From my daily Dharma quote - Kongtrul Rinpoche suggested we pray to the guru, buddhas, and bodhisattvas and ask them to grant their blessings, “So I may give birth to the heart of sadness.” But what is a “heart of sadness”? Imagine one night you have a dream. Although it is a good dream, deep down you know that eventually you will have to wake up and it will be over. In life, too, sooner or later, whatever the state of our relationships, or our health, our jobs and every aspect of our lives, everything, absolutely everything, will change. And the little bell ringing in the back of your head to remind you of this inevitability is what is called the “heart of sadness.” Life, you realise, is a race against time, and you should never put off dharma practice until next year, next month, or tomorrow, because the future may never happen - Heart of Sadness
This quote made me so sad because it made me realize again that nothing is permanent and in the true Buddhist way, it teaches that one shouldn't be attached to anything because desire leads to attachment. I have given birth so many times to the Heart of Sadness, I'm not sure I want to pray for it.
If you haven't seen the movie 2003 South Korean movie called Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, you need to watch it. It illustrates so beautifully the Buddhist philosophy. I attended a screenwriting conference in Los Angeles and screenwriting guru Robert McKee recommended this movie. The movie may break your heart but you will begin to understand the "Heart of Sadness" if you don't understand it now.
Monday, October 08, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wsfwmzAZgOw#!
What is happening in Spain with the rioting crowds is amazing. This youtube video was posted on of my favorite websites. The crowds are pushing the police back. None of this is being covered by the San Francisco Mainstream Media (MSM), but it should be because it is so powerful.
What is happening in Spain with the rioting crowds is amazing. This youtube video was posted on of my favorite websites. The crowds are pushing the police back. None of this is being covered by the San Francisco Mainstream Media (MSM), but it should be because it is so powerful.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/nyregion/for-poor-schoolchildren-a-poverty-of-words.html?src=recg&pagewanted=print
When I read this NY Times article, I saw myself in it. I was raised by immigrants who barely spoke english but spoke english to their children so they could do well in school and hopefully get better jobs and a more affluent life. I spoke english but my vocabulary was sadly lacking. How do you describe things to your child in a language that is not your own?
But in 4th grade, I was tested as having the vocabulary of high school senior. And what is the secret of my 4th grade success? My parents and I watched lots of TV. The television was my babysitter and by the age of 7, I had my own room with a small TV and probably never turned the thing off until I went to bed. I graduated third in my class in high school, did really well on my SATs, and attended and graduated from a top 10 private liberal arts college.
I will admit that my speaking vocabulary is not great. I don't use what a friend of mine calls $5 words. My parents never used them and so I don't normally. And the few times I've injected $5 words by mistake into conversation with my family, they ask me to explain what I just said and look hurt that I've talked down to them.
I work in corporate America where people admire and at the same time resent their coworkers who use words that they cannot understand. In my current job, I write website copy sometimes and I've been told that you have to write like a person has a junior high education. So all those $5 words I learnt in school have no place in my job. And I can't imagine texting $5 words or using them in an email.
So do words matter? Yes. They matter for tests and schools, and if you are planning a career in academia. I think they also matter a great deal for books and reading because it's a pain to read something and to find a word that you don't understand and have to stop and look up. And yes, I do stop and look words up.
But do words matter in real life? Not exactly. You don't need a large vocabulary for work, for emailing and texting and for general conversation.
What really matters is getting your point read and heard clearly, and you don't need a large vocabulary to do that although words are tools to help you get the nuances right and be more precise.
When I read this NY Times article, I saw myself in it. I was raised by immigrants who barely spoke english but spoke english to their children so they could do well in school and hopefully get better jobs and a more affluent life. I spoke english but my vocabulary was sadly lacking. How do you describe things to your child in a language that is not your own?
But in 4th grade, I was tested as having the vocabulary of high school senior. And what is the secret of my 4th grade success? My parents and I watched lots of TV. The television was my babysitter and by the age of 7, I had my own room with a small TV and probably never turned the thing off until I went to bed. I graduated third in my class in high school, did really well on my SATs, and attended and graduated from a top 10 private liberal arts college.
I will admit that my speaking vocabulary is not great. I don't use what a friend of mine calls $5 words. My parents never used them and so I don't normally. And the few times I've injected $5 words by mistake into conversation with my family, they ask me to explain what I just said and look hurt that I've talked down to them.
I work in corporate America where people admire and at the same time resent their coworkers who use words that they cannot understand. In my current job, I write website copy sometimes and I've been told that you have to write like a person has a junior high education. So all those $5 words I learnt in school have no place in my job. And I can't imagine texting $5 words or using them in an email.
So do words matter? Yes. They matter for tests and schools, and if you are planning a career in academia. I think they also matter a great deal for books and reading because it's a pain to read something and to find a word that you don't understand and have to stop and look up. And yes, I do stop and look words up.
But do words matter in real life? Not exactly. You don't need a large vocabulary for work, for emailing and texting and for general conversation.
What really matters is getting your point read and heard clearly, and you don't need a large vocabulary to do that although words are tools to help you get the nuances right and be more precise.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49320705
Gas prices are high in California and on Sunday they went up even more. I picked up gas on Friday night at $4.549 at Costco for premium because I knew the prices would climb higher, and sure enough they did. How crazy is that? If gas goes to $6 a gallon, things in the Cali republic will break down. We're not used the high gas prices that is charged in other countries.
Gas prices are high in California and on Sunday they went up even more. I picked up gas on Friday night at $4.549 at Costco for premium because I knew the prices would climb higher, and sure enough they did. How crazy is that? If gas goes to $6 a gallon, things in the Cali republic will break down. We're not used the high gas prices that is charged in other countries.
Saturday, October 06, 2012
http://blog.sfgate.com/mlasalle/2012/10/05/must-see-movies-since-1960-2/#7588-1
From SFGate.com - the must-see movies post 1960. I was amazed at the number of movies on this list that I've seen. Of course now I have to see the movies on this list that I've never seen.
From SFGate.com - the must-see movies post 1960. I was amazed at the number of movies on this list that I've seen. Of course now I have to see the movies on this list that I've never seen.
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