tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303546542012-01-28T04:28:20.011-08:00A middle-aged guy in Berkeley CA, interested in exploring the mind through formal Zen practice, entheogens, or any means necessary. I'll be blogging about meditation teachers, groups, techniques, and whatever relates to the Big Questions of Life. With maybe some politics, gambling, and pop culture thrown in.Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.comBlogger1291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-23022442988566558502012-01-11T09:29:00.000-08:002012-01-11T09:33:35.914-08:00

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-73578631031429518842011-10-29T17:18:00.000-07:002011-10-29T20:38:20.879-07:00

Say you wanted to build a Movement by appealing directly to the Cult Mind, that part of the brain that most desires to be part of a herd. You'd need a slogan to imply that following a crowd leads to Truth. Such a maxim would suggest that being in the majority, or having membership in the biggest tribe, somehow confers moral superiority. You'd want the slogan to be well-suited to sheep, while

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-68877870184176011182011-10-06T16:18:00.000-07:002011-10-07T11:45:12.911-07:00

"Of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jobs said: 'I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.'"

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-44804493430699766692011-07-18T13:36:00.000-07:002011-07-18T13:37:30.631-07:00

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-51334144700085029422011-05-30T18:09:00.000-07:002011-06-29T14:39:57.096-07:00

While pondering the posting I made last month re belief, I surfed to a relevant discussion at the Church of the Churchless blog. Someone had written in:Is there anyone here on this blog who is looking to realise the truth, or are we more interested in realising how right we are, how wrong others are?Are we into defending our beliefs and condemning others for theirs?The blog-master responded:

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-8267425046997993462011-05-28T21:13:00.000-07:002011-05-28T21:14:35.713-07:00

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-57101345704847498552011-05-24T17:34:00.000-07:002011-05-27T18:26:03.280-07:00

The recent CNN.com article Religious belief is human nature huge new study claims begins, "Religion comes naturally, even instinctively, to human beings, a massive new study of cultures all around the world suggests."This is no surprise if we consider our distant ancestors. Cavemen who failed to see tigers in the bushes often died too early to pass on their genes. Those who saw tigers even when

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-6774627855228133442011-04-29T09:03:00.000-07:002011-04-29T09:07:47.977-07:00

Zen Master Dae Kwang, at Empty Gate Zen Center of Berkeley:

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-57566335789333890872011-04-27T11:28:00.000-07:002011-05-27T14:11:02.315-07:00

I've been seeing the occasional billboard, and bold advertisements on the side of RVs, heralding the end of the world on May 21, 2011. See Huffington Post, Believers Warn Neighbors of Impending Doom. Apparently, the prediction comes from "Biblical scholar" Harold Camping.Judgment Day is coming May 21, 2011 -- not sometime this decade, not sometime this year, but precisely on May 21.Jeez. It's

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-61325596963144229982011-03-29T12:02:00.000-07:002011-04-01T15:12:21.779-07:00

Last night I watched the finale of season 3 of Jersey Shore. Season 4 will be filmed in Italy.Italian-American interest group UNICO opined: It will not only hurt Italians but all Americans … their outrageous, reprehensible behavior will make us look like buffoons and bimbos.Read about it here. And more on Snookie here.

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-39071315607280637562011-02-16T13:25:00.000-08:002011-02-16T13:31:57.349-08:00

I watched the first 2 episodes of the Jeopary! challenge between former champions and an IBM super-computer. Humanity isn't fairing well.We may live long enough to watch the debate in Congress over whether computers should get the vote (once they become indistinguishable from humans). Kurzweil points out that when we build a machine as intelligent as we are, it'll be the last machine we have

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-49870351999198845702011-02-10T15:18:00.000-08:002011-02-10T15:39:43.914-08:00

This coming Monday, 2/14/2011, a computer will compete against two human champions on the TV show Jeopardy. If the computer is able to understand the quiz show questions (which often use puns, metaphors, and other word-play), some artificial intelligence experts will consider it a great leap forward. After all, understanding complex language is one of the hallmarks of human intelligence. And if

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-51812912668780396512011-01-31T20:56:00.000-08:002011-02-05T10:29:07.039-08:00

...this year there are some 320 reality shows on the air worldwide, compared with four in 2000.Season 3 of "Jersey Shore" is underway, and God forgive me, I never miss an episode.For the pop-culture challenged... "Jersey Shore" is a reality show on MTV, in which 8 East Coast Italian-Americans (self-described "Guidos" and "Guidettes") live together in a beach house. It's been wildly successful

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-40867424033365018362010-12-30T13:47:00.000-08:002010-12-30T14:10:21.027-08:00

Following is some teaching on Dzogchen, a Tibetan tradition with some similarities to Zen. Thanks to Josh Baran, who provided this quoted material and pointed me to it. In posting it to the OBC (Order of Buddhist Contemplatives) forum, Josh wrote, "... when you see the word 'dzogchen' you could substitute zazen or meditation or just sitting."EVERY DAY MEDITATIONThe everyday practice of dzogchen

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-55846222197493619582010-11-14T10:40:00.000-08:002010-11-14T10:43:47.591-08:00

Thanks to Friendly Atheist and many others for sharing this.

