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[Jul. 5th, 2008|07:30 pm] |
It seems odd to me that, in this comm just lately, I had to justify myself in wanting to have a disciplined and regular practice. I mean, okay, I didn't post directly about that, but rather about the difficulties that rose from within when I'd promised to do one single half hour sitting, confessing that I didn't end up getting it done.
What some people seemed to say (maybe I was misunderstanding) was, screw being disciplined, it's easy to steal some time here and there to practice! Okay. True. That can be done. Five minutes on the bus, in the doctor's office, while my wife is in the bathroom and my son is playing in his room. Make due with what you have, and let whatever comes up interrupt you, no worries. Okay. But what about a disciplined practice? What about making a little time in my life every day for Zazen? It seems that the thought is ridiculous to some folks reading this group. Totally dramatic and self-aggrandizing. Boy do I need to be taken down a peg!
Making room in my life for a regular practice changes my life in ways that stolen moments of meditation don't. Even when I fail, there's a strong difference which makes me keep coming back to attempting this thing that I've found to be very difficult. There are large barriers to overcome which I don't have to face if I just take a laid back attitude and stealing five minutes here and ten minutes there. Stolen time is great, but it's not the same, and for me it's not enough.
If there's no reason to change your life, why begin this practice at all? If it isn't having an impact on your life, what's the use of practice? I want my life to contain a disciplined and regular practice because I've experienced exactly what difference this makes in my life; in order to have the practice, I need to push at my life to keep room for it, and that itself is a part of the practice. I would recommend this practice to anyone, especially anyone who sees a need to embrace change as a means to living a more vibrant and open life.
That's all. |
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| The Reviving Willow |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|07:59 pm] |
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There are plenty of moments currently in my life that always have this thought; things are going to get worse and that I will always have a depressing life. I guess I would think that especially this year because a lot of unfortunate things have happened this year; both of my parents were in individual car accidents, pessure from college classes, changes in work, and changes in the relationship with my family have all contributed to that thought. I have an upper porch connnected to my room in the side of my house and I use that area as my sanctuary to think about things in life. The first thing I see as I sit down on one of the lawn chairs there is a giant weeping willow tree. Now, for some strange reason I adore weeping willows, I guess it's because of its unusual shape and leaves, it just looks so mysterious. I've recently begun to notice that some of its branches and leaves have begun to grow back. Last year, lightening had struck the tree and half of its limbs were removed because of damage. The tree had looked so depressing and bare and nothing like its formal glory. But, I've noticed that the tree is getting thicker and more like it was before its accident. And for that it reminded me that nothing ever lasts forever. Just because I've been experiencing these unfortunate events this year doesn't mean that it will last for the rest of my life. It may take a few months for me to recover or it may take years, or all of this maybe a form of bad karma at work, who knows. But, I need to keep in mind to be strong and things will get better eventually, like that tree. Still, it will be so hard to think about it sometimes though.
If anyone is reading this, how do you keep the thought in mind that nothing lasts forever? |
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| "Handwriting" |
[Jul. 6th, 2008|04:32 am] |
I made a comment on ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) premkudva's post without logging in, and later apologized. Prem's response to this was, "But I recognized your handwriting!"
I very often hear laments about snail mail, and the art of letter-writing, having lapsed in the electronic era. "There is nothing like a hand-written letter," goes the grouse. "You don't get a sense of the individual."
I disagree. I may not see someone's handwriting, but over a period of time, whether someone writes or types, that person's style and persona come clearly across through the words, so it's the communication that's important to me, not whether it's handwritten or typed or sent by fax. The communication carries the stamp of the person as much as hes handwriting does....
Also, one tends to forget that in the old era of snail mail, many people would just not write letters or communicate at all...now, with the ease of communication, a short email cc-ed to lots of friends or relatives makes it easier for people to post short notes...and keep in touch.
And again, those who are moaning about not having handwriting seem to forget all those dreadfully illegible scrawls one had to struggle to make sense of....today's typing is unambiguous (except when the English descends to the local language so much that it's difficult to follow) and clear...I remember a hilarious passage in Wodehouse where someone thinks that a t says "lingfear" when it says "Landseer"...Lord Emsworth has scribbled so badly that the telegram-sender could not understand what he meant.
I type, nowadays, faaaar faster than I write. When I interview someone, I type straight into my laptop and don't have to worry about deciphering what that scrawl actually could be....
Yes, I do love a letter that has some nice handwriting which expresses a good thought...but there is a lot about handwritten letters that I don't miss. |
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| All-Purpose Political Manifesto |
[Jul. 6th, 2008|04:25 am] |
Here's a nice generic political message....
