YOGA

Started Hatha yoga yesterday. A few days ago the monk who I'll call the Yoga Monk (YM) suggested I go to the yoga studio that he goes to sometimes. I decided to go and see what the man had to say about my knee. YM and Sunmi went with me.

He said that I should do some leg and knee stretches after each time I do meditation. So I've been doing that. Can't say it's feeling any better but don't suppose the stretches are doing any harm either.

We also talked about me doing yoga at his place. I said that money and language were the reasons I didn't want to do yoga at a yoga studio in Korea. He said he'd give me a nice discount. About $100 for three months. He usually charges about $50 per month. Another guy here on Jeju Island charges about $100 per month. So, I'm getting a nice discount here at this place.

And language, well, he stands at the front of the class, where he has me do the poses, and he pushes and shoves me into the postures. Sometimes it's a little painful but I am okay with it. It's a little more of a push than I learned that yoga is supposed to be. I learned that when it starts to hurt, you then back off a bit. I saw him shove a lady today and she grimaced. This lady does amazing things, you should see her. Well, we've all seen those fascinating contortions that some yoga people can do. She's one of them.

Class lasts an hour. I like it.

Enough. The kids have come for class.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

TEACHING

Just finished my first day. One morning class, just before lunch, then one at 1:00 and one at 1:30. The morning class is the littlest kids. They didn't seem so enthused. The Korean lady who trained me was better with them. The afternoon kids are older and had a pretty good time. Honing myself is the way. I do enjoy the kids for the most part. I don't suppose I'll ever LOVE kids like some people do. But I'm okay with them most of the time.

GOING HOME

Sunim said a couple of days ago that he'd like for me to go to the US during the school vacation. That's at the end of July and the beginning of August. There's also a 10 day cleanse / meditation "retreat" here at the temple. I'd like to do at least part of it but I'll give priority to making sure I'm in the US when the people I want to visit are going to be available. Jeff and Rita, I realize this won't be the best time to see you guys, but I hope to get a day or two with you guys anyway. I expect that I'll go home at the end of July. Don't know exactly when.

Time to get into the garden to see how I can help. Maybe I should talk with the Korean teachers first to get a little feedback.

Enough.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Hey there...well you sound happy and doing well!!! good for you!! i am excited about yoga lately...my mom will be in town here on wednesday for a month and i put together a huge basket of goodies for a mother's day gift...and in it included a new yoga mat..yoga mat and yoga strap!! and all organic recycled..so i am excited i hope she loves it and does yoga with me all the time
ooh and i am glad you had a pretty good first day teaching...some people just don't love kids hehe...

have fun in teh garden..and that is aweosme you will be seeing friends in the US..
have a wonderful day in the garden
lots of love
earthangel
xoxoxooxox

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

YOGA

Earthangel, what kind of yoga do you do? Today, at the yoga studio, I had the strongest urge to laugh. So I did. I laughed and laughed and laughed. Not out loud but I didn't want to hold back either. Man I felt good today. My fourth day. Boy. Wish I could say that meditation felt at least nearly as good.

WILD VEGETABLE

[www.cloudnet.com]

Because I so like this plant, I want to offer this link. It's for the "weed" called by many names. Lambsquarters, Goose Foot, Pig Weed, and I forget what others I've seen. If you see this growing near you, give it a try. You just might become a fan. I don't know where in the US it grows. But it's plentiful here where I am.

I clicked the link to oxalic acid (which includes information about oxalates). My understanding is that the oxalic acid's binding properties are only activated after being subjected to heat. But this is the first I've ever read about oxalates. Variation, I suppose, is the answer.

I am unsure about the nitrate thing. I clicked the link to nitrates and am confused. The last line sums up the author's thoughts, but, I'm still unsure. I don't think I will eat less. I haven't been eating it in huge quantities, nor every day but do enjoy a good amount of it.

There are always a ton of things I think to say when I'm NOT at the computer. Nothing comes to mind now though.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

there is actually a practice called laughing yoga .. hehe i guess you touched on this somehow internally

Hasya Yoga is what i beleive it is called

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2007 05:40PM by Jgunn.

YOGA, KNEE PAIN, FRUIT, COOKED FOOD

Jgunn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> there is actually a practice called laughing yoga
> .. hehe i guess you touched on this somehow
> internally
>
> Hasya Yoga is what i beleive it is called
Maybe I've heard of this. Where people lauugh and laugh, without holding back in the least. In fact, I think they sort of force the laugh. As a therapy, as I've learned of it. But I don't remember it as a form of yoga. I haven't done it or anything. Just read something about it. People said it was really helpful.

Went to yoga again today. Five times in five days. Great. It's so easy to not do it at home on my own. But with the commitment to doing it at a yoga studio, well, it's easy to get myself motivated. And it's great. The yoga teacher points to this lady next to me to show me an example of what I should aim for. I so often chuckle because she's doing something that I can't even dream of doing. When I don't even see how I could go from where I am in the pose to where she is in the same pose, I often chuckle. Feels really good to be able to chuckle so easily.

The yoga teacher often massages people. One lady in particular. She seems to have some problem in a shoulder. So the teacher will stand on her shoulder, kneading it with a foot. She makes noises like she's having sex! Same kinds of sounds!!

He and another of his teachers, a lady, both have these somewhat authoritative sounding voices. Sort of militaristic, sort of authoritative, as they tell us what to do. I'm becoming more able to pick out the words. And to remember the routine. Monday to Friday is a little different each time. The beginning and the end are the same every day. There is a short sequence in the middle that changes each day. Like this a lot.

KNEE PAIN

Still having enormous pain in my left knee. I have an idea what may be causing it. But I don't know what to do about it. Yoga isn't making it feel any better. I'm patient with it. It can't last forever. But I feel it should get better sooner rather than later. Don't know how long that sooner should be though.

FRUIT

I'm getting a sweet deal on fruits here. The lady at the temple who orders fruit has ordered twice for me. The second came yesterday. I tell her what I want and she calls and orders it. I asked for a carton of bananas and whatever other fruit they have that is old or slightly damaged. It's all fine. The bananas are as cheap as any box anywhere. About $20 for 13 kgs. 13 x 2.2 = 28 kgs or so. I think that's expensive compared with a box in the US. Cost of living is different, wages are different. But fruits definitely aren't cheap in Korea. But the damaged fruit, which is all in plenty good enough shape to enjoy, is only about $5 for several kgs. A very good bargain. Got apples, Swan Lake Melons, a musk melon?, and another kind of melon that for some reason many people call papaya!! Not quite.

