A college Intro to Economics book began, "Man's desires are infinite. But the means necessary for satisfying these desires are limited. This is what gives rise to value." The first sentence was enough to inspire me to leave school and look into the big questions of desire and suffering.
Today I found further evidence of the Buddhist wisdom within Economics, in the form of this quote from John Maynard Keynes:
The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, May 05, 2014
Caution
"A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve."
-- Confucious
-- Confucious
Friday, April 25, 2014
Self Improvement
We often say Zen is not really about self improvement. What is the self that you want to improve? Who are you really? That's the fundamental point. And until we really deal with that question, we are not really getting to the base of practice. Because our desires, our beliefs, and our opinions drag us around. Until we doubt them, investigate them, and use the moment as an investigatory tool, we're just playing around.
-- Zen Master Bon Soeng
-- Zen Master Bon Soeng
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Pessimist
With the possible exception of Groundhog Day and Kung Fu Panda... HBO's True Detective includes the best Zen teaching ever presented on film or TV.
Friday, September 20, 2013
That's Life
"I came into this world naked and confused. Now I have clothes."
-- Charles Baker (Skinny Pete)
-- Charles Baker (Skinny Pete)
Breaking Bad Prediction
Todd's neo-nazi ex-con Uncle Jack will surely share some of the $70 million with him. So why is Todd bothering with cooking meth (and keeping Jesse alive to make it 99% pure)? It must be part of Todd's plan to woo Lydia. And what's Lydia's tragic flaw? Her addiction to Stevia.
Walt will poison Lydia by disguising ricin in a packet of Stevia. It will be part of a plot (a la Brock) to flush out Todd as a pre-requisite for saving Jesse, and redeeming Walt's soul.
And somehow Walt will kill Uncle Jack, get his money back, and use it for benefit of Jesse and/or the surviving White family. The scheme will have something to do with poisoning Jack with fumes, since he doesn't wear a mask in the meth lab.
After the last episode, please use the comments section of this post to marvel at my psychic abilities.
And somehow Walt will kill Uncle Jack, get his money back, and use it for benefit of Jesse and/or the surviving White family. The scheme will have something to do with poisoning Jack with fumes, since he doesn't wear a mask in the meth lab.
After the last episode, please use the comments section of this post to marvel at my psychic abilities.
Monday, July 01, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Regarding the Abdication
In the actual resignation letter, which wasn't made public, the Pontiff revealed that he had woken up in a cold sweat at 3am, realizing that he really didn't know the meaning and purpose of life. The poor old guy just didn't have the energy to keep pretending.
Monday, January 07, 2013
BuckyBall Pyramid
On Thanksgiving, my brother introduced me to BuckyBalls, and I've become a bit obsessed. They work better than prayer beads at pacifying my mind.
Last month, BuckyBalls were taken off the market, due to government harassment. (While this is upsetting, at least marijuana is still legal, I think.) I got mine just under the wire. I'm pretty sure you can still get knock-offs from China.
Last month, BuckyBalls were taken off the market, due to government harassment. (While this is upsetting, at least marijuana is still legal, I think.) I got mine just under the wire. I'm pretty sure you can still get knock-offs from China.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Chill
The Ancestral Teacher’s coming from the West only means that winter is cold and summer is hot, night is dark and day is light. It’s just that you vainly set up meaning where there is no meaning, create concern where there is no concern, impose “inside” and “outside” where there is no inside or outside, and talk endlessly of this and that where nothing exists.from Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui
Monday, November 05, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Poker: unpardonably neglected
In the NY Times article No More Bluffing, James McManus writes about poker's connection to the risk-taking elements in the American DNA. "Nearly all of us are descended from immigrants, a self-selecting group that is disproportionally inclined to take chances."
Individuals have an inner thermostat, which makes us uncomfortable whenever there's too much or too little risk in our lives. People will speed on the highways... but only until the danger of this behavior hits their thermostat's set point. When laws are passed requiring drivers to wear seat belts, some drivers will find that the speed they'd been driving no longer feels right; it's not quite risky enough. So they'll drive a little faster till they again reach the set point.
Europeans who came to America in centuries past tended to be those with higher risk-appetites. Once in the New World, the people who moved further and further West were those with the highest need for and tolerance of risk. It's no coincidence that poker is considered a game quintessentially suited to America, and particularly to the American West.
Casino gambling in general is a way to satisfy risk-appetite in a meticulous way. On-line poker rooms offer games where the betting starts at one cent, and other games with bets of $1000 or more. Compare that to ordinary-life behaviors that involve risk (mainlining heroin, having children, etc), which are often all-or-nothing choices. Gambling is a way to calibrate more precisely the level of risk that fills our inner need.