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-18339988530823491522010-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:002010-10-16T18:01:22.081-07:00

To help us get in the proper spirit of the Fall Season, here's a little inspirational essay:http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2009/10/20nissan.html

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-59275547665388140122010-10-05T11:10:00.000-07:002010-10-05T15:01:09.768-07:00

In last month's blog posting, I quoted Stephen Hawking, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist." In the comments, Doug wrote, "Particle/anti-particle pairs can appear spontaneously out of empty space... it's almost beyond

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-77819263615855264372010-09-08T12:07:00.000-07:002010-09-08T14:55:57.591-07:00

Of course I'm a fan of Stephen Hawking. How could you not love a man who not only solved the great mysteries of the universe, but was a guest voice on the Simpsons?Hawking has gone through two marriages. By the time he hooked up with his nurse in the mid 90s, neuro-muscular dystrophy had left him able to move only his cheek and one finger. Amazing how he pulled off that seduction. Genius

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-25319922900583903722010-08-23T21:44:00.000-07:002010-08-23T21:49:04.118-07:00

Gathering of meditation groups of the San Francisco East Bay, in Berkeley, 9/11/2010. See the poster for the event, and the facebook page.

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-22648698836923674402010-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:002010-08-26T17:07:47.556-07:00

Resident monk Kwan Sahn Su Nim has been bringing Empty Gate Zen Center into the new millennium, with a website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel. A week from Wednesday, 9/1/2010, we go a step further, with our first live webcast. The Dharma talk by Zen Master Bon Soeng will be broadcast from this link. It should start around 8 p.m.Su Nim is also webcasting morning practice each

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-2110621132549146612010-08-17T13:53:00.000-07:002010-08-20T10:58:41.857-07:00

The ultra-chick movie Eat, Pray, Love was released this week. Star Julia Roberts insured its success; I believe it's the second biggest film out there, after the ultra-guy movie The Expendables. EPL is based on the eponymous novel by Elizabeth Gilbert. The novel in turn is based on Gilbert's real-life year-long trip around the world, during which she experienced food in Italy, meditation in India

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-54878125083756029552010-08-14T11:31:00.000-07:002010-08-14T11:38:35.576-07:00

Audio Dharma speech by Zen Master Dae Kwang, Abbot of the Kwan Um School of Zen. Delivered for Founder's Day ceremony, Sept 31, 2010.Click here to listen.(The link is to an .mp3. Your browser should prompt you to open in e.g. Windows Media Player.)

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-66445392087590264472010-08-07T17:58:00.000-07:002010-08-11T18:22:47.639-07:00

Human beings are wired to see patterns, whether they exist or not. That's why so many people believe in astrology, or think they can sense where the roulette ball is going to land on the next spin.There's a simple evolutionary explanation for this: understanding patterns was a huge help to our ancestors. If a caveman could recognize which plants tended to kill people who ate them... then he had

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-88677265442571194822010-07-24T10:33:00.000-07:002010-07-24T13:00:21.708-07:00

A friend just attended a free outdoor concert on Long Island. The group performing was The Association. Their songs include Cherish, Never My Love, and Along Comes Mary. Cherish was later made famous by teen idol David Cassidy. Of Along Comes Mary, Songfacts.com writes, "Many people interpreted this as a paean to marijuana, which is also known as 'Mary Jane.' They were probably right."The

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-41182078614602793802010-06-27T10:27:00.000-07:002010-06-27T19:30:01.827-07:00

Thanks to Doug, Rambling Taoist, and yomamma for posting to the comment's section of May's blog entry, which touched on the topic of depression. I've since read a couple of articles on the question of whether antidepressants are any more effective than placebos (a placebo being any medicine which has no active ingredients, but which the patient believes will help). This issue has been in the news

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-41350314070956523392010-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:002010-05-07T22:43:21.171-07:00

Yesterday I watched as the stock market took an unprecedented plunge. The Dow fell something like 600 points in 15 minutes, perhaps reflecting fear of a world-wide financial collapse. I'm no fancy economist, but that sounds like a bad thing.I have my personal retirement account built from decades of Excel work; about half of it is in stock funds. I manage the investments my mother lives off of,

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-82290089169417735462010-04-21T13:37:00.001-07:002010-04-22T11:53:57.082-07:00

Thanks to the Ox Hearding blog for pointing me to a fine interview with Zen teacher Joko Beck. It's from a Shambhala Sun article: True Stories About Sitting Meditation. Click the link to see the original Sun article. For the benefit of those too lazy to click, I've copied Beck's interview below:Donna Rockwell: How old were you when you started meditating?Charlotte Joko Beck: Thirty-nine, forty,

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-68735621287997958742010-04-02T09:47:00.000-07:002010-04-05T23:21:31.106-07:00

I was of course blown away by the 3D effects of Avatar. It's quite a clever way to get us back into the communal experience of movie-going. I've got Netflix and a good TV, so for years I've been far more likely to watch movies in my own apartment with a friend or two, rather than going to the theater. The 3D phenom will draw me back a little... at least until they come up with holographic TVs.