COOKED FOOD

Been on a little cooked food streak the past few days. Too much of it and I'm feeling it. Really filing. Had some potatoes earlier today. Some breads yesterday. And some ice cream. So so filling.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

KIDS DISCOVER PLANTS FROM TROY

<<One time in the garden a while back, I was pulling weeds in the spinach beds and eating the spinach as I went along. One or two of the kindergarteners wandered out to find me. They saw me eating the spinach so tried it too. They liked it. So they picked a few leaves and ran away. A few minutes later they came back for more. Then ran away again. I didn’t understand a word of what they said but they were jolly. Next time more kids came. They all picked leaves, ate a few, and ran away with their hands full. Seems they were giving the raw leaves to other kids at the kindergarten. I don’t know if the teachers knew what they were doing but I thought it was a great idea. Haven’t seen any of them do it since. Maybe a seed was planted in one or two of them>>

teee heeeee!.. that made me laugh and smile

actually, i have no doubt u planted a spinach seed into their little souls
i've seen and heard how when kids get something healthy to eat when they are really young, they stick to it

especially if they liked it and it was fun ( like the spinach) with happy memories attached

its a sort of imprinting, i guess

i like vegetables because i have very happy memory of vegetables when i was growing up from a very young age ( my little claws never let go of them cuz they made me happy ever since i can remember) it was a different story for fruits, don't ask me about it.. its embarrassing.

also of gardens cuz we had a garden that had a bit of food in it and i thought it was GREAT fun to see things grow...i felt privileged to be able to water it and help out... even though, it probably wasn't much that i contributed, still.. just the little bit meant a LOT to me...i was kinda haphazard about it ( kinda like i wuz with homework) to be honest, but it still was a subconscious secret source of wonder...

i was fascinated.. still am

some things never change

i think its cool that you are trying to learn korean
its kind of touching, really...

teach us some words, please

i'm interested.

hey Troy...well right now i just bought a new book to try out while i am at camp..it is Bikrahm yoga (sorry spelling maybe off) but so far not too bad..i have been super busy so i haven't had time to do it acutally just look through it at the store...
hope all is well with you!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

LAV

Glad you liked the little story about the spinach patch kids! I enjoyed your tale of growing up with vegetables and watering. Implants ... implants ... implants!!! But now that you've whet my appetite about your em-bare-ass-ing story regarding fruits, how could I NOT ask?! So, submit the story please. And then, as a college writing professor loved to say, see how it feels to submit!!

Wanna learn a couple of Korean words? How about this. One way to describe raw foods is to say "saeng shik". The first vowel is pronounced sort of like a combination of the letter A in dad, and the AY sound in pay. It means fresh, alive, things like this. If my memory is working. The "shik" refers to food. This doesn't always mean raw food though. It also means "healthful" cooked food.

Once I learn the meanings of the words that make up fruit, and vegetable, I'll post. How's that?

EARTHANGEL

The Bikhram (sp?) yoga book, is this Hatha yoga? Seems to me, that when I took yoga lessons in the US years ago, my teacher had trained with someone named Bikhram. I learned Hatha from my teacher. Some of the postures I do now from M to F are similar to what I learned years ago. And since I feel I have a pretty good theoretical understanding of HOW to do yoga, and many of the whys, I feel I don't need lots of instruction. It's good to have the teacher push and shove me in the directions he wants me to go. My body sure as hell isn't yet limber enough to go on its own. Of course, I could just do the postures with nobody pushing, and my body will get more and more limber but I don't mind the push. Sometimes it's a bit tough to hang in the whole time he pushes, but that's fine. I have a Kundalini yoga DVD by a lady named Gurmukh. She's pretty neat too. She says on the DVD that it's not the yoga that you do that changes your life. It's the courage that you bring to your practice. This is something that I keep in mind often, especially at the yoga studio. You said in a previous post that you'd gotten your mom some gifts and that one of them was a yoga book or a DVD, I forget. Well, how'd she like it and the other things you got her?

TOOTHBRUSH

I just won a power toothbrush on eBay. $40. It's got some sort of flossing action. When I saw this I decided that the only kind of power toothbrush that I'd settle for would have this function. Got it. There might actually be a complication, and I might not actually get it. But I sure do hope I get it. My whole mouth has been in horrible shape for years and years. Years and years of neglect. I wondered a couple of months ago if there were some sort of tool that would clean my whole mouth. That means, getting where floss only gets, and getting into my "deep pockets" between teeth in the gums. This brush just might be that instrument.

GARDENING

A few days ago I got an idea to make what permaculturists call a sheet mulch garden. Throw tons and tons of various organic materials together (dead plants and such) some green, some dried, and other things, layer them all in a pile of one's choice, then plant in it. I just talked with Sunmi about it yesterday, she talked with another lady about it, and earlier today I talked with a man about it. No objections. I hope to start on it soon. The chili peppers are the priority though. Soon I will need to get back and do some last minute things for some of the plants before I call it a day. It's been a long one for me in the garden. Started about 7am. It's now a little after 5pm.

Also, Sunmi is going to help me make some liquid fertilizers. I expect to do both the sheet mulch garden and the liquid fertilizers. I'll post about them in the future.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

daaaaang troysantos

i didn't know they served cacao in korea
mustah been the super duper extra dose of cayenne pepper in the kim chi that is making you say feral things ( ha ha)

saeng shik

hey.. thanks dude
i get it
shik means all manners of food, huh?
great

thanks for the korean lesson

yeah, i already told u the story
the story is this:

i loved helping out in the gardens then
i like veggies now

end of story

Hey there...hmm well i am not really sure..like i said i haven't actually sat down to look through it or read it..just glanced at it...but i will check it out..the guy who it is about or by is Bikram Choudhury...and he is supposed to be awesome..hopefully it is what you because that type of yoga interests me soo much!!! ooh my mom loved her basket..it was a huge laundry size basket of goodies lots of raw bars...and raw cereals..yoga mat..strap and carrier....yoga books and cd...body brush..face brush..water bottle...lots of organic vegan face products...another new fun book...and an inspirational book..and lots of other goodies haha...she LOVED it!!!
so that was good...
thanks for asking!!!
hope all is well with you!
take care
love earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

HIYA!

