Happy New Year everyone

[thelerner]

Wishes to all for a great 2024.  

 

What practices, hobbies and routines will you be carrying on in 2024, that make your life better?

 

I think I'll keep up the cold showers.  For meditation try out more open eye, or rather half eye meditation til they close naturally while keeping a very quiet breath. I want to focus on a few base things. 

 

To do list- Keep up the kayaking, at least weekly and join an active group.  See more concerts.  Exercise and lose some weight, pick a program and be consistent.  Learn to program.  

[oak]

Happy New Year, Michael 🥳

 

If nothing goes wrong, this January, I will enter university for the first time to study Osteopathy. Feeling the luckiest man alive about it. I've already told the wife " if it happens and you find me at anytime moaning about the course just kill me because I don't deserve to be living" 😂

Concerning practices, will try to evolve in my tai chi, yoga and meditation.

Wishing everyone serenity and inner peace regarding what we'll probably have to face in 2024. There will be good times as well 🙂

[liminal_luke]

In 2024 I'm going to try and keep a clean house and a clean (read: well-nourished) body.  (Will one resolutionl reinforce the other?)  I hope to walk a lot, often with my partner Jose, occasionally along the ocean, at least once with a Tijuana-based hiking group.  With gumption, I'll make it (finally!) to Poker Face, Ensenada's one gay bar, and put the lie to that nasty rumor that fat old gringos can't dance.

 

Would any Bums like to join me for a slow read -- one short chapter a day for the entire year -- of War and Peace?  Substacker Simon Haisell will be leading a read-a-long with weekly commentary, just the kind of wildly creative, challenging-but-doable endeavor that I can't resist.  I'll be reading on Kindle, at least initally, which means I won't be lugging a dogearred paperback tome to coffeeshops where I could potentially impress my latte-drinking acquintances.  One can't have everything. 

 

It wouldn't be New Years without some ambitious spiritual cultivation dreams, so here are some of mine.  Work up to doing 4 rounds of primordial qigong daily; work up to two hours (or so) of Kunlun / yigong practice daily; work up to a double practice of Yi Jin Jing daily.   How I will ever find time to do all this, mop my floors, and read Russian literature is anybody's guess. Stay tuned. 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by liminal_luke

[Taomeow]

Happy New Year bums.  May it live up to everyone's best expectations.

 

I remember making great plans for 2020.

That taught me about the truth of the adage, "Do you want to make god laugh?  Make a plan."

 

I'm nobody's comedian.  Whoever wants to laugh at my expense won't be helped along by my New Year's resolutions. 

 

2 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Would any Bums like to join me for a slow read -- one short chapter a day for the entire year -- of War and Peace?

    

I read it in high school -- it was included in our literature program, so I skipped chapters, like schoolchildren are wont to do when dealing with something this monumental.  The chapters I skipped were about war.  Nowadays those are the ones I would re-read (edit: "read") if I saw the point.  Maybe next year.   A lot more fun was to be had recently from a novel titled "T," by Viktor Pelevin -- it's about a fictitious version of Count Tolstoy the martial artist.  I was about to suggest it but apparently it still hasn't been translated...  

Edited December 31, 2023 by Taomeow

[silent thunder]

I would love to read WnP in the original.  The Russian language has always sung in a manner few other languages do for me, but I will not in visit it in this life time in that way.

 

As such, I reread it last year when my son first cracked it.  He was deeply impacted.  And for me, it's always amazing to revisit books and films of great depth after some years have passed, for as awareness shifts, the revisiting of what was previously encountered inevitably brings new insights.

 

This year will be The Brothers Karimosov again if time permits.  The boy has a monumental reading list already and one of my few endeavors is to read what he reads alongside him, sharing as we go.

 

As for any other endeavors... cultivating contentment with a focus on bringing my wife back to stable health and vitality.

Cheers Bums.

[dwai]

Happy New Year!!!

I will continue with Tai Chi, and meditation. I am also actively composing music again, so will keep up with that. And finish writing my second novel. And workout more regularly, and lose weight

 

[liminal_luke]

1 hour ago, Taomeow said:

 

I read it in high school -- it was included in our literature program, so I skipped chapters, like schoolchildren are wont to do when dealing with something this monumental.  The chapters I skipped were about war.  Nowadays those are the ones I would re-read (edit: "read") if I saw the point.  Maybe next year.   A lot more fun was to be had recently from a novel titled "T," by Viktor Pelevin -- it's about a fictitious version of Count Tolstoy the martial artist.  I was about to suggest it but apparently it still hasn't been translated...  

 

I've no idea if War and Peace will be for me, maybe not.  I went through a Dostoyevsky period in high school but I was a much more ambitious reader back then; lately I'm more likely to pick up a Jack Reacher thriller.  But I like the idea of a big slow literary project.  The same substacker will also be leading a slow read of the Cromwell Trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light) Cromwell Trilogy - by Simon Haisell (substack.com) which I plan to try too. 