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-51213152532125993262010-03-15T07:06:00.000-07:002010-03-15T08:32:19.681-07:00

Julie Rappaport has re-started Yoga classes, ongoing Thursday mornings, at 7th Heaven in Berkeley, CA. See the bottom of this post for the full announcement. Julie is the baby-mama and POSSLQ of my friend and Dharma brother Chris.I picked up the expression POSSLQ 30 years ago, when I was with Swami Muktananda on his 3rd Tour of the US. I lived in the ashrams (meditation communities) for years,

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-28445885549140252782010-02-25T12:44:00.000-08:002010-02-25T13:08:37.364-08:00

My friend Michael just pointed me to a great article in the New York Review of Books. In The Chess Master and the Computer, former world chess champion Gary Kasparov discusses the battle for chess supremacy between humans and artificial intelligence. He writes:It was my luck (perhaps my bad luck) to be the world chess champion during the critical years in which computers challenged, then

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-348410011496069392010-01-12T13:23:00.000-08:002010-01-12T13:25:39.129-08:00

"We must believe in free will — we have no choice."-- Isaac Bashevis Singer

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-34258224646901487702009-12-22T09:09:00.000-08:002009-12-23T11:01:51.623-08:00

Here's a quote from Transmission of Mind by Huang-Po (who lived in China, they say, in the 9th century). Thanks to Daily Zen for posting this, and the NDHighlights Yahoo Group for pointing to it.Yeah, yeah, when Huang-Po says things like "full understanding can come to you only through an inexpressible mystery," the words are a bit too beautiful and unnecessary. Truth has already appeared in this

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-48937146389508363402009-12-08T22:59:00.000-08:002009-12-10T12:21:12.081-08:00

Letting Go of God is a monologue by comic, cancer survivor, and Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney. (imdb.com calls it a "one-person-monologue." Heh.) I'm a fan of one-person shows, and Sweeney is great at combining comedy with philosophical depth.I'm watching it on Showtime cable TV as we speak. Sweeney talked about being visited by some fresh-faced Mormon missionaries. She was stunned by

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-36740958427232788362009-12-06T10:32:00.000-08:002009-12-06T10:35:36.954-08:00

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-84144206988096206112009-11-24T05:08:00.000-08:002009-11-24T05:59:34.973-08:00

It's the time of year that we're told to cultivate gratitude, to look at our life as a gift. What does that mean?Growing up, if my mother gave me a shirt for my birthday, I'd of course thank her. It was never a big deal; it didn't seem to matter so much to her when I said "thank you." But if she later saw me wearing the shirt, that seemed to make her very happy.So on Thanksgiving, I don't try to

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-33445401679864471522009-11-03T16:21:00.000-08:002009-11-03T16:40:24.278-08:00

An hour-long documentary of Zen Master Seung Sahn has made its way around the net. Released in 1992, the 54-minute video Wake Up! On the Road with a Zen Master follows ZMSS as he travels and teaches in Europe. It's on YouTube in 6 parts; here's Part 1:(I've written of my personal experience with ZM Seung Sahn here.)

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-12243734889777241042009-10-19T13:31:00.000-07:002009-10-19T18:31:41.595-07:00

One Giant Leap for Kind! AP reports: "The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday."If we formulate lofty goals and impose them on our neighbors with force (governmental or otherwise), we increase conflict in society. We reduce conflict by defining

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-355072105509398902009-10-16T18:02:00.000-07:002009-10-18T21:22:29.047-07:00

The lead story on CNN.com at the moment is titled Doctor says near-death experiences are in the mind. Yet within the story, the doctor calls NDEs "real":Dr. Kevin Nelson, a neurologist in Louisville, Kentucky, studies near-death experiences and says they're not imagined. The explanation, he says, lies in the brain itself. "These are real experiences. And they're experiences that happen at a time

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-27056806298720620982009-10-08T14:54:00.000-07:002009-10-12T20:37:25.994-07:00

Tamerlane Phillips is the son of John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, and half-brother of One Day At A Time's Mackenzie Phillips (who recently promoted her book High on Arrival on Oprah, complete with incest revelations). A few weeks ago, Tamerlane was quoted in the New York Post thusly:Tamerlane, 38, told Page Six: "My family is and always will be a decrepit bowl of dog urine compared to

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-73482681117613929622009-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:002009-10-01T11:36:01.785-07:00

I hadn't read/heard much of Sam Harris before watching this interview on Bill Maher's Real Time. Harris' book The End of Faith helped launch "New Atheism" movement... without even using the word "atheism." I enjoyed this Real Time segment and was impressed with Harris.At the beginning of the interview, Harris says that atheism "has no content." I like how Harris is using the word to mean simply

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-80566765589997917762009-09-07T14:53:00.000-07:002009-09-08T21:22:50.674-07:00

