Trying not to fall over
The Creative Buddhist Sunday Supplement
Hello you,
Situation Report: Currently trapped by ice. It’s not been possible to leave basecamp without risk of falling over. Please send supplies. End of report.
Disaster! The temperature went above zero this week. Now if you are English like me you might think, isn’t that good news? No. If you are a Swede, it’s the worst. I can see why. What was weeks and weeks’ worth of lovely dry snow, it was like walking through deep sand, is now all water and ice. This scenario might not be too bad if the snow just turned to water and drained away, but no, it turns to water and ice. Imagine walking on an ice-rink with an irregular surface and an inch of water on top. Now you have an idea of me getting to the shops.
Luckily I’m practically Swedish now, if not in language, in wardrobe. I have my non slip boots, attachable studs for my boots, silk long-johns, mittens (gloves won’t cut it) and a good coat. Nevertheless, I can feel a bit trapped by my fear of falling over. Swedes can naturally walk on ice. There are little old ladies going about their business as if nothing is wrong!
During all of this, I remember a good friend whose legs don’t work quite as they should. I could suddenly put myself in her shoes, literally, how it is to never be completely sure if you’ll make it home without falling over. Everything that is dukkha for me, is also an opportunity to empathise with another.
A couple of things from the last two weeks:
The Creative Buddhist Newsletter: Last week we remembered The Artist’s Date, from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. A reminder to take yourself out on a fun date once a week, even though you haven’t got to the end of your to-do list! And in this month’s Diary Extracts we hear from someone who found the Dharma in prison; wonder what it would be like not to be defined by your age; and get some goofy wisdom from Jack Kerouac.
Online workshop, 10th February: How to make notes you’ll use forever. Seems there are fellow nerds out there who love to get into the nitty gritty of systems like ‘the zettelkasten’. If that’s you, there are still a couple of places left on this workshop and I’m planning a rerun on Friday 23rd Feb, in the morning.
Online day retreat, 3rd February: I’m deep into the Fetters teachings again, loving how clearly they describe the process of awakening. I wrote something more personal here about why I’ve found the teaching so helpful. Come along to the day to find out more.
On my radar this week
Newsletter - Austin Kleon's 10 things: I love
he’s really interested. That’s it. He’s interested in so many things, like a little detective. Instead of trying to solve a crime, he’s trying to understand what makes life meaningful and joyful. In his latest 10 things, he talks about Kyle Chayka’s new book (below) on how we could rely less on what the algorithm is pushing at us and instead search for what the people we love love.Book - Filterworld: Recommended by Austin above, Filterworld by Kyle Chayka is about algorithms having the effect of ‘flattening culture’ in so many spheres of life. I’m just a couple of chapters in but have already had a couple of ‘aha’ moments, realising how the algorithm might affect my choices more than I think. “The aim of this book is not just to diagram Filterworld and discover its consequences but to deconstruct it. In doing so, we can determine ways to escape it and resolve the omnipresent atmosphere of anxiety and ennui that algorithmic feeds have produced.”
Resource - copyright free images from Artvee: If you are someone who creates stuff online, you might find Artvee a real help. It’s a massive collection of art that is all in the public domain, so you are free to use it however you like. What a gift.
Website - One Grand: Staying with the theme of searching for good stuff yourself (rather than letting the algorithm decide). One Grand lists the ten favourite books of various artists, chefs, philosophers and writers. Choose someone you love, say Laurie Anderson, and read some of their favourite books.
Online teaching - James Low, Sickness and the Dharma: I do not know what this session will be like. I’ve not practiced with James Low, but appreciate his books. Last year, doctors diagnosed him with cancer, and he has been undergoing treatment ever since. I thought that a teaching on sickness and the dharma might be helpful to some of you if you are unwell (and to us all eventually).
A quote I’m thinking about (also nicked from Austin Kleon!):
On the asshole who lives in our brains: “Were we to meet this figure socially, this accusatory character, this internal critic, this unrelenting fault-finder, we would think there was something wrong with him. He would just be boring and cruel. We might think that something terrible had happened to him, that he was living in the aftermath, in the fallout, of some catastrophe. And we would be right.”
Adam Phillips in his essay, “Against Self-Criticism.”
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Sending some love your way,
Vajradarshini
Creative Meditations, Friday Mornings, 7.30 - 8.30am
2024 has the theme of doing things I want to do and inviting others to join me (see the Creative Monday Club below). I’ve been toying with the idea of a morning meditation together. There would be a little lead in on a creative theme, then an open sit. Would this be something you’d be interested in?
Creative Monday Club: I’ve been loving the Creative Monday Club. One, I get two hours of non-negotiable creative time each week. Two, I get inspired by all of you: practicing your clarinet; making puppets out of debris; drawing and writing. It’s free for all paid subscribers. Why not join us?
Oh, I'm feeling you with the snow and ice situation. We lived in a Colorado ski area for almost twenty years, and the melt season was very similar.
The Friday morning meditation sounds lively, but a bit early for me on the East Coast of the US. Some day we'll sync up!
Loving all the ideas on your radar this week. Lots to explore. I’d love to join you on Friday mornings. It’s the one day I don’t work so that would be great for me! Still hoping to join you on Monday evenings too, but the timing is a bit tricky for me.