GrandmasterP

+1 There are very few of us here in the 'developed' world who could not get rid of quite a lot of the 'stuff' we're surrounded by. Your way wouldn't work too well here as we have tough winters and tougher 'planning and zoning' laws against permanent year- round camping. There's only TiPi Valley in Wales as far as I know where people live permanently under canvas ( officially) in the UK.

He does good work and has academic 'weight' as well When Alan Wallace was in Oxford ( UK) he had a lot of input into the University Mindfulness programme and he's cited in the literature. Hasn't Wallace rather moved 'from ' Buddhism and more 'into' Cognitive Behaviour Therapy via meditation? His latest book seems to imply such.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meditations-Buddhist-Skeptic-Manifesto-Contemplative/dp/0231158351/ref=la_B001IGHPQ2_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406040441&sr=1-8

Update. House sold ( subject to contract) inside three weeks. Magic that was. Just waiting for respective solicitors to do the necessary now and we're off. Removal guy been round to estimate and quote moving us. Right now we're " life laundrying" and clearing out accumulated junk. We've boxes of 'essentials' still unpacked from when we moved here in 2005. Hence the 'law' is... " If it hasn't been used or looked at for one calendar year.. Out it goes." 14 cases of books gone so far and about twice as many still to go. College Library is having 'work related' books and charity shop the remainder. There's just not the space at the new place. Feels good to be clearing out.

Nice steel work there. Very tidy.

From the looks of that flimsy prototype a jock strap could be slightly more durable too. Pretty darn clever how it goes sideways though.

Plus these guys... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=epiphytic+plants&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=zUjMU-vJKMeM7AaF7YCYAg&sqi=2&ved=0CDQQ7Ak&biw=1024&bih=644 Nature is amazing.

I have a massive ignorance of popular music. Anything post Beatles, Stones, Dylan and Leonard Cohen seems to have passed me by. I cannot name a single one of Alice Cooper's records nor Messrs Meat Loaf or Ozzy Osborne albeit as soon as I see them in any media I know exactly who they are. How the hell I do know - I don't know, but I do.

Wow, very space- age looking. They must have some sort of built in gyroscopic doohickey like a Segway. Any YouTubes of one being ridden?

Alice Cooper is a board member and past President of Wentworth Golf Club ( the very exclusive golf club favoured by our Metropolitan 'elite'). Very good golfer too, by all accounts. The stuffy committee there opposed him joining but he kept winning so they relented. He's also a regular at St George's Golf Club in Weybridge another very posh club. No,idea what the fees must be for those places but the golf course nearest to us charges members £1,000 a year plus green fees for each game they play and they have to pay ( a lot) for all food and beverages. That is one expensive hobby. Our bowling fees are £80 a year membership plus £3.50 green fee ( includes a ham-salad tea-meal plus cakes , biscuits and unlimited cups of tea/coffee or squash). Bargain!

No it doesn't and that would be handy for sure. It has two settings. 1: Throttle ( Switch I) where when you twist the throttle the power is delivered direct to the motor so you don't need to pedal. 2: 'Pedelec' (Switch O) where the power assists you pedalling and only kicks in when it senses 'load' from pedalling, for example going up a hill. Pedelec mode gives the best mileage and is the setting I tend use. In throttle mode if you're not careful; from a standing start - it takes off like a bat out of Hell.

That's an interesting point you make there asunthatneversets and it has some resonance for this Brit reader for one. To an extent here in Blighty we are still governed by hereditary coves who wear silly hats ( crown-shaped ones). The 'crowned heads' are supported by the 'Lords' ( more silly hats and robes), the judiciary ( silly wigs and robes) , Parliament ( some silly robes but mainly 'ritual' lounge suits or twin-set power-dress ladieswear). Step out of line and there's the Police ( extremely silly hats on some of those folks) and the army ( silly metal hats) as a last resort for 'maintaining the status quo. Winston Churchill being the last Minister of State to send in armed troops to shoot down striking British workers on Mainland British soil. ( In Tonypandy, Wales in 1910 and again in 1911). Now taking your point, all that is OK, we should accept it, buckle down and carry on regardless. It's a valid point you make but one that I don't personally subscribe to. I'd maybe believe differently if I was one of those dudes wearing a crown or amongst their supporters. But I'm not, so I don't agree.

Illusion can be the nature of selfishness too.

TTB is fun and can also irk but it's never dull. Must be hard and mostly thankless working for this forum though and I take my hat off to those of you who do so. Especially you BKA and you deserve your well earned break from that slog. I'm pretty flippant on here because in my day job I have to be super-serious so it's a nice change to be able to josh on here. No way can one be flippant or offhand with paying students and my employers would take a pretty dim view if, at work; I began to come out with some of the stuff that TTB tolerates. In that sense there's a catharsis. You know BKA that when you have students you get to hear and experience the full gamut of the human condition. It's like we are a sounding board for problems sometimes and they do expect us to have some input as far as constructive suggestions go. Some want us to somehow take over responsibility for their lives and "make it all better". Those tend to be the ones who leave disappointed and maybe disgruntled. Then you get the 'well poisoners" , those odd and thankfully rare students who seem to take pleasure and gain energy by undermining everyone and everything in class. Those are sure fun! It's tough being a teacher but worth it, usually. All conversations and interactions in cultivation class are, to some extent 'spiritual'. Why else would we all be there? You're doing a good job BKA and one you were meant to be doing. If you weren't then you'd not be getting the results that you are getting or the positive feedback that comes your way. Thank You.

I do see what you are saying and I'm genuinely not disagreeing nor claiming 'ours' is somehow right or better. It's just what we do and it seems to work but so do other cultivation methods as well. "Let a thousand flowers bloom." We teach and I cultivate a standing form only. The feet stay put, always. Odd times I go to the local TaiChi class the nice teacher there says what you say. That's how it's done for sure. Just not in Chen Xi Yi standing form ( Baduanjin-like externally but not exactly internally) QiGong. There's an old poem attributed to the lad himself.... Be still like a mountain Rooted like a tree Then move like water Soft and supple Gathering Qi As your movements flow Search for the meaning of the Tao and follow its natural way.

Excellent resource, thanks for posting it Andrei. Just about says it all really.

+1 Same goes for most religions. Trouble is that the shysters at the top wearing silly hats and robes have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Turkeys not voting for Christmas and all. Five-minute Buddhism here... http://www.tricycle.com/sites/default/files/images/blog/Page%20of%205-Minute-Buddhist.pdf That covers all the bases without any extraneous BS.

Odd times I've been on that forum I come away needing a shower. Brave you BKA for venturing into that Twilight Zone. It's where the usual-suspect socks hang out when they're not ersing about on here.

Mrs GMP is still chuckling.

Marvellous thing this Interweb. There's a lineaged Zennist who does the whole thang online. Frankly though, the ceremonies could stand better editing. Half the time you just see his back as he promenades between two rooms.

Keep the Flame Alive

Low Brow! That sir is what passes for cutting edge satire here in Blighty. ( Home of Benny Hill).

Sometimes a little humour alleviates.

Pin. Or pit. This probably isn't the right place for it anyhoo. Buddhist forum maybe? There's more arguing on there than there is in the Pit. Let the people decide. . .

Yep I've seen that taught and it's good for sure. We teach standing 'in' as opposed to 'on' the ground though. The idea is to sink 'in and through' as if 'rooted like a tree'. No biggie, every school does different and the end result's the same if it works.

The MA lads are going gangbusters on those vibram shoes. Everbody's already wearing or after a pair.