RAW FOOD AND ENLIGHTENMENT

A couple of weeks ago I told the abbot here about the pain in my knee. He said to eat rice and asked if there was any problem with rice. Sort of a curt answer. I didn't know what to make of it and still don't. I didn't take to it too kindly. Didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling from it.

It set me off to thinking. I can imagine that an enlightened person would see the "of course" -ness of raw food -ness. Based on my intellectual understanding of enlightenment it really makes sense to me that an enlightened person would see it.

So why doesn't this guy endorse raw foods? I have three ideas.
1. He's not enlightened.
2. He said this to me for some reason that I don't understand. Maybe he was prodding me in a way that is beneficial to my eventual "awakening" (to "reality".
3. A person, even an enlightened person, can't know about something they haven't experienced.

This third one is the one I lean towards. But, the first one makes quite a bit of sense too. People who speak of enlightenment say that you see into all existence, see the whole of reality, not just part of it, like everyone else. And, if this is the case, then wouldn't an enlightened person see such an important, significant piece of life? If they want to help humanity, then wouldn't they say something like, "Hey, just eat an apple."? Wouldn't they be prodding us to eat raw, in addition to other parts of practice?

If I say that yes they should, then it seems to me that there probably aren't any enlightened people on this earth. I don't know of any person, Buddhist or otherwise, who has been enlightened and has endorsed raw foods. With the possible exception of Jesus. But, no comment there. I do indeed believe that there is such a thing as enlightenment. I do indeed believe there is such a thing as delusion, which is the state that nearly every human is in nearly all the time.

The abbot, who, by the way, is considered an enlightened man, eats little raw food. He was sick recently so did a 10 day cleanse. He had some tea and probably some "bamboo salt". He says that enlightened people know what to do when they get sick. Sunmi told me he said this. I told her that saying in English that an ounce of prevention is worth of pound of cure. And, with this statement by the abbot, it seems to me that an enlightened person would know how to take care of his or her health, so that he or she wouldn't need to do anything when they get sick. I guess my uncertainties, my mixed feelings are showing. I do realize Buddha ate cooked food and yet still woke up.

I used to attend SLiFE (S.F. Living Foods Enthusiasts) potlucks on Sundays years ago. There was always a speaker. One Sunday a guy who had tried this way of eating raw and that way, but eventually settled on Instincto eating spoke to the group who had come to the potluck / raw food talk. Instinctive theory, has always seemed so logical to me. I don't go for the meat part, but the "instinctive" part seems so sensible. Anyway, after this guy spoke, I told him that Buddha ate cooked food yet still woke up. The guy said something like, "Yeah, but think how much sooner he would'a woke up had he eaten raw food." Who can argue with a statement like this? I can only suppose that it's likely to be a valid thing to say.

I haven't started my one year as a novice yet. Looks like I won't be able to start until August. But I have a pretty strong feeling that it's gonna be a doozy of a 12 months. A real doozy!



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN!

Like the melody to this song! Anyway, that’s about the size of it. It’s been many years and it’s been quite interesting, strange in some ways.

I left the US in Feb 1986 at 21 years old. Wanted to go to Asia. Saw nothing much in the workworld that interested me so I joined the Navy and asked to go to Japan. They sent me to the Philippines. That was fine. Spent two years there. Nice. Got to go to Japan next. Great. 2 ½ years there. Not long before my enlistment was up, I met a Japanese lady. Stayed in Japan after quitting the Navy. I had long been interested in whether or not the vociferous, continuous, uncountable and various criticisms of US successive US governments / military, US multi-national corporations, and some individuals had much merit. A columnist in a Philippine newspaper was relentless. I had an office job, and hated it pretty thoroughly. Decided I wanted to be an Intelligence Specialist so I could have access to classified information. This was the only office job I was willing to consider and other jobs that I was interested in were closed to me because of a color deficiency (not color blindedness). The Navy turned down my request to become a “spy” (hardly an accurate term considering that it would have been office work!). So I quit.

Stayed in Japan. Got married to Tomoko. A really charming woman. I wanted to travel the world. So Tomoko and I took buses and trains around a bunch of countries from Europe to Asia. Then back to Japan. Taught English for two years. I had already decided I wanted to go to university. So we went to the US. Got divorced after a year or so. Too bad I was so unaccepting of her. I tried pretty hard to change her. Nothing doing! My ego wouldn’t accept her as she was.

Two and a half years at community colleges then two years at UC Santa Cruz, majoring in Anthropology. Really interesting study. But too academic. So little of the useful information ever gets out the general public.

I had the chance to study for one term abroad. Chose Thailand. Having been vegetarian for a few years, I was attracted to a particular restaurant. Later found out that it was run by a Buddhist group. Santi Asoke. Great great bunch. During university, because I was vegetarian and an environmentalist of sorts, I became interested in sustainable agriculture. In Thailand, I was told that if I were to practice at least the five precepts, and to eat vegetarian, I could live with Santi Asoke at one of their several temples.

After returning to UCSC, during my last term there, I decided that I’d rather do farming than pursue a career as an Anthropologist. I feel like I’m not really cut out for it. So I returned to Thailand and stayed with Asoke. Two years at one temple and two years at another. But for several reasons I decided to leave the group. Not long before I decided to leave I met an American man who told me that I could be a caretaker of his land in southern Thailand. I could do some gardening there, I could build an earthen home there, and to boot, he’d give me a bit of money.

Did that for a while but decided it was best to leave. The place was prone to flooding. So I found work with a company doing neat things. They served travelers who wanted to do some volunteer work. So I did some gardening there (well, call it that but I was hardly productive. I had my own ways and they didn’t work out too well. Same at Asoke. I wasn’t too successful.) and the Buddhist introduction portion of their program.

Decided I wanted to walk all over Thailand. So I started in April of 2006. Walked for three weeks. Really really great. The feeling of freedom at just walking. I slept at temples along the way. That’s easy. If they see that you’re sincere, few are going to turn you away. And by this time I was pretty fluent in Thai. Plus, having already adopted Buddhism, I knew all the Buddhist terms so the monks I guess trusted me well enough. One day I got some cuts on my feet that weren’t healing. I rested from the walking to let the cuts heal. They took an awful long time. During this time I decided that it was best to abandon the walk. Really, it was pretty much pie in the sky. There’s no way I could have done what I had wanted to do. It would have been great to have gone on a bit longer, but it was okay to stop too.

