a neutral bystander -- someone …
Recipes, Sacrilege, Genius: Practice Notes
Chocolate Cake Aside of course from warm hugs and well-wishes, the chocolate cake was the central attraction of my friend's birthday party: deliciously moist, perfectly sweetened, and garnished seductively with an abundance of dark-chocolate shavings. That first bite -- after the candles were blown out -- was heavenly! So much so, in fact, that it inspired me to ask for the recipe. Though I …
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Simultaneity
In a lovely haiku, Bashō points to the playful-strange paradox of (seemingly) not being in possession of what we (actually) are in possession of: Even in Kyoto, Hearing the cuckoo's cry I long for Kyoto. The Cuckoo's Cry Today this poem brings to mind the similar paradox of spiritual seeking -- of our longing for the Divine. In her rascally game of hide-and-seek, God pretends to forget …