Eulogy
January 31, 2006
A book of biography was written by C.R. Cammell’s entitled “Aleister Crowley: The Black Magician” , which is now out of print. The introduction of that book was written by Crowley himself. The last paragraph states:
“Of the muck-raking around the poet’s life there will be none found here …
Crowley living was the ideal victim for assassins of reputations. May no jackal
howl around the lion’s remains: no scavengers be busy around the ruins of his
temple, whatever the gods he worshipped. With his gods let him be judged by the
One God, who sees all, and by whom all is comprehended.”
Who can argue with the wisdom of that statement? I think I want it read at my funeral.
What is a Jedi?
January 31, 2006
A Jedi is one who:
- Believes in the Force.
- Disciplines the mind with study.
- Disciplines the body with exercise.
- Tempers emotion with self knowledge.
- Disciplines the spirit through meditation and connection to the Force.
- Strives to achieve balance in accordance with their chosen path.
- Has respect for others as well as him/herself.
- Serve others rather than rule over them, for the good of the community
- Is willing to pass on what he/she has learned to those who wish to know the Force.
- Does not accept his/her world because that is the way it has always been. He/she views the world critically.
- Use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.
- Respect all life, in any form.
My Signature is for Sale…
January 27, 2006
This is kind of weird. A guy that I work with found this on eBay.
A Million LIttle Pieces of Hub-Bub-Ballo…
January 27, 2006
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2006/01/liveblogging_th.html
Concerning the controversy surrounding the exposure that “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey contained historical information that was not true.
I have just read “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey. I had finished the last page the night before the Smoking Gun published their report “A Million Little Lies.” During that week I read about the lies, heard about the lies, saw on TV about the lies. Maybe I’m weird, I don’t know, but I see two completely separate issues being smooshed into one big Moonpie which the media is trying to get me to eat. I’m not having it. Don’t feed me the Moonpie.
Our government lies to us daily. Our media “embellishes” its information and covers up much of the “truth.” Why are we so cantankerous about some book? Maybe it has to do with us being so powerless over the bigger lies so we grab what power we can.
“A Million Little Pieces” was a damn good book. I’m an addict. I’ve been to treatment…several times. When I read the book there were many times my mind added a mental note of “this guy is bullshitting right now,” and I kept reading. It’s a memoir. It is his version of the story. Addicts recovering from drug addiction sometimes need to invent stories to help them carry through back into regular life. Sometimes we are the victims of horrible childhoods. Sometimes we are superheroes. Others are misunderstood geniuses. Others of us are ‘good guys’ who just got caught up in some bad luck. Others are martyrs being spiritually persecuted. The baseline of treatment is that we all have to find some hope to hold on to as we claw our way back from the abyss.
James Fry seems to have adopted the “I’m a badass, tough-guy who can handle anything” persona. He hasn’t gone back to a using lifestyle, so this must have worked for him. Further, he had the ambition and initiative to actually put pen to paper and write the memoir and then to work to get it published. I think it was just a stroke of dumb luck that someone over at Harpo found the book and got it in front of Oprah.
I just want to say that James Fry offered countless people something priceless contained within the pages of “A Million Little Pieces.” He offered hope to the hopeless. He urged others to “hold on” and find a way, anyway, to be free from addiction. He offers something other than the 12-step model to recovery, which I feel is appropriate for our time. I know the 12-step model works, but I’d be happy to have something ELSE that works too. I’m not so convinced that the 12-step recovery model is the ONLY way to recover, that I have to shoot-down any other possibilities.
What I have to say to those of us who are currently struggling with addictions? Try ANYTHING else than what you have been doing. Try anything! Raw foods. Religion. 12-steps. Angst. Revenge. Buddhism. Anything that keeps me from using today gives me a shot at continuing that again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. And so forth and so on.
What I’ve read in comments astounds me. The prevailing feeling is of outrage that an author wasn’t 100% factual in the content of his memoir. The second is that patronizing “he’s an addict and addicts lie.” This disappoints me. I’m an addict and I’m perfectly capable of lying and telling the honest truth, just like most other people. I feel I’m a pretty honest person. I know other people who would have a very different opinion of me. I know that I have changed immensely from when I was a using addict. I know that change occurred because I faced my obstacles and fears and moved through them. Have I faced all of them? One look at my credit report will show that I haven’t. It’s something I work on daily.
The book was a good story. I enjoyed it. There were parts I didn’t believe, but I didn’t feel that the fictions were that important. They were written into the story. Should it have been a novel? Yeah, probably…but from what I understand, Frey submitted it as a novel and the publisher told them they wouldn’t publish it as a novel, but only as a memoir. Frey’s major offense is one we all find ourselves in…selling out our personal values for profit or security.