Then I decided it was best to get back home, for good. But I had little money. So I decided to come to Korea to teach English for a year, then find a temple or an intentional community in the US. I decided on Korea. Good place to learn Zen and make money. Got a job at a private language school. Stayed for seven months. Saved a bit but extensive dental work cut into my savings pretty heavily. It would have cost so so much more in the US though. Because of a FORTUNATE event involving a student (I’d playfully threatened a wayward student with a Wet Willie and she didn’t like it. When her mother found out, her mother became furious, so to defuse tensions my boss asked me to go).

This was fortunate because it gave me the opportunity to work and live at this temple here. I’m not in my room typing this on my laptop. On the floor. I’ve been living on floors for so many years now! Haven’t had a table and chair in the places I’ve slept since coming to Thailand. I don’t have internet access in my room. Good in a way. I might spend too much time on it.

In order to be able to teach at the kindergarten here, I had to agree to become a novice. Actually, I’m glad to do it. I feel this will give me the motivation to really get my life in order. We’ll see though. I’ve thought this many times in the past. I’m better off now, in several ways, than I ever have been, but still too unbalanced to say that I’m a healthy person living a healthful lifestyle. I expect to begin this one year as a novice in August. I had wanted to start in May but it wasn’t possible. Paperwork. Documents.

So, though I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that I will go home, I’ve been putting it off. I don’t intend to put it off any longer though. In some ways, I feel glad to go home. On the other hand, I think it will be a bit strange. I’m so critical of so many things American. So critical. For good reason I feel. Typical American lifestyle is so harsh on individuals, society, and the “environment”. Americans more than most of the rest of the world, it seems to me, really ought to make a major lifestyle overhaul. But it seems to me that it ain’t in the cards. Not in my lifetime.
I came to Asia in part because of the mystery. That mysterious East. The Orientals. The Orient. The Oriental ways. All that stuff. Those words. Those preconceived notions. I guess I’ve dispelled many of them for myself. Now living at this temple and attending the chanting, I’ve got another one of those mysterious ideas in a different light. The chanting, that exotic chanting! New ideas that pretty much demystify it all. It’s just reciting words. There are ways that make the chants easier to remember, easier for everyone to do it in sync, and to have it be more inspirational. Among other things. All tolled, it seems to me, it sounds exotic to us. To them, seems to me, it’s more like what we would call reciting words. But with certain techniques.

Life is really an interesting journey. Had a philosophy professor who once said something like, “Life is so interesting. How could anyone be bored?!” I so so agree.

To close this long entry, I want to quote someone who quoted someone else! “If you can’t meditate, travel!” I take this to mean that if you don’t feel the benefit of meditation, then travel. It’s the second best way to open yourself up to the world. But of course, everyone can meditate. It’s just that some people, like myself, can go on for years and years, and not see the benefit. Never mind. Just sit.

22 years after first coming to Asia, I’ll go back to the US. I joined the Navy in part because I didn’t feel interested in any profession. I still feel pretty much the same though I do see one or two that I could perhaps be interested in. But I’m 43 now. Never mind. I like temple life. I want to live and work at a temple (doing, among other things, landscaping, and, I refuse to give up at gardening!). Maybe an intentional community but I want to look around for a temple first. This August, I’ll see about visiting a couple of temples in California, and make a few phone calls. There’s one in particular in Tehachapi, just north of the desert I think.

Sorry, this was a real long one. And, it might not be a very interesting one either.

Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

hey there..wow what an interesting post..it was really inspiring and amazing...good luck with visiting temples in cali and seeing if there is something for yoU!! i am sure there is....good luck and tkae care
lots of love
earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Earthangel, we can all always count on you to say something thoughtful. Thanks for being there.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Yeah, I know, I've been silent lately. Haven't been on the computer that much. Been real busy though.

Looking for a plane ticket home. Wow. So expensive. Guess I have one though. I expect to pay tomorrow, Monday the 23rd.

Been in the garden fairly often. Doing things in the chili pepper gardens. So much really ought to be done. It's just me for the most part. Don't see why such an important food item for these people has been left almost entirely in the hands of one guy who they know doesn't have experience with this plant, and who does things in ways that they don't agree with. The plants are about as productive as could be expected. I sure don't like the way we're doing the gardening here.

Bought a juicer recently through eBay Australia. That was a mistake. Different style plug so I couldn't use it until I got that changed. I've used it twice now. It makes a pretty good juice but boy the mess it makes. And the cleanup is more of a chore than I'd expected. It's a Breville Juice Fountain. Why in hell they designed it so that there are places that are hard to clean, I'll probably never know.

Since I still have real bad knee pain and a traditional Korean doctor said I might lack calcium, and since I feel he may very well be right, I've been juicing lots of Lambs Quarters. The juice is pretty bitter but it's not that bad. I don't want to juice fruits. Just want the concentrated vitamins and minerals in vegetable juices.

Been eating lots of watermelon lately. And other melons too. Like the Swan Lake Melon and a close relative. Nice. The stone fruits have been in the markets for a while now but I've just started eating them. Koreans hardly know nectarines but they're wild about peaches. I'm more interested in nectarines. Plums are pretty good too. Grapes are way too expensive. Will wait until August I suppose. And of course bananas. I get them by the box, either half a box which is about 13 pounds or on occasion a full box which is I guess about 27 pounds.

Been listening to lots of Dharma Talks on iTunes. Found a guy that I hadn't listened to before. Michael McAlister. Great. Sounds like he talks from experience. There's a guy named Genpo Roshi who I'm eager to listen to. Someday. Been studying the chanting book here. Starting with a few things the abbot has written. Very good stuff. Like it a lot.

Been eating more raw the past few days than I had been before this. There was a spell where I was eating a fair amount of cooked food and junk. Then I stopped going out of the temple with a wad of money. So I can only buy a little when I'm out there. I don't feel too constricted either. I'm okay most of the time. Today for lunch, there were these little flour patties that I've always liked. Passed them up and hardly flinched. Lots of vegetables and kimchi. I adore kimchi!