Nice to see a political message that is also so politically correct. Freedom, the essence of democracy is preserved; there is no mandate as to WHO to vote for! |
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| Thought for the day |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|03:23 pm] |
From Bumblespace:
"Why the Japanese work so damn hard in school:
In America, most kids want to grow up to be porn stars. In Japan, being doubly penetrated and sodomised by tentacles really isn't that attractive a career option. " |
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| Meditation |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|02:35 pm] |
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could you give me some tips on meditation? i started meditating after my grandfather died, as a way to remember him. |
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| Tour the Tour de France with Street View |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|08:05 am] |
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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/327362320/tour-tour-de-france-with-street-view.html Posted by Stephen Chau, Product Manager
Today marks the beginning of one of my favorite summer events: the Tour de France. I'm always amazed when I hear about the long, steep climbs through mountains or the blistering speeds of the cyclists as they pass through the French countryside. But since most of us can't head over there to watch it in person, we're giving you the next best thing: Street View of the 2008 Tour de France route. Head to google.com/tourdefrance2008 to experience the route stage by stage, and learn more about the images (and check out some of the most breathtaking sights) over on the Lat Long blog.
View Larger Map |
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| Run-up to the Wimbledon finals |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|04:16 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | /home/pune | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | But pappu can't dance! | ] |
Venus and Serena clash promises to make an interesting evening. Meanwhile the old rivals (not in age though) Federer and Nadal will sweat it out tomorrow.
Just as Federer gears up to lift the sixth title - I found an interesting article.
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2008-06-06/200806051212678371720.html
So what's your take on this?
Btw, I support Venus and Federer! |
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| I, for one, welcome our new oxygen-deficient yet still fashionable overlords. |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|02:54 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | a/b, art, mutants | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Tricky -- Brand New You're Retro | ] |
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| Movie Review - Dasavatharam (Tamil) |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|04:48 am] |
What can I say about Kamal Hasan's latest venture? The much-hyped magnum opus turned out to be nothing more than an expensive B-grade movie, at best. A sketchy lame script, mostly discordant and probably hastily assembled, along with a weak storyline, which seems to jump straight out of a Hollywood grindhouse flick, and the much touted 10 faces of Kamal Hasan (7-8 of which deplorably suck, and appear oh so obviously fake), and the cheesy dialogues leave the viewer uttering a "meh" of indifference whenever he/she is not guffawing their bellies out at the cheesy parts ( or in rare cases, at the humor) in the movie.. Oh and as expected Himesh's music is nothing to write home about (yeah.. BIG surprise there..)
Honestly, by Indian commercial film standards, I would've expected MUCH more for the alledged 65crores spent on the movie.. But I guess the lay audience doesn't care.. "Since Kamal is a good actor, Kamal x 10 oughta make the movie 10x as good, eh?" just might be what has made all the profit for him I guess..
IMO, Kamal could've saved a lot of money and could've made a much better movie, with a better script and performance, with more substance if he had just stuck to his usually wonderful acting instead of pandering to his narcissism.. But hey.. If it brings in the moolah, who cares about the critics, eh? ;) Afterall, the Titanic was a mega grosser.. and so was Rajni's "Sivaji".. Guess the glam factor gets it all :P
Then again, I am NOT a snob.. I know there are some fantastic movies out there.. Tamil, and in other Indian languages too.. Some movies I really enjoyed and a few directors I am a fan of.. And I still am a Kamal fan, despite this movie..
Anyway.. Final summary..Lousy movie.. very few enjoyable moments.. Watch it only if you are a Kamal fanatic.. Honestly.. there's nothing else worth mentioning in the movie :P
Rating: I'll be generous and give it a 2/5.. |
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| Back to blogging |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|12:17 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | /home/pune | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | But pappu can't dance! | ] |
After my yet another short stint away from livejournal, I am back!
June was a pretty happening month.
- Went on a short trip to Bangalore-Mangalore. After a really long time, all the 4 of us went together on a vacation (or that sorts). It was really tiring to say the least! But we covered a lot of places in a real short time :).
- Increase in rick fares. I am traveling by bus only - these days. In the last three weeks, I have traveled by rick just once! And am glad. I take longer to reach office and hence I am leaving earlier these days. A little more disciplined these days, which is good.
- Bought 2 Perry Masons, 4 James Hadley Chase, 2 Alistair McClean.. and most of those are lying with Sharan now!
- Had been reading like crazy all the books I bought, until I started seeing everything hazy!! Time to visit an eye specialist.
- Have been sleeping before 12 in the night daily!! Which is awesome :) Can afford to do that as parents are at home. So I can come as late as I wish, food is dished out, and then just doze to sleep and mom puts off the light :)
I hope I will blog often. though seems unlikely with the big time laziness/boredom which has set in these days! |
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| Just a quote |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|04:50 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  awake | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Iron Man - NOFX | ] |
Not even a god can change into defeat the victory of a man who has vanquished himself. |
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| New phone recommendations? |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|10:24 am] |
I've always been a fan of Nokia phones, and three out my last four phones have been Nokia. I like the interface design, which is important for me.
My current phone is a Nokia 6300, which replaced my trusty 6110 that lasted 4 years. I bought it only because I wanted a cameraphone to take casual snaps.
Terrible idea. The 6300 was slim and pretty, but the battery life was terrible. My 6110 went five days without needing a recharge; the 6300 barely goes two. (Nokia used a cheap Chinese battery and all my friends who bought this phone have the same problem.) The camera was pretty bad too. It would constantly take pics with a low colour temperature (giving pics a blue tint), unless you manually set the white balance first.