A few years back I watched a typically brilliant HBO documentary about heroin users. One addict was interviewed who said that she intended to kick the habit someday, and really thought she was capable of doing so. She had one great worry and fear, though, and expressed it something like this: "If I didn't have to go out and find my fix... what would I do every day?"Zen Master Seung Sahn would

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-86224812857168816152009-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:002009-09-02T09:18:33.589-07:00

Watch what moves (click on image to enlarge):

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-7247212885362944442009-08-23T13:47:00.000-07:002009-08-23T18:37:39.753-07:00

Resident monk Kwan Sahn Su Nim has been keeping the Empty Gate Zen Center YouTube Channel updated with short clips from our weekly public programs. Here's the latest:Also from YouTube, video of our founder, Zen Master Seung Sahn (aka Dae Soen Sa Nim). It's a collection of clips from teaching talks, interviews, etc, put together for his 3-year memorial in 2007.With all the stories and quotes I've

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-21011089859998967312009-08-17T16:02:00.000-07:002009-08-17T17:55:39.010-07:00

Zen Master Soeng Hyang (Barbara Rhodes, head Zen Master of the Kwan Um School of Zen) just sent an email to the members of the School, quoting this poem from Ryokan (1758-1831):The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind;The butterfly visits the flower with no-mind.The flower opens, the butterfly comes;The butterfly comes, the flower opens.I don't know others,Others don't know me.By not-knowing

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-15329578555436306982009-08-08T17:08:00.000-07:002009-08-08T17:18:28.856-07:00

Two facinating, totally unrelated things I came across today.On Showtime, watched the documentary "Forbidden Lies." This wonderful movie explores a literary hoax, and touches on big issues of truth and deception.Also, caught this clever bit from The Daily Show:The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10ciFeudwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorSpinal Tap Performance

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-54537157260822336492009-08-05T23:06:00.000-07:002009-08-08T13:43:24.363-07:00

I happened upon a site today that allowed me to see the top 20 seach-engine phrases that had resulted in visits to my blog (this one) in the last year. Hey, maybe if I use all 20 of them in a single post, it'll boost readership. Ya gotta give the people what they want. Here goes, these are the top 20, for real:adi da dies, adi da death, trippy+patterns, adi da dead, trippy+shrooms, death of adi

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-73377647781004652642009-08-05T10:57:00.000-07:002009-08-05T14:16:42.889-07:00

(Thanks to the Guruphiliac blog, where I initally found this video.)

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-90210105446486514352009-07-28T11:05:00.000-07:002009-08-09T13:22:12.546-07:00

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is complete... except for the final table of the main event, which is delayed till November to build suspense and marketing opportunities. It should be an exciting finish, with super-star Phil Ivey among the remaining nine contenders.Recorded coverage of the action so far begins tonight on ESPN. The WSOP was over a month long, with different tournaments

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-37743773780701647172009-07-15T10:37:00.000-07:002009-07-15T11:35:30.107-07:00

At Empty Gate Zen Center, new resident monk Kwan Sahn Su Nim is getting a few more videos onto our YouTube channel. Below is an excerpt from the weekly Q&A with Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes):KSSN is also maintaining our active presence on Facebook and Twitter. Here's a recent tweet, quoting from old Chinese Zen Master Nam Cheon:Understanding is illusion, not understanding is blankness. If

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-9578689429391120442009-07-14T16:33:00.000-07:002009-11-30T12:44:55.873-08:00

Andrew Cohen is a moderately popular teacher/figure in the spiritual subculture. His rise to fame began with a visit to India in the mid-80s, where he met guru Hari Lal Poonja (aka Papaji). Andrew had some big special experience; Papaji looked in his eyes and declared the young man as his enlightened spiritual successor.After a period of gloppy devotion to Papaji, Cohen rejected his former Master

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-3575838868678580552009-07-03T17:54:00.000-07:002009-07-03T19:00:08.549-07:00

Finishing up my thoughts on traveling and nomadic life (which I began in June's Part 1 post)...I first heard the phrase after I'd returned from my time in India and was settling into the Bay Area. The local paper used the AA term "pulling a geographic" to describe people who wanted to relocate in an effort to fix/reboot their lives. For decades, the prime destination for Americans pulling a

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-22886333207609148262009-06-15T18:33:00.000-07:002009-06-16T13:20:52.613-07:00

Back in January, I posted about Zen Master Bon Soeng (Jeff Kitzes) appearing on the PBS show Roadtrip Nation. Here's a 6-minute clip:

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-66915405552821988232009-06-09T15:32:00.000-07:002009-06-09T16:56:41.525-07:00

Last week, the local paper ran a story under the headline The latest travel trend? Becoming a nomad. The article references the book American Nomads, as well as numerous blogs maintained by people who've chosen a life of continuous travel.The idea of long-term wandering has always fascinated me. I had a perfectly nice childhood in a suburb of Philadelphia, but still I'd dream about the day I'd be

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-57925252788090856972009-05-11T12:29:00.001-07:002009-05-11T12:31:30.898-07:00

Found at http://mojo1000.com/:

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-62727051347186936372009-05-06T14:14:00.000-07:002009-05-06T15:13:32.406-07:00

Empty Gate Zen Center has taken some further baby steps into the new millennium, with both a Facebook page and a Twitter thingie. Along with the Yahoo Group, we'll use Twitter to send out Center news and (daily?) Zen aphorisms.Which reminds me of visits to my father's father (we called him Zeyda, which is Yiddish for grandfather). This was 40-some years ago, and I was too young to be curious

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-36012966138246758492009-04-29T17:14:00.000-07:002009-04-29T23:20:34.268-07:00

A great article at WashingtonPost.com heralds the release of new toys that run on "mind control over matter." Here's the link: Brain Wave of the Future.Surely this is The Next Big Thing. It addresses the age-old conundrum of mental/physical duality, and by Xmas it'll be on the shelves of Toys 'R' Us (for ages 8 and up). Here's the gist: you attach an electrode to your forehead, it reads your

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-38606507977576197262009-04-27T16:03:00.000-07:002009-04-27T17:11:39.998-07:00

Yesterday I attended the Happening at People's Park. (What to call it... a concert? a festival? It was officially billed as An Afternoon of Music, Memories, and Magic.) It marked the 40th anniversary of the riots that gave birth to the Park, attracted the attention of the nation, and made my little town of Berkeley the center of the exploding 60s counter-culture/protest movement.What can I tell

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-72445953643585075352009-04-15T21:52:00.000-07:002009-04-15T21:53:19.191-07:00

From the 70s: Rock Hudson and Bea Arthur sing an ode to recreational drug use.

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-14596718632208600312009-03-21T22:26:00.000-07:002009-03-21T23:45:59.818-07:00

I lead the Tuesday and Thursday evening practices at Empty Gate Zen Center. Zen isn't terribly popular, particularly since the 70s. Nonetheless, an attendee or two generally shows up at these sittings. One such young woman, a university student who's a Thursday night regular, even started a group that sits on a different night, in the International House dorm where she lives.Last week, someone

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-20780841449147802462009-03-09T16:25:00.000-07:002009-03-09T17:09:11.454-07:00

Riffing off of Seeking Lemonade, who was kind enough to contribute to the comment section of my March 5 post:Seeking Lemonade said...So, Stuart, a question. When I am dead, will I know what being dead is (or will I, since I will be in a state of deadness, not know)?Whatever happens after death, how could we be any less existent than before we were born? And look what happened that time! There we

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-27736167354028881342009-03-05T05:14:00.000-08:002009-03-11T14:10:16.391-07:00

I continue to be stretched thin, juggling two contracts to write computer code for MS Excel-based business tools. I do this mostly from home; no time commuting, so more time to squeeze the work into the day. When pressed, I can save additional time by skipping niceties like getting dressed. Programming in my underwear wasn't possible when I was a cubicle worker, not even on Casual Fridays.In the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-48820786041623078962009-02-26T12:25:00.000-08:002009-03-16T21:51:12.424-07:00

Earlier this week, the Guruphiliac blog pointed to an article in the Times of India, decrying Yoga Piracy. Said article begins:India is going all out to save yoga — a 2,000-year-old art of righteous living, from western pirates. Instances of self-styled yoga gurus claiming copyrights to ancient ‘asanas', especially from the West, is now becoming rampant.You hear stuff like this frequently from

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-16814164996221640682009-02-07T22:37:00.000-08:002009-02-07T22:46:40.184-08:00

In Aug '08, I posted about a Reno trip that was saved by a $2026.25 jackpot. (For my fellow Video Poker travellers... it was quad deuces on a quarter Deuces Wild 5-play Multi-Strike machine, on the top row, where payouts are x8.)There's a photo in that blog, taken of the winning hand with my BlackBerry. It now appears in the newly-released sixth edition of the online Schmap Reno Guide. Go tohttp:

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-86211845646438196722009-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:002009-01-31T15:56:53.072-08:00

I saw the game described this morning by my facebook friend Cory. Take your first name, and put it into a number of common phrases, like:"Stuart needs""Stuart looks like""Stuart likes""Stuart wants""Stuart does""Stuart hates""Stuart can't""Stuart is"Then Google the phrase, in quotes, to find the #1 context in which it appears on the net.For example, right now if I Google "Stuart needs", the top

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-33927456048821793172009-01-10T12:06:00.000-08:002009-12-30T16:05:20.763-08:00

The TV show Roadtrip Nation visited the San Francisco Bay Area last year. They interviewed some local luminaries, including Political Analyst Michael Parenti, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings... and Zen Master Bon Soeng of Empty Gate Zen Center (where I've practiced for decades). The series debuted this weekend; the SF episode will be #8. Till it airs, it can be viewed on the PBS site. ZMBS appears

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-84492172858940937362008-12-10T10:29:00.000-08:002008-12-12T13:13:25.624-08:00