Still going to yoga every day that it's offered, Monday to Friday for just over an hour. Really like it. But my whole body's hurting so I guess this is a sign that I've been pushing too hard. My legs hurt. My back hurts. Those two especially.

Knee pain is still killer. I've decided that I'll sit no more than 35 minutes or so. After the pain starts up, I'll sit with it for a bit then get up and walk.

The English teaching isn't going so well. I did it on my own for nearly one month. Then the head teacher said that the Korean teacher who sort of trained me for one month is going to come back, indefinitely. In order to make class more fun. Well, I really wish she would have come to me and said that class wasn't fun enough. Give me a chance to fix things. I realized that the little kids weren't having such a good time. I was trying different things in order to make it more enjoyable for them. The slightly older kids seemed to enjoy the classes well enough. But I was trying different things with them too in order to make it more enjoyable. Then this happened. Sunmi sides with me in feeling that the head teacher should have consulted with me / us first. Sunmi bats for me pretty often. Well, my "trainer" has come back, for one lesson so far. I asked her what I can do in the class. She said she really doesn't know. I didn't do much the one time she came. She has her routine and there wasn't much for me to do in it. Next to nothing. It's hard to communicate with her because her English is limited and my Korean is limited. Plus, the head teacher has told Sunmi to stay out of this. Well, that really puts a bottleneck on communication between anyone and me. I can express myself in various ways but when someone speaks to me I just don't understand much. It's hard for them to speak so slowly so I don't ask them to slow down to a snail's pace when they talk. I have wondered if the head teacher doesn't want me to teach.

Enough.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Do you find the Lambs Quarters growing wild in your garden? I've heard that is very good for you.

KARENND
Lambs Quarters grows wild all over. In the garden as well. Yeah, it's got a bunch of calcium and other minerals I forget what. I've juiced it a couple of times but it's pretty bitter so I prefer to mix it with something a little nicer tasting.

THE OLD LADY WITH THE TOOL!

Went into the chili pepper garden again this morning. A littler earlier than usual because it's been so incredibly hot these past days. When I got there one of the old ladies who lives here was already there and tearing through all the "weeds". Just yesterday I sat and rested in a place I hadn't really paid much attention to, just at the edge of the pepper garden and noticed quite a few food "weeds". She did a number on them. Gone ... gone, the damage done. Before she got to a plant that I have been eating for quite a few years (since Thailand) I pulled the grasses and other plants from the immediate area just around this one plant that I like. And I asked her to spare this plant, just this one plant, I made it very clear to her, politely, gently, and she understood well. Then I got to work on the plants. I didn't want to guard the plant. I went back a little later and she'd wasted it too! Damn. So I picked it up and brought it over to a safe place. She'd also wasted some pumpkin plants and zuchinni plants. Ridiculous. Lots of little pumpkins and little zuchinnis ... gone ... gone, the damage done! Well, I picked up what I could find and brought them to my room, along with a pretty good amount of the shoots. I also got most of the flowers. Delicious. They were my breakfast.
This lady is like a forest fire on her knees. She cuts through fast, leaving a once productive area a wasteland. She must have rubber knees and feel no pain. She can kneel and squat all day it seems. Not me. But then again I haven't lived the life she has either. And, just to balance out the idea that elderly locals have all the wisdom, well, it ain't always so. This lady asked me if the flowers were edible. I told her they are, and that they taste good and are nutritious. I brought three back to the kitchen, one for her, one for the other old lady, and one for the abbot. The other old lady (Kong Yang-ju, the one who makes food) accepted them, didn't seem excited but didn't seem to reject the idea either. She didn't seem to know that these flowers and shoots are edible either. Then she gave them back to me later, scolding me for cutting up the plants. I told her it wasn't me. I don't feel close to these women in the least.

THE OLD LADY WHO COOKS FOOD
There is a cleansing / meditation retreat underway now at the temple. Fasting except for about a teaspoon of bamboo salt each day. And lots of activity. Not exactly my idea of a cleanse but the abbot has his idea of how cleansing ought to go. There are about 30 people doing this. Sunmi told me that Kong Yang-ju (the lady who makes food) wants to do the retreat. So before it started two days ago, I told Kong Yang-ju that I'd help her with her work, anything, so that she could participate in the retreat. She smiled somewhat easily. Then again yesterday morning I told her again I'd help her. She looked me in the eyes for maybe the very first time. Not just a glance then glance away. There was actually sustained eye contact for a few seconds, and then she grinned. I clapped my hands and laughed with pleasure that she'd made eye contact with me and even grinned. She still hasn't asked me to do anything for her though. Don't know why. Fine. I've done what I should do. I offered, sincerely.

BLENDER
Broke the glass part of my blender a few days ago. So I've been using a much smaller one. Don't like it nearly as much. So one day, at yoga class, I asked if there were a second hand shop nearby that sells used kitchen appliances. The yoga teacher, what a great guy he always is, he called his wife to ask. She's fabulous too. She said she'd call friends and ask if anyone has one they're not using!! I haven't been back to yoga since then but will go on Monday. It'd be great if something turns up. If not I think I can find something used. I think I've seen a shop not too too far away.

A TRIP HOME
Bought plane tickets a few days ago. I'll be home from Aug 3 to Aug 22. Looking forward to visiting family and friends.

BANANA PEANUT SMOOTHIE
I know, sweet fruits and nuts don't mix. But I sprouted the peanuts for a couple of days, then mixed a handful in with one banana, maybe a bit less. Blended it well. Wow. That was great. No gas or anything either. Small quantities don't cause too much damage. I guess.

Enough.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

I found your tales of the Old Ladies a lot of fun to read. Ahh..feeling sorry for plants and you too though.

I think you could write a book on your experience there.

Love,
Prism

hi troy

miss your awesome posts
come back and tell us more

yep me too hows your visit at home been ?

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

HIYA!

Thanks so much everyone for expressing interest. I feel warm.

I'm at SF airport now. It's been a really terrrrrific visit home. Didn't visit everyone, didn't even call everyone. Next time I'll have more time, and fewer excuses!

Contacted several Buddhist temples and Zen centers to learn about living and practice possibilities. Some encouraging things out there. My delicious!! friend Jeff and I met the manager of the organic garden at Green Gulch which is a branch of the SF Zen Center. The lady has been there for five years and has no intention of leaving any time soon. So, long term life there is a possibility, with modest pay. The place is gorgeous and I feel that there are serious practitioners there.

