Mindfulness in the West

Response to this article Mindfulness is something worse than just a smug middle-class trend which links from this one How 2014 became the Year of Mindfulness:

My strong opinion is that Buddhism is not a religion, it is a path to spirituality. However, I acknowledge that the Dalai Lama and other Buddhists call it a religion. But at no time did Buddha say 'Follow me'. There is a strong tendency in the West to confuse religion with spirituality.

I was in Plum Village with Thich Nhat Hanh (the Vietnamese monk who taught Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness), and during one  of his teachings he said that he had been asked if you could use mindfulness, of all things, in the army. His response was (my words, not his) - you cannot mindfully kill someone. Mindfulness is about peace in the world, not destruction. It is a way of life not a workplace strategy.

That is why, if you practise mindfulness (or try to) in your daily life rather than just when you are meditating, it changes everything, but very slowly. No quick fixes. The West ain't gonna like that! On another note, I find it very interesting that the West happily sucks what it wants from the East and then runs with it and makes money from it. The East doesn't sue, it's not in their mindset. They just accept that this is happening. I am thinking Buddhist philosophy specifically though.

An update! The director of Birdman or (The unexpected virtue of  ignorance) thanked Thich Nhat Hanh in the credits. How good is that? This act of acknowledgement makes up for all the other lacks. Thich Nhat Hanh thanked him in return.

Jade Monkey

Great news! The music venue Jade Monkey (Twin Street, Adelaide city) has temporarily been saved! This 151 year-old building was destined to be demolished by a city developer to build a 17-storey hotel. It would be so wonderful if this building was saved for good.

Apparently it has some connection to Balfours which could justify it not being knocked down. That is the trouble with history; it is not enough that the building has remarkable features like a tin adorned ceiling, high walls, a unique facade and old-world charm - it also has to be considered significant as having a connection to Adelaide's past. Well someone might just have found one! Thank God for retirees. Read the story (dated 3 October)

And here's the historical connection in more detail (not that I am a fan of Balfours foods, except for their frog cakes):

The application points out that the building, completed in 1872, was first used as a biscuit and bread bakery by the future Balfours company to expand supplies for its popular Rundle St store. (source)

Atlas of Living Australia

Heard about this website (called ALA for short) on the radio. You can search by 'Species in your area' - as specific as your home address - to find out what species (of any kind) live nearby, or anywhere in Australia. You can also contribute to the website if you think you've discovered a species that is not on it ('Contributed by Australia’s academic, scientific, environmental communities and you').

It sounded great, and I've done a search for my area. But do you think I can understand the results and how I might use them, even as simply as in a conversation at a party (should I happen to go to one)? No. But I am sure it is an interesting site, so may revisit sometime with a botanist, entymologist etc in tow. Within a 1 km range of home at the time of writing there were 114 animal species (one my dog?), 93 bird species, 5 reptile species (one presumably a snake - scary thought when I am walking through the dunes), 212 plant species, 0 bacteria (phew!), and so on. To revisit in 1 year to see how it's changed? An increase will mean more input/recordings/sightings. A decrease will mean...? (More development? Less natural habitat?) To find out.

Q&A or Slumdog Millionaire

I have just finished the book Slumdog Millionaire (originally Q&A). It was brilliant to use another two 'ls'. The film is a lot different, seeming to retain just the concept. This makes the book all the more enjoyable as there is no need to compare it to the film. The last line of the book is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye - Because luck comes from within. Really though, Ram Mohammed Thomas is a character you have to like, because of his compassion for other humans. He chooses to help people rather than not, and connects with people in ways that affect his 'luck'. Because he is a communicator, he meets people who craft his ability to know the answers to quiz questions in the TV quiz show that is the backdrop to his life. Others would call it serendipity.

This is the third book I have read about India lately. The others being The White Tiger and Shantaram. The main character in The White Tiger is not likeable (rather, cunning and driven by circumstances), but a lot about India (particularly corruption, also a theme in Q&A) is portrayed in this novel. Whilst reminders of what India is are in Shantaram too, the main character is not (for me) charismatic, but has more of a gangster mentality. However, as with Ram in Q&A, he too connects with people. This can change the nature of your life. Being cut off makes less things possible. One thing that emerges from all three novels is that India is a place where things can happen by chance. In a country of so many millions living in close quarters with each other, unpredictability would have to be a key aspect of life.

King Lear - play with feeling

I saw King Lear in Adelaide the other night at Festival Theatre. The play was performed by the State Theatre Company and John Gaden played Lear. Gloucester was also brilliantly played. These two white bearded and old-enough actors were brilliant in their roles, conveying the frailty that comes with age and others' reaction to age. In the play, age is like walking a tightrope, being observed by an audience looking for false (perhaps fatal) moves. So the play is about, I now think - don't know what I thought it was about when I studied it at university years ago - old age and relationships with children, once those children are adults. Love and its changing nature in other words. It was very moving. The ad for the play has the line 'Be careful who you listen to' and certainly the two old men Lear and Gloucester seemed to be poor judges of character, but like all of Shakespeare's tragedies there is a considerable amount of conspiracy to wade through. Hopefully normal life is not like that but who knows? Loyalty and love, played by Cordelia (Lear's daughter) and Edgar (Gloucester's son) was very heart melting. One of the last lines was (in modern day English):
Speak what we feel , not what we ought to say
Good advice from Will who was about 40 at the time, about 10 years from his own death not in his 80s as with Lear but at 52.
Modern-day wise, there are many children who seemingly betray their parents by putting them in nursing homes and not giving them a return of care for what they received themselves in childhood, so it will be hard for many to view this play without thinking of their relationship with their own parents, whether happy or sad.