 

Turns out it's not just schoolchildren who are tempted to skip the "war parts" of War and Peace -- adults are skippers too.  In fact, Simon Haisell addresses the question "can I skip the war parts" saying: In reality, there is peace on the battlefield and war in the ballroom.  Sounds a little like yin and yang.

Edited December 31, 2023 by liminal_luke

[Mark Foote]

I read a few Cliff Notes in high school.  Lucky to have passed those English classes, and I had no idea how to write until I undertook to write for my own edification.  So I'll be passing on the famous and probably wonderful Russian masterpiece, thanks liminal_luke--nonfiction for me, I'm afraid.

 

thelearner--I took HTML and CSS at a local junior college in 2009, along with PHP.  Was a wonderful experience, except for the midterm in the PHP class, where we were free to consult the web and I discovered most of the questions were based on some online material that was not so simple.  The instructor expected people to finish in an hour, and I was at the library 3+ hours, although part of it was composing the complaint to the instructor with links.  The final was much better.  

I wrote my own blog in PHP, which I transitioned to a WordPress site a few years back (why maintain for new PHP versions when WordPress does it for me, and looks better to boot).  Javascript is the other necessity, and I learned that as part of a team that built the basic math tutorial software for the same college.  Our team leader, the genius of the squad, elected to use the Angular framework (there are two main frameworks, Angular from Google and React from Facebook), though now I hear he inclines more to just basic Javacript.  I inclined that way from the start--why add to the difficulty in understanding the code by layering someone else's idea of the right way to do things on top of it!  One hour to write the code, six hours to read it when revisited,--that's what they say.

 

I recently started doing some Xing Yi exercises again, as outlined in "Xing Yi Nei Gong", compiled and edited by Miller and Cartnell. I hope I can continue that in the New Year, I used to do them daily, and I feel better when I do. 

And scales on the guitar.  A friend organizes her practice by doing the minor scale from a chosen note (say C minor), the the major (C major), then the minor of that major (A minor), and so  on through four beginning scale notes.  Next day she starts a step higher, and by the end of her practice on the third day she's done all 12 starting notes.  I appreciate the approach, and hope I can keep at it and not get discouraged at my own disorganization, as I have in the past.

I hope that I can carry forward an organization of my practice, on the cushion and on the dance floor, that is relatively new to me.  The ability to stay awake as necessity places attention from moment to moment requires only a return to the freedom of that attention to take place anywhere in the body.  All the same, finding ease in the experience, and then abandoning ease to cease "doing something" altogether, requires a lot of sleep!  At least for me.  Not like the monks in China before 1950, who got up at 3:30am, were permitted to sleep sitting up during the 6am sitting, took a nap at 4pm, and went on to 10:30p every night.  Like my cat, they were sleeping after every meal.

Happy New Year, All!

correction--reading again the description of the monks' day in "The Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900-1950", by Holmes Welch, I find that breakfast was after the sitting where monks were permitted to sleep (5:15am), and the afternoon nap (4p-6p) was two hours after the lunch (2p).  Also sounds like the main meal of the day was after a 90-minute sitting period at 6pm--since the monks remained seated for the meal, long time in at least a half-lotus (Burmese was not permitted).  Seven periods of sitting and running, through the course of a day, except in sesshin weeks, when the monks only got night-time sleep between 1am and 3am.

These times were apparently the standard at model monasteries, others might be more relaxed.
 

 

 

Edited January 1 by Mark Foote

[Nungali]

A friend asked me what my new year resolutions where  ????

 

I dont make them , why, its just some insignificant calendar marker , I would rather do stuff like that on winter solstice or spring equinox . She gave me 'a look'  - who knows why  - they would be her usual sentiments, but not in this case .

 

And why do some want to know other's resolutions anyway .  I am imagining most are giving up alcohol .... thats why they seem so desperate  to   drink vast amounts the night before the cut off deadline .

 

It was a very quiet one last night .... I didnt hear one car go roaring past , no one ya-hooing  from the roof of  a speeding car it as they 'surfed with death', no all night   incessant  monotonous  bass duff  thumping  through the forest from 'the castle' up the road . No illegal fireworks going off  .... nuffin .

 

It was a great New Year's Eve ! 

[doc benway]

Happy New Year friends!

I can't recall a resolution I didn't fail to accomplish... consequently I gave up on making resolutions years ago.

That said there are things I do want to challenge myself to focus on this year - deepening relationships with those I care most about, revitalizing my martial arts and fitness routine, playing more chess, and devoting more time to creative expression. I also hope to implement a program to bring meditation instruction to people living with chronic pain. 

Tonight I'll be spending some quality time with family and had a great time today watching the Ravens play football. 

Cheers to a prosperous and healthy 2024 to all of my DaoBum friends!

 

 

 

[liminal_luke]

3 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

And why do some want to know other's resolutions anyway . 

 

I want to hear about other´s New Years resolutions (or decisions not to make them) because I find other people, especially my fellow Bums, interesting.  Resolutions often tell a story, the story of the kind of human being a person wants to be. For many, there´s a tension between accepting things as they are and working for change, and it´s interesting to see how different people approach that polarity.  I am somewhat of a neurotic striver, easy going on the outside but Type A deep down¡ others are more content with their own imperfections, an outlook I find commendable.  I want to know other people better and reading resolutions helps me do just that.  Some resolutions inspire me, some give me comfort.  As prosaic as it might be, it´s nice to know, for instance, that others also want to lose weight or eat fewer donuts. 