Talked with a guy in the office too who said "we're not trying to break you". I want to break! I mean, like in the military, they say that during boot camp they break you down to build a new you. There's something in me that wants to break down, wants to tear up the old beliefs and behaviors to let in something different, something more .... To do this without a guide, a teacher, to nudge, to assist, to guide, to help, feels pretty darn impossible. SF Zen Center is in the Soto Zen tradition. Seems to me this is considered to be the gentler or the two main Zen traditions. Rinzai is the Japanese name for the other, apparently more aggressive tradition. Soto seems much more common in the US. I don't know where to find Rinzai Zen in the US but I can find them. They're out there.

Green Gulch has a residency program. This is where you stay and practice temporarily, short term or long term. After this residency period you can apply to be a staff member there. That's the way to make the place home.

Other temples have residency programs too, and you can make a bit of money too. So, this visit was pretty worthwhile in this regard.

I feel more encouraged than I felt before coming. I have no intention of living again in the general population, near people I don't know, don't care to know, living a "typical life" which I won't elaborate on or define! I don't denigrate people that I feel live "typical lives" nor do I denigrate "typical living". Just want something different for myself. I don't call it more meaningful. Maybe more fulfilling. Maybe that's a better word for what I'm looking for in life. Fulfillment. No, that's not it either! Never mind. Buddhists say it's that RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE and to WAKE UP AND SEE IT! SO WHAT AM I WAITING FOR? WHY AM I RESISTING?

My friend Jeff told me about a place in Okayama, Japan where the practice is intense. Listening to him talk piqued my interest boy, piqued my interest. This seems like the kind of place where you break.

Also investigated intentional communities. This seems more daunting to research so didn't find out too much about communities in Northern California. More often than not I was referred to www.ic.org, the ic standing for intentional communities. I've looked at their site before but had hoped to talk face to face with someone. I called a couple of places but never made phone contact with anyone so didn't go to visit. One person did tell me that there are communities that don't require you to buy in, and just require hands for work, and that living at these places is possible without having to put thousands of dollars in before getting the chance to live there. But where?!!! Internet searches and phone calls ....

I have a friend who was in South Korea some years ago teaching English. He ate 100% or nearly 100% raw at the time. He told me the fruit there isn't so great. When I got there I recalled what he said and wondered why. Tasted good to me. Now, after having been back in Cal for a summer of fruits, boy, I guess I have to agree. Fruits taste okay in SK but boy, the selection doesn't match. No match. There is so so much here. Tastes great, there's so much more organic, and prices are cheaper.

Figs. Love figs and have been enjoying the hell out of them the past few days. And nectarines. Scrumptious. Nectarines are great in Korea too, however. They have a kind of fig which is nice but doesn't compare to the black missions that we get here.

I've put on a tiny bit of weight here because I've been eating more junk than I was eating in Korea. When I was a kid I so loved Reese's Peanut Butter cups. After quite a few years away, I see there are lots of Reese's things out now. "Had" to sample most of them. Just wouldn't let them out of my sight without putting something in my mouth first. You know, oftentimes I wouldn't even pay much attention to the taste! So it's pretty obvious to me that it's not the food that I want. There's some monster in there that I haven't dealt with that is still running the show to a fairly large degree. That's one of the things that I will need to tear up if I'm ever going to "break", as I mentioned in one of the first paragraphs.

Bought a copy of 80/10/10 and have been reading it. Like it a lot. Makes a lot of sense to me. I haven't finished it and haven't tried it. So I don't know how hard or easy it might be to follow. And I read a couple of the threads on Graham's section of www.vegsource.com.

Bought some seeds at Common Ground in Palo Alto, California. Bitter Melon, a kind of cress, and a couple of others. Had hoped for jicama, and a few others. Really enjoy jicama. Don't know how well they fit into 80/10/10 but I sure enjoy eating them. But that won't be an issue for at least a year.

Last thing. One thing that I had intended to do here in the US was get a religious visa so I could go back to Korea and practice as a novice for a year. I first wanted to come in May but the abbot at the temple in Korea where I expect to practice said the documents I will need to apply for a visa will take a couple of months to prepare. Then he said to wait until after the retreat in August. So, I waited. A few days before my flight date I told him when I'd leave. He said that the documents still hadn't come through. More than three weeks later, they're still not ready. Don't know why not. When I get back to the temple, gonna have to have a talk with the abbot. I'm supposed to teach English to the super charming little kindergarteners at the temple, and practice as a novice. Both for a year. Well, now both are in doubt. At least in my mind. My friend Sunmi says the abbot is still looking for a way to get the documents. I don't get it. I'm not the first foreigner to go to Korea on a religious visa. So, what's sticking?

More than enough, yeah?
Really though, I'm really warmed that you all express interest. Thanks for sharing.
Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

hey troy
interesting post ( as usual)
cuz its cool hearing someone express wanting to 'break" as a way of tearing down the old preconceived notions etc. and make way for something better

yeah, that's neat that u embrace it with so much enthusiasm

i'm surprised u haven't "broken" already what with the new language ( korean) and all the communication barriers... but then i got to thinking.. maybe that is why some people go to new countries... so that they can stop having to listen to chatter ... at least if the chatter doesn't make sense to them.. its just like listening to a bubbling brook or a waterfall or sounds of things chirping... its like getting back to nature

and there u are in the garden, and all... its closer to being who u really are
rather than have to listen all the time

then again, i'm thinking.. perhaps its just the OPPOSITE cuz u have to PAY ATTENTION to the language SOOOO much more INTENSELY... that it is like listening a thousand times harder

and if u are teaching english
u are paying attention to the language all the more

okay... but.. still.... being surrounded by a place that is "foreign" even though u were in asia for 20 years.. is ... like being able to be with your own thoughts?

i dont' know what i'm talking about
just thinking to myself

at any rate
you are back in america checking out some zen places in SF but then planning to go back to korea?

mustah been the sumni lady

i bet you miss kim chi somethin TERRIBLE!!

i think its very cool that you are looking at creating/recreating what exactly it is that you are looking for if/when you land back on american soil




TroySantos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
One person did tell me that
> there are communities that don't require you to
> buy in, and just require hands for work, and that
> living at these places is possible without having
> to put thousands of dollars in before getting the
> chance to live there. But where?!!! Internet
> searches and phone calls ....

