Stochastic Life

Apparently my symbolic corrections in my last post were a bit silly, I gather (now) that they were from the TV show ‘Supernatural’. 

If someone is going to appropriate existing symbol systems for use in a fictional narrative that’s fine, I’d just prefer they work an extra 10 minutes to try to approach some level of specificity. 

Admittedly, that post does make me look MORE like a pretentious tit, in hindsight.

So far, the features revealed for the next X-Box include:

• Voice control functionality and gesture controls - Kinect is built into the platform.
• Integrated Television features: Again, details sketchy. Does this require existing Cable TV service to the house, or has Microsoft of all people finally realized that people want a’la cart access to cable television networks.
• Snap: Sub-window or multi-monitor support. You can say, bring up a social media feed while watching a movie.
• Apparently it can detect your heart rate somehow?
• New controller, ergonomic enhancements and a better d pad.
• There is apparently an ‘interactive TV Show’ planed for the Halo franchise. 
• An exclusive sponsorship deal with the NFL; apparently there are a lot of Sports enhancements involved here.

That’s all I’ve gleamed so far. The real time feed from the even is here:http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/21/xbox-720-microsoft-reveal-console-live-blog

The below is from The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying by Songyal Rinpoche, and I feel it’s especially useful advice for anyone that is spiritually inclined.

“Read the great spiritual books of all the traditions, come to some understanding of what the masters might mean by liberation and enlightenment, and find out which approach to absolute reality really attracts and suits you most. Exercise in your search as much discernment as you can; the spiritual path demands more intelligence, more sober understanding  more subtle powers of discrimination than any other discipline, because the highest truth is at stake. Use your common sense at every moment. Come to the path as humorously aware as possible of the baggage you will be bringing with you: your lacks, fantasies, failings, and projections. Blend, with a soaring awareness of what your true nature might be, a down-to-earth and level headed humility, and a clear appreciation of where you are on your spiritual journey and what still remains to be understood and accomplished.

The most important thing is not to get trapped in what I see everywhere in the West, a ‘shopping mentality’: shopping around from master to master, teaching to teachings, without any continuity or real, sustained dedication to any one discipline. Nearly all the great spiritual masters of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master ONE way, ONE path to truth, by following one tradition with all your heart and mind to the end of the spiritual journey, while remaining open and respectful toward the insights of all others. In Tibet we used to say “Knowing one, you accomplish all.” The modern faddish idea that we can always keep all our options open and so never need to commit ourselves to any thing is one of the greatest and most dangerous delusions of our culture, and one of the ego’s most effective ways of sabotaging our spiritual search.”

I’m on my way to see the Dalai Lama. It’s been a pleasant drive, and I’m making good time. My only regret is that I wish the A/C in my car worked better, smart cars don’t have the best heating/cooling system.

Over all, I’m not sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to. The whole thing was thrown together at the last minute when I discovered that the event wasn’t sold out- I wished we could have arranged things so that my wife could have gone. She’s Christian but this is something I would have liked to have been able to share with her.

Or The Problem with Mystics

I often find myself wondering if the problems inherent to mysticism in the 21st Century have always been endemic in the pursuit or if they are indicative of a greater cultural pathology; the problem with mysticism is the mystics in it - specifically the motivations that brought them to mysticism in the first place, and the behaviors they engage in under the bulwark of the ‘mystic’ title. 

The whole thing is such dire shape I am loath to identify myself as a ‘mystic’ - and ostensibly I am. I am a modern Gnostic[Not used here in a specifically Christian sense]; which stands in actuality as the opposite of ‘agnostic’ . The vast majority of religions, as practiced today, are actually agnostic - as they don’t espouse direct knowledge of divinity; instead most spend the majority of their time discussing the unknowable nature of God/s and his/her/their infinite capacity.

Those that are driven to the mystical fall in X broad categories 

1. The bored that feel they can purchase or somehow obtain a greater sense of ‘meaning’ through acquisition. 
2. The anxious that feel afraid that there isn’t enough meaning in life, so they add an additional ‘magical’ layer to reality.
3. The indulgent that try justify their pursuit of pleasure in some kind of existential currency. 
4. The arrogant that feel a deeply rooted urge to validate their identity through the most direct relationship with ‘truth’/’reality’ possible. 
5. The fucking crazy

Allow me to address examples of each in turn.

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My Ouya has shipped and I expect it arrive by the end of next week, if not sooner.

Ouya is very promising, I hope the reality is half as interesting as the promise. 

I get to see the Dalai Lama this Sunday while he’s in Louisville. 

I’ll be going alone, which I don’t mind. It was reasonably last minute so the logistics were a bit ‘chaotic’. Many of the members of the Buddhist group I recently began attending are going, but I don’t know any of them well enough just yet.

My only regret is that I’m missing the lesson he’s giving on Monday. 

Many of his lessons/dharma talks are available on his website though, so I hope they’ll add these later.

An Open Heart - HH the Dalai Lama

A daily compassion practice is frequently over-looked and under-emphasized in Western Buddhism. Mindfulness practice should be supplemented by a strong commitment to compassionate practice as well. There is no where near as many texts dedicated to a compassionate practice as there are to mindfulness in English, but one of the most accessible one’s I’ve discovered to date is An Open Heartby His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

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Western Buddhism tends to focus on the practice of mindfulness so intently that we tend to forget the other foundational practice in Buddhism: Compassion. 

The specifics of the practice and even the terminology used vary widely from school to school but the end result is ultimately the same.

I recommend a daily compassionate practice. Add it to the beginning or end of your daily mindfulness practice, a few extra minutes will do wonders. Remember though that the best place to practice compassion is your every day life. 

EVERY DAY life.

Practical Compassion: the Four Immeasurables

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