becoming enlightened by the dalai lama

it took me forever to get through this book.
and i although i absorbed some of the text, i certainly don't feel that i walked
away enlightened.

and i have questions about enlightenment, and different thoughts about it.
we make it sound like it's a place to reach, the ultimate goal - when in fact, being here, now, is all we have and all we should focus on. maybe.

the mind of clover: essays in zen buddhist ethics by robert aitken

this is my book list for the precepts course that i'm taking - it's deep, detailed, and really tough to describe, so here:

"...In The Mind of Clover he addresses the world beyond the zazen cushions, illuminating issues of appropriate personal and social action through an exploration of the philosophical complexities of Zen ethics."

as you can see, just your average saturday night read.

Ah Christmas. With all of its imperfections. I as an adult (ick) rarely ponder the many teens out in the world who are having less than magical holidays - unless they are homeless or truly hurting (I ponder those). Dash and Lily's Book of Dares was a pretty decent read. Dash is having a bit of a loner Christmas, having convinced each parent that he is staying with the other. Lily's family is away for the holidays and hers is a usually idyllic holiday experience. Her brother, sensing she needs some excitement, puts a red notebook in The Strand in New York next to Franny and Zooey, her favorite book, with the beginning of a sort of scavenger hunt where lily and dash trade back and forth the notebook, going all over New York and writing in it to each other without meeting. I loved the concept. And I loved that the two authors each wrote one character's paragraphs. But one of the authors was just better than the other. And then when the characters finally met it was disappointing. It ended fairly satisfactorily, but the one character was just weak to me.

So, my coworker who loves sci-fi or "speculative fiction" as he calls it recommended this book to me. It was a lot of fun. There was even social commentary! A woman who's mother had been shunned from her people for falling in love with a man from another kingdom is summoned to the castle to her grandfather who is the king of all of the kingdoms. She is then named as a potential heir to his throne and thus put into a competition so fearsome only one can survive. Luckily she is helped by the gods held prisoner in the castle. And okay she falls for the darkest god (naturally, who wouldn't!). Anyway, I gave it to my sister when I was finished because I was really entertained by it. I like the whole magical world storytelling thing. I always sort of thought the place for that was in the children's section, but why limit your imagination stretchers to an age. The thing I most admire about children is their wide open wonderment and the holy unreality of play. I like that I can read books that tap into that without always starring children. Not that I am switching genres or anything, but props to Mike for making me expand. Also, this book was written by a youngish african american woman which is really rare for the genre.

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

Just Kids by Patti Smith

at the heart and soul, a love story. patti's writing is raw and open, and the stories she weaves of her life with robert, and her life in that time period affected me tremendously. living in those times, when the hotel chelsea was home to so many talented people, who at that time were all just friends hanging out, making music and art and love and all that jazz.

i heart this book, and i heart patti smith.

ayahuasca in my blood by peter gorman

i don't know how to start writing about this. i loved this book - i loved most of this book, i should say. his experiences with aya, over a twenty-five year period, were inspiring and deep, and give me insight and lessens my fear for my own experiences.

i couldn't put it down. two thumbs up.

Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg

This was one of the books that you gave me - it is full of love. The novel is narrated by a woman whose husband is in a coma - her journey,devotion, hope and belief that her husband is going to recover is heartbreaking and inspiring. A tale of love, and hope.

The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: Chip Hartranft

Beautiful. I'll keep returning to the Sutras throughout my lifetime. Chips translation and exploration of Patanjali's ideas are full of grace. A recommendation for any yogi, or human being.

living with the devil by stephen batchelor

I had to read Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil by Stephen Batchelor the Precepts Course that I'm taking. It took me some time to get into the book - it was very wordy and difficult to read, and so I found myself re-reading and re-reading until the information would begin to sink in. From the blurb:

"Living with the Devil tells a poetic and provocative tale about living with life's contradictions that will challenge you to live your life as an existence imbued with purpose, freedom, and compassion - rather than habitual self-interest and fear."