When people tell me that they don't gamble, I sometimes reply that getting out of bed in the morning is a gamble. As is staying in bed. We don't have the option of avoiding risk, but we can manage the type of risks we do take.
The McManus article ends by quoting Mark Twain. "There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker. Why, I have known clergymen, good men, kind-hearted, liberal, sincere, and all that, who did not know the meaning of a ‘flush.’ It is enough to make one ashamed of one’s species."
Individuals have an inner thermostat, which makes us uncomfortable whenever there's too much or too little risk in our lives. People will speed on the highways... but only until the danger of this behavior hits their thermostat's set point. When laws are passed requiring drivers to wear seat belts, some drivers will find that the speed they'd been driving no longer feels right; it's not quite risky enough. So they'll drive a little faster till they again reach the set point.
Europeans who came to America in centuries past tended to be those with higher risk-appetites. Once in the New World, the people who moved further and further West were those with the highest need for and tolerance of risk. It's no coincidence that poker is considered a game quintessentially suited to America, and particularly to the American West.
Casino gambling in general is a way to satisfy risk-appetite in a meticulous way. On-line poker rooms offer games where the betting starts at one cent, and other games with bets of $1000 or more. Compare that to ordinary-life behaviors that involve risk (mainlining heroin, having children, etc), which are often all-or-nothing choices. Gambling is a way to calibrate more precisely the level of risk that fills our inner need.
When people tell me that they don't gamble, I sometimes reply that getting out of bed in the morning is a gamble. As is staying in bed. We don't have the option of avoiding risk, but we can manage the type of risks we do take.
The McManus article ends by quoting Mark Twain. "There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker. Why, I have known clergymen, good men, kind-hearted, liberal, sincere, and all that, who did not know the meaning of a ‘flush.’ It is enough to make one ashamed of one’s species."
Friday, August 10, 2012
Consistency
Just once, I'd like to see one of those gymnasts fall off the balance beam, and tell the interviewer, "I place all the blame on God." It's only fair, right?
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Sam Harris: Religion vs Morality
My favorite atheist stating the obvious. "[God] visits suffering on innocent people on a scope and scale that would embarrass the most ambitious psychopath..."
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Upcoming film "Kumare"
In this documentary, filmmaker Vikram Gandhi becomes a fake guru, and attracts real followers.
Friday, June 08, 2012
Sam Harris on Death and Now
Another talk from my favorite atheist:
Also... a little plug for my old friend Ken Silver. We meditated together with Swami Muktananda's group in the early 80s, with Zen Master Seung Sahn in the late 80s, and in recent years at Empty Gate Zen Center. He's written String Theory -- the Novel, available for Kindle download from Amazon for $2.99. The author pitches it as "Alice in Wonderland meets Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."
Also... a little plug for my old friend Ken Silver. We meditated together with Swami Muktananda's group in the early 80s, with Zen Master Seung Sahn in the late 80s, and in recent years at Empty Gate Zen Center. He's written String Theory -- the Novel, available for Kindle download from Amazon for $2.99. The author pitches it as "Alice in Wonderland meets Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."
Monday, May 28, 2012
Finding Primary Point
From a talk by Zen Master Seung Sahn, 1977:
I often talk about primary point. What is primary point? When you have a
scale and there is nothing being weighed, the indicator points to zero. You put
something on it, and the pointer swings to "one pound." You take it off, the
pointer goes back to zero. This is primary point. After you find your primary
point, then good feelings come, bad feelings come, so your pointer swings in
one direction or the other. But this doesn't matter. Don't check it. When the
feeling is over with, the pointer swings back to zero.
But if you haven't found your primary point, then it is like taking a heavy
object off of the scale and having the pointer stay at "ten pounds." Or the
pointer moves back only part-way, it doesn't go completely back to zero. Then
you have a problem. Your scale does not weigh correctly. Maybe if you put a
heavy object on it, it will break completely.
So first you must find your primary point. Then you must keep it very
strongly.
A taxi has weak shock absorbers, so it hits a small bump and bounces up and
down. A train has strong shock absorbers, so it is very steady. If you keep your
primary point, your mind-spring will become stronger and stronger. You will
meet big problems and your mind will move less and less. A big problem
comes, your mind moves, but soon returns to primary point. Finally your
mind will be very strong; it will be able to carry any load. Then saving all
people is possible.