For most of us, it doesn’t blow up. I’m not so pretentious as to nail someone to a cross, when it blows up on him. I liked Frey’s book. I know that it offered hope to lost souls. That is all that matters to me. Everything else is extra. The book has served to create less suffering. This current suffering is someone stirring the pot to get attention, and attacks based on ego-based embarrassment. Let it go people. Let it go.
Nameste, Chinagrrrl
CHAOS
January 26, 2006
During chaotic times we can be stripped of many superficial things. It is here our dreams become clear and give us renewed focus.
How is continuous Awareness Established only by Breathing ?
January 18, 2006
Sitting cross-legged, with straight back by elevating his chin, in a silent place, the yogi remains focusing all attention on the touch point of air in his nostrils:
Fully aware one inhales and fully aware one exhales…
When inhaling a long breath, one understands that…
When exhaling a long breath, one understands that…
When inhaling a short breath, one understands that…
When exhaling a short breath, one understands that…
Experiencing the whole body, one inhales…
Experiencing the whole body, one exhales…
Calming any bodily activity, one inhales…
Calming any bodily activity, one exhales…
One trains thus: Experiencing joyous rapture, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing joyous rapture, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing a happy pleasure, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing a happy pleasure, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing any mental activity, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing any mental activity, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Calming any mental activity, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Calming any mental activity, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing any mentality & mood, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Experiencing any mentality & mood, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Satisfying by gladdening the mind, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Satisfying by gladdening the mind, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Focusing the mind by concentration, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Focusing the mind by concentration, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Releasing the mind from hindrance, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Releasing the mind from hindrance, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Considering the impermanent change, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Considering the impermanent change, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Considering the detaching disillusion, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Considering the detaching disillusion, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Considering the stilling within ceasing, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Considering the stilling within ceasing, I will exhale…
One trains thus: Considering open & freed relinquishing, I will inhale…
One trains thus: Considering open & freed relinquishing, I will exhale…
This is how continuous awareness is established just by breathing!!! Breathing meditation can bring the yogi into 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Jhana… It is a unique praxis used by all Buddhas at their very Enlightenment!!!
Learning to take care of oneself
January 18, 2006
For years I have sought enlightenment – said the disciple. – I feel I am near it and want to know how to take the next step.
“A man who knows how to seek God knows also how to take care of himself. How do you support yourself?” – asked the master.
“That is just a detail. I have rich parents who help me along my spiritual path. Because of that, I can dedicate myself entirely to sacred things.”
Very well – said the master. – I will explain to you the next step: look at the sun for half a minute.
The disciple obeyed.
When he had finished, the master asked him describe the landscape around him.
“I can’t. The sun’s brightness dazzled my eyes. “
A man who looks fixedly at the sun ends up blind. A man who only looks for Light, and shifts his responsibilities onto the shoulders of others, never finds what he is seeking – was the master’s comment.
Making the field fertile
January 18, 2006
The Zen master entrusted the disciple with looking after the rice paddy. In the first year, the disciple watched to make sure that the necessary water was never missing; the rice grew strong and the harvest was good.
In the second year, he had the idea of adding a little fertiliser, the rice grew fast and the harvest was bigger.
In the third year, he used more fertiliser. The harvest was still bigger, but the rice sprouted small and lacklustre. “If you continue increasing the amount of manure, you will have nothing worth having next year”– said the master. “You strengthen someone when you help a little. But you weaken someone if you help a lot.”
The way of the tiger
January 18, 2006
The man was walking through the forest when he saw a crippled fox.
“How does she feed herself?” he thought.
At that moment, a tiger approached with an animal in its jaws. It satisfied its hunger and left what remained for the fox.
“If God helps the fox then he will help me too”, he thought. He returned to his house, locked the door and waited for Heaven to send him food.
Nothing happened.
When he was getting too weak to go out and work, an angel appeared. “Why did you decide to imitate the lame fox?” – asked the angel. – “Get up, take your tools and follow the way of the tiger!”
Would anyone know the difference
January 18, 2006
A father took his two boys to play mini-golf. At the ticket office he wanted to know the price. – Five coins for adults, three for those over six years. Under six years entry is free. – “One of them is three, the other seven. I’ll pay for the oldest.”
“You are silly” – said the ticket seller. “You could have saved three coins, saying that the oldest was under six; I would never have known the difference. ”
“That may be, but the boys would know. And they would remember the bad example for ever.”
Darkchilde's Words to the Abyss 