All this I could live with, but recently it has started showing a weird bug. If the phone is on the charger, and it rings, it will just hang when you pick it up, or some time during the conversation. All keys stop responding, the screen light goes off. Then I have to take the battery out, put it back in, and then switch the phone on. It's extremely frustrating.
So I need a new phone. I like Nokia models. Does anyone have any recommendations? The problem with moving to a model from another company is transferring all your contacts. With a Nokia phone, I can just back up from the current phone and restore to another one.
I don't need any fancy stuff. A simple phone with a half-decent camera is enough, and it should fit into my shirt pocket. Budget ~ 8-10K ideally, will spring another 2K if it's worth it. |
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| Aus WI ODI |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|05:56 pm] |
West Indies last three overs :
1 W . . . . | 1lb 1 1 1 . W | 1 1 1 1 1
and they lose by one run! What the hell.
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| monkey butter plastics. |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:28 pm] |
 Milk Cameo: Techniques for producing organic materials enable the fabrication of plastics made from human or animal milk by solidifying their casein content. The `Perle de lait' range of jewellery imagines a new set of personalized post-natal objects. The breast-feeding mother sends a feeding bottle full of her milk to a laboratory where it is transformed into a gem-like substance that can be mounted on a neck-piece or any other form of jewellery.
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| Ocean of Dharma Quote of the Week: "Freedom from Imprisonment" |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:02 pm] |
Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week
July 4, 2008 (Independence Day in the United States)
FREEDOM FROM IMPRISONMENT
The experience of mahamudra is the pinnacle of the tradition of tantra. Maha means "great," and mudra means "sign" or "gesture." To experience mahamudra is to realize that the literal truth, the symbolic truth, and the absolute truth are actually one thing, that they take place on one dot, one spot. One experiences reality as the great symbol that stands for itself. The bliss of mahamudra is not so much great pleasure, but it is the experience of tremendous spaciousness, freedom from imprisonment, which comes from seeing through the duality of existence and realizing that the essence of truth, the essence of space, is available on this very spot. The freedom of mahamudra is measureless, unspeakable, fathomless. Such fathomless space and complete freedom produce tremendous joy. This type of joy is not conditioned by even the experience of freedom itself; it is self-born, innate.
From "Sacred Outlook," in THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA, pages 168 to 169.
All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission.
Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website by clicking on the following link: http://OceanofDharma.com |
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| Just Because |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|12:44 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  amused | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Summertime - John Coltrane | ] |
Both the word "God" and the essence of the word, are emptiness. The form of emptiness which is emptiness having taken the form of form, is what you see and hear and feel right now, and what you taste and smell and think as you read this. Wait awhile, close your eyes, let your breathing stop three seconds or so, listen to the inside silence in the womb of the world, let your hands and nerve-ends drop, re-recognize then bliss you forgot, the emptiness and essence of ever having been and ever to be the golden eternity. This is the lesson you forgot.
Jack Kerouac |
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| First Flight of Cirrus The Jet |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|07:33 am] |
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http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/010409.html Cirrus Design, the makers of the revolutionary SR-20 and SR-22 light airplanes, have flown their first VLJ (Very Light Jet) prototype: The Jet V1. Given the reputation that Cirrus Design has created for itself, "The Jet" is a highly anticipated jet. The all-new design should appeal to pilots of existing Cirrus aircraft looking to upgrade, as well as those currently flying aging twins which have high operating costs and slower cruise speeds. AVweb covered the story in this video... |
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| Weariness..... |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|08:24 pm] |
A sad cloud forms over my brain...I didn't call my brother too often; he was as taciturn over the phone as he would be witty and mordant off it. But once in a while, I would call and we would exchange some cursory chitchat. And I miss that...
I try to cheer myself up with old memories, and the echo of his laughter in his very happy, sunny childhood does the trick.
Laughter IS the best medicine.
For a really shocking haircut, please go to:
They'll make your hair stand on end without any horror movie.... |
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| Good bye Syminet |
[Jul. 4th, 2008|08:06 pm] |
I have been using this service for more than 5 years. Initial 4 years it was free and last 1 year I pay $110 pa. The service has been exceptional including the disk space, bandwidth, support, etc. I got ssh account, ftp, mysql, php/mod-perl/web statistics and many more features. The only reason for me to move to another ISP is cost. I heard there has been so many good ISPs even in India who provide decent service at moderate cost. I'm looking for an ISP who would provide similar services, ssh, ftp, 500mb disk space, unlimited bandwidth, email ids, mysql, web statistics at a decent cost (>$100 pa). It comes without saying, I'm looking for Linux based hosting solution.
Right now i'm evaluating following ISPs:
http://znetindia.com
http://indiainternet.in
http://godaddy.com
If I got reference for any other ISPs, I will definitely evaluate them. I would not want to go for net4india, because I've got very bad experience with them in the past. |
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giggly
amused