I often talk about primary point. What is primary point? When you have a
scale and there is nothing being weighed, the indicator points to zero. You put
something on it, and the pointer swings to "one pound." You take it off, the
pointer goes back to zero. This is primary point. After you find your primary
point, then good feelings come, bad feelings come, so your pointer swings in
one direction or the other. But this doesn't matter. Don't check it. When the
feeling is over with, the pointer swings back to zero.
But if you haven't found your primary point, then it is like taking a heavy
object off of the scale and having the pointer stay at "ten pounds." Or the
pointer moves back only part-way, it doesn't go completely back to zero. Then
you have a problem. Your scale does not weigh correctly. Maybe if you put a
heavy object on it, it will break completely.
So first you must find your primary point. Then you must keep it very
strongly.
A taxi has weak shock absorbers, so it hits a small bump and bounces up and
down. A train has strong shock absorbers, so it is very steady. If you keep your
primary point, your mind-spring will become stronger and stronger. You will
meet big problems and your mind will move less and less. A big problem
comes, your mind moves, but soon returns to primary point. Finally your
mind will be very strong; it will be able to carry any load. Then saving all
people is possible.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Transformation
The Skeptic's Dictionary has a great page about Landmark Forum.
Landmark is the successor to Werner Erhart's est from the 70s. Swami
Muktananda was explicitly influenced by est in creating the intensive
weekends in the Siddha Yoga (SYDA) organization, The influence of est can be
seen in the many other currently-active LGATs (Large Group Awareness
Trainings), and this Skeptic's Dictionary page sheds some clear-thinking light on all of
them.
One simple concept that I found intriguing is this. People naturally go through high and low psychological phases during their lives. Among those who are drawn to an LGAT, people in a down-phase are over-represented, as they have the most motivation for seeking quick transformation. The tendency of people at low psychological points is to eventually regress to the mean. That is, they move from the extraordinarily low psychological point to a more typical one (i.e., they feel better with time). If the LGAT can convince people of its transformational power, then when a better state occurs (for whatever reason), they'll likely attribute it to the LGAT, and become true believers.
Of course there are some people who get extraordinary bliss-states etc, not just relief from a low-point. Surely, the mere fact that attendance of these workshops and seminars gives people an opportunity to ponder their lives, seek new perspectives, question old assumptions, etc, can have amazingly powerful effects. But among the masses who become LGAT devotees, I'd think regression to mean is a significant dynamic.
In a broader sense, many psychologists say that our happiness tends to follow a U-shape. We're happy as children, then struggle as young adults as we adapt to challenging jobs and relationships and life complications. Somewhere in mid-adulthood, most people tend to gain greater mastery of their lives (and/or our lives actually become easier, as we advance beyond shitty jobs, as kids grow up and no longer demand constant attention, as relationships become more solid, etc). The point is that when we experience a natural life up-turn, we tend to project a reason on it, even if it's just correlation and not causation. If we happen to be Christians, we say Jesus is making us happier. If we're into meditation, we credit that. If we value money most, we think that wealth is the cause of this increased happiness, etc.
Our experience is one thing, and the way we interpret it (assigning a cause to our good or bad feelings) is something different.
One simple concept that I found intriguing is this. People naturally go through high and low psychological phases during their lives. Among those who are drawn to an LGAT, people in a down-phase are over-represented, as they have the most motivation for seeking quick transformation. The tendency of people at low psychological points is to eventually regress to the mean. That is, they move from the extraordinarily low psychological point to a more typical one (i.e., they feel better with time). If the LGAT can convince people of its transformational power, then when a better state occurs (for whatever reason), they'll likely attribute it to the LGAT, and become true believers.
Of course there are some people who get extraordinary bliss-states etc, not just relief from a low-point. Surely, the mere fact that attendance of these workshops and seminars gives people an opportunity to ponder their lives, seek new perspectives, question old assumptions, etc, can have amazingly powerful effects. But among the masses who become LGAT devotees, I'd think regression to mean is a significant dynamic.
In a broader sense, many psychologists say that our happiness tends to follow a U-shape. We're happy as children, then struggle as young adults as we adapt to challenging jobs and relationships and life complications. Somewhere in mid-adulthood, most people tend to gain greater mastery of their lives (and/or our lives actually become easier, as we advance beyond shitty jobs, as kids grow up and no longer demand constant attention, as relationships become more solid, etc). The point is that when we experience a natural life up-turn, we tend to project a reason on it, even if it's just correlation and not causation. If we happen to be Christians, we say Jesus is making us happier. If we're into meditation, we credit that. If we value money most, we think that wealth is the cause of this increased happiness, etc.
Our experience is one thing, and the way we interpret it (assigning a cause to our good or bad feelings) is something different.
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