perhaps if you cant find it ..its your destiny to create it just a thought

At least in my mind. My friend Sunmi says
> the abbot is still looking for a way to get the
> documents. I don't get it. I'm not the first
> foreigner to go to Korea on a religious visa. So,
> what's sticking?

again maybe its not what you are intended to do despite what you *think* are your intentions .. the universe may have other plans for you

..or it may be simply they dont want you and this is their roundabout way of getting off the hook with you (i experienced this occaisionally in india and nepal and thailand .. if someone doesnt want to do something for you they will roundabout way make it difficult untill you change your direction lol) ..if it doesnt work out then take it as a lesson that it wasnt meant to be that way

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

la_veronique Wrote:
> then again, i'm thinking.. perhaps its just the
> OPPOSITE cuz u have to PAY ATTENTION to the
> language SOOOO much more INTENSELY... that it is
> like listening a thousand times harder
Yeah, it's more like this. Really need to listen. Hard. So much uncertainty. The art is being okay with uncertainty. And the feelings surrounding it all.

> at any rate you are back in america checking out some zen places in SF but then > planning to go back to korea?
I arrived in Korea a couple of days ago. Adjusting okay. For some people the real culture shock is going back to the US after years of being overseas. I adjusted well enough in the US and now I'm okay here in Korea.

> i bet you miss kim chi somethin TERRIBLE!!
Had some yesterday and it was okay. Even had a jar of it in the US. That tasted good too. You know, sometimes when I eat it, right away there's a little high. It occured to me one day that it's likely to be the fermentation by-products in kimchi. They probably get you high just like wine. The high only lasts a couple of seconds. Wears off real fast.

JODI, you know, I've thought about forming a community. When I lived with Santi Asoke in Thailand. Just the thought of it is daunting. I appreciate your comment though. Really do.

And, regarding the idea that the universe may have plans for me other than teaching ... I realize its a good idea to get out of the way and allow what happens. I won't push this too much it's just that I have little money left and I'll likely need a good chunk of it in the US. The abbot here once asked me if I could do without making money. I know a guy who's challenged the money thing and has done very well each time. He goes to a country and gives away whatever money he's got in his pocket. So that he's got none after he gives it away. He has always been able to find work, stay some years, and somehow move on to another country. Fruitarian. Very spiritual guy.

I've also thought that maybe the abbot is trying to say something to me without articulating it in words. But he's said things in words that are not consistent with that idea. I'll know more in a couple of days.

Thanks so much.

I was driving to a friend's house, in lots of traffic for a long long time. The lady on the radio said that it's a beautiful day. I immediately looked for a tree and found one right away. Right away I felt a pleasant sensation in my chest. (Jeff - "noticing pleasant sensations"!) Then without thinking I looked at the car directly in front of me. No pleasant sensations. No unpleasant ones either however. I did notice that I felt a bit disappointed in not noticing any pleasant sesnations after looking at the car. Sort of neat. ;-)

Didn't get any sleep on the airplane coming over. Not a minute. Didn't get much the first night back either. Got nine hours last night. Sitting in the meditation hall, I kept falling forward so I got up and walked for about 20 minutes. Then I called it quits and went to bed. Sat for an hour this morning, first time in a long long time that I'd sat in the morning. Quite nice too.

Ordered a box of fruit yesterday. The usual. I feel like getting something a bit different though. Did get some nectarines yesterday and ate 'em all up. Nice. Grapes are coming into season here. Still lots of melons around, and the peaches and nectarines, and plums. Figs aren't in season yet, nor are the persimmons. Can't wait. But I guess I'll have to!!

Boy it's hot. Has been hot for a couple of weeks they say. No rain for a couple of weeks. Hot, and dry yet humid at the same time.

Arrived at the airport and a friend was waiting. She took me to the temple. That was around 10pm. Sunmi and the others were going to leave so we talked for a couple of minutes before they left. Got to sleep around 11pm then up at 2am to go to the bathroom but couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. Surprised that I wasn't very sleepy the next day. Even did some heavy work in the late afternoon. got 9 hours of sleep last night and felt better this morning.

It's nice to see everyone here again. Ah, except Kong Yang-ju. The night I arrived, I went into my room and it was stuffy and hot. So I went into the office ot get an electric fan. But putting the lock on the door is so difficult. Someone did something screwy. Spent 10 minutes trying to get that door locked. Then Kong Yang-ju came out of her room, said who knows what to me, in her typical barking fashion. So it wasn't so pleasant to see her again, but I was able to smile and chuckle and be polite to her just the same. Then she said something else and I understood the word "tomorrow" in Korean. So I just left the door unlocked and went to my room. She said she couldn't get the lock on the door either.

Enough. I'll write more another time. I'm hungry. - Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

hey there sorry i have been absent in your journal lately but don't take it personal it has been on the whole site!! hope all is well with you!!
take care
love earthangel
xoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

HIYA!

Okay, talked with Sunmi (my friend) and with Sunim (the abbot) about my situation here. I told them I don't want to wait any longer to start novice training. It's been about five months since the idea was presented to me and so far as I know I'm no closer now to starting. Plus, Sunmi has told me that the difference between life here as a novice and life here as a layperson is that novices (and monks) might do more sitting meditation. What she means is that aside from more obvious things, there's no difference in essential practice. Do the HWADU all day. (HWADU practice is to ask continually, from a place deep inside, "What is ...?" The object of this question is the fist. But the deeper object is the part of reality that the great majority of us never ever see, nor ever have any inkling of because we're not exposed to the teachings. Apparently many people have experienced it but because they never had exposure to the teachings that explain what that experience really was, they didn't understand what they'd experienced. Anyway, enough of that. If anyone is interested, say so and I'll explain more either by private messages, or on this diary. Suffice to say, to experience that thing I'm alluding to is my main reason for living here at this temple.)

The other thing is teaching. I have opted out of getting paid to teach here at the kindergarten. I was making a million won a month (roughly a thousand US dollars) to teach 6 hours a month. Nobody else in this country, I'm pretty damn sure, has such a contract. I asked an Australian friend, who's also a teacher, her opinion of my situation and she said KEEP THE JOB! I know, what a SKATE job situation I have. But for various reasons I'm really uncomfortable with this. A big reason, sure, is that I work so little for so much money. Full time teachers here make roughly 2 million won a month (roughly 2 thousand US, give or take a hundred or two).