As long as I'm still getting some extra traffic from the Adi Da hub-bub... it behooves me to offer visitors something in addition to my own random thoughts.Here's an .mp3 of Zen Master Bon Soeng's Dharma speech from Buddha's Enlightenment Day a couple years back. ZM Bon Soeng is the Abbot and Guiding Teacher of Empty Gate Zen Center, where I've been practicing for over 2 decades. More of his

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-37740725192350409182008-12-08T10:55:00.000-08:002009-06-11T14:50:56.248-07:00

I was over at the Political Junkies discussion of tribe.net (free registration required), where someone asked, "What is it about the right to an abortion that is such a dividing issue?"In considering such moral issues, the only principle I look to is the Golden Rule. Since we cherish our own existence, we therefore respect the lives of others. But when we speak of doing unto others... the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-59202056155669419692008-12-03T02:32:00.000-08:002008-12-03T04:33:02.814-08:00

I couldn't help but notice that traffic to this blog has increased about 5-fold since I began posting about Adi Da's death. Perhaps I should take my cue from the producers of "Deal or No Deal" and continue to beat this horse as long as it brings in high ratings. To research, I went to Google Trends to see if the number of people interested in Da has spiked.Da's popularity, as measured by the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-33928607874362107792008-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:002008-12-02T21:32:49.770-08:00

Discussion about the death of Adi Da continues at the Nonduality Blog. (Adi Da is the controversial guru who has also been known as Franklin Jones, Bubba Free John, Avatar Adi Da Samraj, etc etc.) About 60 comments have been made to that blog so far; below is the comment I added there this morning.Part of my comment is a reaction to the debate over Adi Da as a "Realizer." It's often seemed to me

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-55893848786575054152008-11-29T13:14:00.000-08:002008-11-30T09:22:37.967-08:00

Controversial 70s guru Adi Da (aka Bubba Free John etc etc) died on Thanksgiving. My main connection to him is his strong early influence from my erstwhile guru Swami Muktananda. I have a little familiarity with Da from attending programs run by his devotees here in Berkeley; these included some readings from his books, and watching him on video.I've always been intrigued by how Da was accepted

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-70110385700300019472008-11-10T14:10:00.000-08:002008-11-10T16:10:09.749-08:00

I often return to the perspective I got from reading Tim Leary... that the gene pool in her wisdom produces a variety of individuals to meet the needs of the species as a whole. Perhaps the species requires a large percentage of individuals who seek to cultivate stability, and a smaller percentage who explore and experiment at the edge. Or a large percentage of individuals who seek peace, and a

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-25606211193917895242008-11-07T15:01:00.001-08:002008-11-07T15:23:07.310-08:00

The election may be over, but there's still a major contest of 2008 left to be decided.Each year around June, the run of dozens of tournaments known as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) plays out in Vegas. It's kinda like Ramadan for poker players. It culminates in the "Main Event," a $10K buy-in no-limit hold'em event that in recent years (since the poker boom on TV and the net) has attracted as

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-53877242835617298722008-10-23T14:07:00.000-07:002008-10-23T15:20:53.219-07:00

My previous blog entry touched on the issue of how financial systems relate to our current crisis and its associated suffering. In the Comments section, Steven Sashen pointed to the work of Bernard Lietaer. Like the article I'd quoted (Money and the Crisis of Civilization), Lietaer says that the very way that we've designed and defined "money" is at the root of the problem.As I said in my own

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-81148882551770406892008-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:002008-10-23T15:21:07.043-07:00

I just read this article called Money and the Crisis of Civilization. It argues that the cause of our current global financial turmoil isn't merely “unregulated casino-style financial manipulation.” Rather, our problems arise “from the very nature of money and property in the world today, and it will persist and continue to intensify until money itself is transformed.” It calls for an entirely

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-14365762459823703292008-10-07T08:49:00.000-07:002008-10-07T10:36:38.555-07:00

In the recent Atheism post, Doug commented, "I don't pay much attention to Dawkins since he took up the provocateur robe... Personally I find arguments against the existence God as frail and unconvincing as those for him." So perhaps it's possible to get muddled on either side of the razor's edge, in belief in God or in no-God. How do we navigate?In the Zen traditon I practice, the fundamental

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-72440370477634981112008-09-28T00:54:00.000-07:002008-10-02T11:54:26.245-07:00

I'm in Eastern Europe for a few more days, trying to bang out this posting at a Prague hotel. Please excuse any weirdness that results from the foreignness of the keyboard; I'll clean things up when I get back to where I belong.I came here for a Zen conference in Warsaw, and in my previous posting, I wondered why Zenning is so popular in Poland. I've found out part of the answer, which was kinda

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-1950032359852263482008-09-16T11:13:00.000-07:002008-09-16T14:15:46.856-07:00

I'll soon travel to Eastern Europe for a Zen confab in Warsaw. Zen is big in Poland. Go figure; maybe it has something to do with suffering, "the mother of all Buddhas." Afterwards, I'll tour Krakow, Prague, and Budapest, before hitting Amsterdam (of course) on the way home.(My apocalyptic friends have warned me of predictions of world-wide collapse by the end of this month. Disturbingly, their

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-50009299243862856382008-08-26T15:58:00.000-07:002008-09-16T11:13:00.245-07:00