Edited January 1 by liminal_luke

[Cobie]

Happy New Year to all the bums! 
 

 

Edited July 19 by Cobie

[Cobie]

The key for 2024: We don’t need no education cultivation …

Philosophy is shown to be mostly bullshit, and so is practice ... 

we don't need any of it, we are already Perfect right this moment. (Sean)

 

 

Edited July 19 by Cobie

[Cobie]

Cheers to @sean thanks for the forum. 

 

Edited July 19 by Cobie

[doc benway]

9 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Would any Bums like to join me for a slow read -- one short chapter a day for the entire year -- of War and Peace?

 

Why not give it a try?

I just went through 1200 pages of 1Q84 like a hot knife through magic butter. 

What English translation do you suggest? 

[ChiDragon]

Happy New Year : 新 年 快 樂
Let's follow the advice from a Taoist and Buddhist:
與世無爭: No dispute with the world

[Cobie]

Thank you to all the admods!

 

 

Edited January 1 by Cobie

[liminal_luke]

10 minutes ago, steve said:

 

Why not give it a try?

I just went through 1200 pages of 1Q84 like a hot knife through magic butter. 

What English translation do you suggest? 

 

I´ve not read it yet in any translation so I don´t have a personal opinion, but here´s the lowdown on the different translations by Simon Haisell, Join the 2024 War and Peace Read Along - by Simon Haisell (substack.com).  I think I´m going to go with the Anthony Briggs translation.  I´m told there´s a lot of French in the book (which I don´t read) so I prefer a translation where the French is translated in the text itself rather than in the footnotes.  

 

Looking forward to comparing notes if you decide to go for it!

[Dainin]

Happy New Year, Bums!

 

I hope to continue mostly in the same vein in the new year. I think I managed to do at least some practice everyday in 2023. Some general objectives (not resolutions) would be to accumulate less stuff; to complete some of the courses that I've acquired but never finished (or started!); to keep my brain active with puzzles, writing, etc.; to do more to cultivate my relationship with friends and relatives; and to make better decisions regarding dietary intake, sleep, and other health-related aspects.

[Nintendao]

in year of dragon

i will build a set of wings 

and do a kickflip

[liminal_luke]

A Parable

 

A Bum goes to med school, graduates, and builds a successful medical practice.  He gets married and has kids.  Reads widely, both fiction and nonfiction, finding much enjoyment and intellectual stimulation.  Loves his dog.  He learns a lot about current events and develops thoughtful perspectives in line with his values.  He is well-loved by work colleagues and meditation buddies, especially online where he has earned the honorific title of ¨Steve on the Internet.¨ Importantly, he finds a spiritual community and teacher that feels like home and practices with enough depth and precision to significantly impact his personal vibe and the quality of his relationships with others.  And then, seated atop this mountain of accomplishment, declares that he´s never been successful with New Year´s resolutions.  Bemused Bums gather and whisper amongst themselves.  What´s he smokin´?

 

For @steve

Edited January 1 by liminal_luke

[Apech]

19 minutes ago, liminal_luke said:

A Parable

 

A Bum goes to med school, graduates, and builds a successful medical practice.  He gets married and has kids.  Reads widely, both fiction and nonfiction, finding much enjoyment and intellectual stimulation.  Loves his dog.  He learns much about current events and develops thoughtful perspectives in line with his values.  He is well-loved by work colleagues and meditation buddies, especially online where he has earned the honorific title of ¨Steve on the Internet.¨ Importantly, he finds a spiritual community and teacher that feels like home and practices with enough depth and precision to significantly impact his personal vibe and the quality of his relationships with others.  And then, seated atop this mountain of accomplishment, declares that he´s never been successful with New Year´s resolutions.  Bums gather and whisper amongst themselves.  What´s he smokin´?

 

For @steve

 

The Bums needs at least one good person on here - let it be @steve.

[Apech]

10 minutes ago, Apech said:

 

The Bums needs at least one good person on here - let it be @steve.

 

And to anyone else who might get any ideas - forget it - there is only one.

[Taomeow]

35 minutes ago, Apech said:

 

And to anyone else who might get any ideas - forget it - there is only one.

 

 

[thelerner]

On 12/31/2023 at 10:21 AM, liminal_luke said:

 

Would any Bums like to join me for a slow read -- one short chapter a day for the entire year -- of War and Peace?  Substacker Simon Haisell will be leading a read-a-long with weekly commentary, just the kind of wildly creative, challenging-but-doable endeavor that I can't resist. 

 

My wife reads alot of the classics.  Deep classics, like Euclid, Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Kant..

 

Me, not so much, in many ways she married a Neanderthal or on good days a Bonobo. Years ago I took a speed reading course.  I was able to read WaP in about 35 minutes.  As I recall there was a war in it, than it ended.  That about sums it up.