I called my old boss a few days ago. Hadn't called him since I came back from the US. I didn't call asking for work or anything, but called to say HI and to see if we could meet up. I don't LIKE the man much, but we do have a kind of friendship I guess you could say. I told him I was considering quitting this kindergarten position. He said he might be able to help. So we met and talked. He told me that he'd like for me to start on Sept 9th. We met on about Sept 1st! I told him I was really considering starting in late Sept or early Oct. He said that'd be okay too. He told me that we'd follow the old contract. 35 hours a week (including one hour of prep time each day) for 2 million won. I thought about it a bit. Looked online for other work. Then decided I didn't want to go through the hassle of looking for another job, interviews, documents, and the whole bit. I believe that there isn't much difference from one "good" school to the next. I believe I was working at a fairly good school, so I decided to take his offer. I called him to say I'd accept his offer.

He took me to dinner that night. Had some nice tasting cooked food. Some barley with vegetables. Nice tasting. I'd long wondered what the barley dishes taste like. With that out of the way, I can concentrate better on the raw 80/10/10 diet that I've been adhering to fairly closely. I track it on Cron-o-meter because it's software that you can download for free onto a computer.

So he wants me to start on October 9th. His current teacher wants to work until then. Fine with me. He'll pay for my airfare out of the country to get a visa (this is standard for all schools, by law). I'd like to go to Thailand but most people go to Japan because it's closest and apparently the airfare to Japan is cheaper than to anywhere else. But if Thailand isn't much more expensive I'll go to Thailand. But I've also thought about Viet Nam. Have been wanting to go there for a long long time.

Lastly, I'll continue to live here at the temple. And will continue to teach one day a week, an hour and a half, to the little kindergarteners. In fact, I should get to preparing soon. Lesson is tomorrow. I've got some ideas that I need to flesh out.

Just one more thing. I'm enjoying the high raw, fairly low fat diet. A few days ago, many of us were working outside. There was some heavy work. I handled all of it well. Better than most. There was a heavy rock that had to go up to a high place. I was the only one in the group that thought it could be lifted. The others had these big schemes for getting it up there. Then a guy who had been doing something else came along, said that it could be done. He somehow knew I also thought it could be done. So he said, Troy, come on, let's do it. The two of us lifted it almost all the way so I asked for one more person to help with the final push. He did. And we got it up there. I've almost never felt, as long as I've been high raw, that I don't have enough energy or strength to do something. At least, not as long as I've been getting enough sleep and enough calories. I'm pretty damn skinny but I have more energy than most and at least as much strength as most.

Enough.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

What a great testimony (the heavy rock story) for raw food and strength! Sounds like you are making some good plans also.

I have a few minutes, haven't written anything for a while, so want to say something to someone!

I've been feeling pretty good lately. Last Sunday I commited to eating only raw foods this week. This is the 7th day and I've stuck to it almost 100%. I've had some royal jelly powder that a friend gave me, some chocolate milk!, and some ginseng honey juice. I think that's it. No cooked food though. This is a first for me. I'm feeling pretty good too. Not great. But not at all bad either. There've been times when I felt that some ice cream or something would be great. But it's not been that hard to curtail those feelings. I'm not stifling them either. Just reminding myself that I'm not having any of that this week.

This coming Tuesday I'll go to Thailand for about 10 days and will likely fast most of those days. So I don't want to let up for one or two days, then slide down that long slippery slide.

Been following 80/10/10 pretty closely. And for probably the first time in my life I can say that I feel full and satisfied after most meals. I don't, after a meal, hunt around for something else to eat. I'm usually okay with what I have for a meal. And quite often it's been mono meals or two foods at most. Lots of times I've been eating just nectarines and really enjoying them. They don't have many calories according to the Cron-o-meter but boy I sure do get full and stay full, and feel like I have plenty of energy after a couple of pounds of them. I haven't been snacking between meals this week very much. Sometimes a little, especially if I'm thirsty, then maybe I'll have a tangerine or two or a nectarine or two, but for the most part, no snacks either. Been having lots of green smoothies which I've long enjoyed.

One thing I have noticed for years and years is that it's hard for me to throw out food, or to let it go bad. I have a bunch of bananas right now. Got them for a good price yesterday. But they're really ripe. So I've been making smoothies out of them. Tastes great and it takes more to satisfy me than it would were I to eat them as bananas. Like just this morning, I asked myself if I can let these bananas go bad and I felt a strong resistance to the idea. So I haven't taken myself to letting food go bad yet. Someday maybe I'll take the plunge and just see how it feels to toss them onto the compost.

A typhoon arrived yesterday morning and it's been raining most of the time since. We were going to plant potatoes in the garden yesterday or today but that's been postponed. Won't be tomorrow either I'm sure as the garden will still be really mushy. I have strong feelings of disgust as I see how we're doing agriculture here, but I go along with it. I express my feelings and opinions sometimes but try to not step on toes or anger anyone. I mean, point to me the wisdom of cutting grasses and "weeds", letting them dry on the soil, then raking it all up and throwing it all off to the side. Then buying fertilizer (gladly we have been using organic fertilizer in some places and with some crops, but still ...) and applying that. Makes no sense to me. The dead weeds are some of the food of the soil. They die off and become new soil as they decompose. I told a lady last Sunday that the richest soil in the garden is at the EDGE of the garden. Where only "weeds" grow. Unconscious. Absolutely unconscious. They're concerned about the roots of the cut weeds and grasses taking hold again. Such a small concern for so much damage.

Anyone interested in walking around or across the USA? Or some other country? I'm real interested. Won't be availabel until late 2008 or early 2009 but I'm interested. Might not do it, but I'm interested just the same. And if someone else is interested, and wants to do it sooner, go ahead, go with the idea, walk with the idea. Gather some people from this forum or from anywhere, maybe other raw forums, and do it. Maybe some people could do a couple of days, maybe some people could do a couple of months. Maybe ... maybe ... maybe.

I had the idea a few days ago so thought I'd light the candle and see what happens to the flame.

Enough.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Congrats on the week raw! The walk around sounds like a great idea. I'll keep an eye out to see where you end up doing it and see if I can join in for a couple of days. Walk for raw or something like that...