I'm just back from a successful trip to Reno. Meanwhile, I've been following the latest posting at the Guruphiliac blog, which explores possible misconduct by followers of Ammachi, the world-famous "hugging guru." Like Reese's, I'll now try to bring these two great experiences together.The Ammachi organization is built on hugs and sweet words about love, love, love... yet Guruphiliac reports

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-55487925502849945652008-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:002008-08-15T15:04:58.097-07:00

I was surfing by CNN cable news and caught an interview with a guy who'd been kidnapped in Colombia 6 years ago by FARC (the group that held Ingrid Betancourt), and was recently rescued in the daring operation by government security forces. He was talking about how he made it through his time in captivity.Along with another hostage, he'd painstakingly carved a chess set, and would spend hours

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-5127646188138966922008-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:002008-08-05T14:58:23.089-07:00

(This is a continuation from the previous blog, jumping off from the comments on that Part 1 post.)GreenSkink said... Is it possible for "good" intentions to lead to undesirable results? Does anyone hold intentions they recognize to be "bad"?Since we all have different and changing ideas of what's "good" and "bad," maybe it's clearer to talk about whether or not the intention is "only for me."

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-71886593505142788702008-07-26T13:31:00.000-07:002008-07-26T16:04:21.138-07:00

On Wednesday nights, I go to a program at the Zen Center, in which we do some chanting and sitting, followed by talks and Q&A with Zen Master Bon Soeng (ZMBS). One of these days, I ought to film one of these talks, and post it here and on YouTube. (Even though I'm middle-aged, maybe I can learn how to use new technology like the kids.) At the moment, I'll just have to use old-fashioned "language"

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-69264406083248117042008-07-23T14:04:00.001-07:002009-02-26T13:17:35.358-08:00

Today I learned of an on-line video from the 1961 TV show One Step Beyond:... director and presenter John Newland ingests psilocybin under laboratory conditions, to investigate whether or not the hallucinogenic mushroom can enhance his abilities of extra-sensory perception.View the video at this link. Personally, I don't find the ESP question very interesting. Our ordinary everyday experience of

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-55211714190192759452008-07-14T11:53:00.000-07:002008-07-17T13:00:16.419-07:00

A few more thoughts about the camping trip I blogged about earlier...What was it that gave me such a different mind-state while I was camping? In the comments, Doug brought up the difference in noise, that it's "noisy in a different way, city noises vs. forest noises." (OK, where I live in Berkeley, it's not exactly a city, but compared to the State Park, it's close enough.) In addition to the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-3778316084509354562008-07-11T15:51:00.000-07:002008-07-11T18:15:32.160-07:00

I first tried camping in my 20s, spending a week hiking the Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania. Years later, I slept under the stars at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The hike to the bottom of the Canyon was at the top of my "bucket list," as was the hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite.Also during the 90s, there were some majestic hikes in the Colorado mountains with my high school

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-14032417818345690442008-06-22T10:11:00.000-07:002008-06-22T14:47:31.164-07:00

At the end of last year, I wrote two posts on our deep human tendency towards tribal identification. As is my habit, I've procrastinated several months on completing that series, until now.I started thinking about this a couple of years ago, when I went back East for Passover. Customarily, Jews gather on that holiday for a ceremonial meal ("seder"), making it a traditional time to spend with

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-35278358341835954352008-06-03T00:27:00.000-07:002008-06-03T14:52:15.478-07:00

I'm back from my trip to Hawaii. I hit some of the great tourist spots: marvelled at the view from the top of Mauna Loa (world's largest volcano), gingerly hiked across solidified lava flows, and communed with the fishes while snorkeling at Captain Cook's Cove. I met various old hippies who had "dropped out" to simple farming lives on the island, awaiting the collapse of modern society.I'm always

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-89751686870462176532008-06-02T23:49:00.000-07:002008-06-03T00:16:02.995-07:00

I always enjoy how this blog gives me the chance to virtually meet folks with similar interests. Most recently, I got an email from Annie Gauger, introducing her own site. She writes, "I was wondering if you would be interested in sharing my blog with your readers. It's actually not a blog but a venue for fiction. I am publishing a novella in seven page increments every Wednesday. Intended

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-35726266734346597652008-05-27T11:33:00.000-07:002008-05-27T12:34:46.868-07:00

One of my favorite forums for online philosophical discussion is the NonDualPhil (NDP) Yahoo Group. This morning I found an intriguing post about the commonality of all religion. The original source material is a booklet written by Dr. Frank Morales in 2005, entitled Does Hinduism Teach That All Religions Are The Same? A Philosophical Critique of Radical Universalism. "Radical Universalism" here

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-41479395122827018242008-05-10T15:24:00.000-07:002008-05-10T16:22:45.984-07:00

In a couple days, I make my first trip to Hawaii, to visit a friend I've known since my year at Yale 3 decades ago. He's recently moved to Hilo on the Big Island. So firstly: I've got no particular plans on what to do, and welcome any recommendations that readers may have, either by commenting or sending me an email.My friend is among those who believe that our planet is rapidly advancing towards

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-17226981940069060442008-05-08T15:13:00.000-07:002008-05-09T15:16:28.284-07:00

The Guru Papers, written by Yoga teachers by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad in 1993, analyzes authoritarian systems, particularly in the "spiritual" subculture. For background on the book and my thoughts on it, please see my blog on The Guru Papers (Part 1). I've procrastinated almost a year before writing this "Part 2" to that post. Now that I'm unemployed, I've got time to tie up such loose

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-28463291907668089272008-04-30T11:48:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:26:34.839-07:00

This morning I explored the site of Guru Pitka, alter ego of Mike Meyers in the comedy The Love Guru, due for release in mid-June. Love Guru is pushing the envelope of web-based marketing, with Pitka promoting his fictional self through networks from facebook to beliefnet.Just as Matt Damon's Rounders in 1998 heralded the poker boom, Love Guru may foretell a surge of mainstream interest in the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-23345933267930032202008-04-22T18:01:00.000-07:002008-04-30T13:25:58.128-07:00

I've got a special connection to yesterday's Pennsylvania primary, having grown up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. My family still lives there, and some of them are close to Governor Rendell. As I wrote in a previous posting, I'm a Libertarian voter myself, but as I follow the Democratic contest, I'm rooting for Obama.Why am I so viscerally on Obama's side? One thing I've noticed as I

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-12840604048985643852008-04-09T22:02:00.000-07:002008-04-12T14:43:40.521-07:00

I’ve been a computer consultant for decades. During the “tech bubble” of the late 90s, when programmers like me were in great demand, I started working at the San Francisco corporate offices of Gap Inc. Ever since, they've paid me well to design MS Excel spreadsheets, automated with vba code. Aside from a couple of short intervals between contracts, these assignments have been my consistent meal

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-67222006636310024472008-03-24T22:57:00.000-07:002008-03-25T01:51:10.589-07:00

Spiritual and philosophical forums are buzzing about the story of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Taylor, a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, has dedicated her life to brain research, inspired by her brother's schizophrenia. As irony would have it, she herself suffered a rare form of stroke in 1996. In addition to severe physical and mental damage, the brain hemorrhage seemed to temporarily short-circuit

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-82429112305530937122008-03-01T19:13:00.000-08:002008-03-02T11:48:52.292-08:00

Last month, I watched a couple of "spiritual documentaries" on DVD. Aliens From Spaceship Earth, though available from UFOTV, isn't about space aliens. It's a collection of video clips from a wide range of famous gurus from the 70s. I got it from Netflix. Closer Than Close films seven friends who meet to discuss their quest for enlightenment 'n' stuff. Their discussions are intercut with footage

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-79669432616088311632008-02-12T16:57:00.000-08:002008-02-17T08:44:43.925-08:00

I spent last weekend in Reno, gambling with my buddy Bill. On the way back, we stopped in Sacramento for lunch with Clyde (co-creator of the Do No Harm website/movement). Clyde remarked that in reading my personal site, he'd wondered what the connection was between my interest in various "spiritual" traditions, and my video poker habit. It got me thinking once again about the dynamics of Religion

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-49074812189264523832008-02-02T14:57:00.000-08:002008-02-02T20:29:32.129-08:00

I've been recently addicted to TV news shows about the presidential primaries. It's great entertainment, even though I don't have a horse in this race. Come November, I expect to vote Libertarian, regardless of who's running for the Dems and Repubs.(Since I'm a member of the tiny Libertarian Party, and make small donations to them, it wasn't so surprising that I got a call from the state Party a

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-16624911040983413122008-01-20T20:40:00.001-08:002008-02-01T11:43:01.001-08:00

There are a few videos floating around the net recently, of Tom Cruise doing his Scientology preaching. They're all pretty bizarre, but for the ultimate, go to the gawker.com Tom Cruise Freedom Medal Award Ceremony page and check out video #4, the one where he's wearing a medal. What do you think? Sometimes reality is weirder than any satire you can imagine.I've pondered this video for a few days

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-33034732120313744062008-01-08T09:50:00.000-08:002008-01-09T18:39:45.249-08:00

In the Comments section of the previous blog (re: Ken Wilber), Stephen describes his own course as, "rooted in a concern to criticize and perhaps help redefine Christian tradition."I myself rarely consider the Judeo-Christian perspective, since I've been more interested in Eastern traditions, particularly Buddhism and Zen, for the last few decades. But I can't help bumping into the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30354654.post-32209032498236093652007-12-24T13:41:00.000-08:002007-12-26T07:03:21.583-08:00

Back in June I posted some thoughts on author/philosopher Ken Wilber. Today I found myself at Wilber Watch, a blog dedicated to an open-minded assessment of his work. I'd surfed there from Integral World, where a new posting What Good is Half a Wing? critiques Wilber's views on evolution.From my tiny exposure to Wilber's work, here's the issue as I see it. Wilber tries to integrate the

Stuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16879896068458013439noreply@blogger.com35