To Do's for Upcoming Days/Week...

This is just boring mundane ranting here...I needed to make a list of all the stuff coming up be4 I goes crazy:D:D:D lol!

1) finish cleaning and put up laundry
2) watch film for Theories of Personality (and pick which 1 to do project on)(thurs night)
3) start writing paper for Ethics project section 1 (FRI)
4) look up ethics/legal laws for local area (FRI)
5) responses to discussions for this week (2on FRI & 2on SAT) (due be4 sat night)
6) discussion prompts next week (2 on Sun)
7) discussion prompts next week cont... (2 on Mon)
8) Write more on proj 4a1
& 4a2 (DUE SUN)

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Walkabout...I so wanna do this!

This guy walked from china to germany...as a present to himself. It took him 1 yr, and watching the time lapse vid you can actually watch him change...wow...

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Soundtrack Excerpt...

I have a soundtrack playlist on Youtube that is composed of songs that are "ME"... here's one of them...

Workish...Meditation etc...

I sold 2 cars today and didn't get to eat lunch...bleh... It seems like I never stop moving, ever. I really enjoy meditation, it gives me that moment of pause before returning to the hectic universe.

I went yesterday to a medicine Buddha blessing at the Tibetan Cultural Center. The Rinpoche came in to do the blessing which was cool b/c he only comes to Louisiana 2-3times/year apparently. It was amazing. It was a meditation to remove obstacles and promote healing. I meditated on removing whatever mental/physical/ or spiritual obstacles I might have that are preventing me from having a deeper relationship with "GOD."

Well it's time to go to bed...night all...

PS- I had a sense of "like I knew Rinpoche" even though it was my first time meeting him... yeah...so not reading into that one.

NEways thought that was neat.

Reactions to Brokeback Mountain...

Well...I found the movie really really boring for the most part. Most of the movie has no action, its just angst and emotionally sappy scenes. Of course it had a sad ending, that sucked. (I cried a lil when Jack died.)

But for the most part, the movie was incredibly boring. I watched it and felt like I had A.D.D. the whole time! I missed half the dialogue. Also, the movie went on and on and on. It seemed like a lot of the scenes could've taken half the time.

Broke Back Mountain...Ethics

I have to watch this movie for my ethics class. I have no interest in watching this movie (even though it does have Heath Ledger in it). I'm ok with the guy on guy aspects. I'm anti sappy cowboy movies and overly sappy plots. I'll let u know my reactions after actually watching it. Who knows...it might not be that bad? :P bleh

A Blasphemous Thought:P

Ok...I know this a lil on the side of "blasphemy"!But, I'm just trying to work out an idea that's floating around in my head.

Jesus = son of God, and referred to all of us as children of God. Which, familial speaking, means that we are the brothers and sisters of Christ. Buddah promotes awareness of self, and considered himself a teacher (much in the way that Jesus was referred to as Rabbi). In fact, many Buddhists feel that Christ is a "Buddha" or "Teacher" on the Way. Assuming these are not mutually exclusive ideals. Then we have the potential within us to be teachers in a similar way and are limited only in our levels of devotion, belief, and openness to faith/god/etc.

??? (ok now that I've over thought faith enough for one day...)

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Current Belief of Faith: Faith is more than belief in a higher power or religion. It is the act of seeking out a deeper relationship with that higher power, and the willingness to challenge ALL beliefs in pursuit of that goal. Those beliefs that are challenged create a possibility for openness to new ideas and ways of understanding. The beliefs that remain after that challenge are further strengthened as a result. It is Faith tempered by Reason.

Tuesday Winging it:)

Well,

I'm almost done with all my papers for the week:) (Hopefully I have time to get ahead on next week's work so I won't be AS stressed out next week.) I've got a quiz in ethics to take that I'm a little worried about, it'll be my first time taking a true quiz online (my other classes have been major paper writing up until this point).

Tonight is Wing Chun:) I'm looking forward to it...although I still hurt a lil from last weeks class...I'm going to gets in shape or die trying!...

...***waves white flag** I surrenders!

Faith Collared

I'm listening to a news broadcast on the fact that women are not able to be priests in the Catholic church. I can remember asking my parents if I could be a priest when I was little. Unfortunately, I am female. Religiously, right and wrong in this issue is blurred. However, personally, if I could have a religious calling to priesthood AND be a married female...I would be. My personal feelings have little impact in the long run. Buddhism has nuns. Protestants have married preachers that are both male and female. Catholicism has nuns, but those nuns are seen as secondary to the priests. Is this a medieval mindset? or true doctrine? Life changes, society evolves. Or at least it should.

BTW? Whatever happened to Mary? (The following is a song from the movie Stigmata, which I love.)

Meditation Feelings Reflection

Being quiet is so completely different from what I normally experience in daily life. I'm in sales (a high pressure, fast paced profession), I'm in school (with deadlines and all the stress that comes with them), and then there is the regular day to day issues/challenges (road rage, appointments, errands). While I did not get to go to Meditation this Sun, I'm really looking forward to going Thurs. I have meditated previously when practicing martial arts, yet this new practice takes it to another level. The length of time is greatly extended, which worried me at first...I mean it's kind of intimidating an hour/hour and a half...But, surprisingly, this wasn't an issue for me.

Personally, I think it was a combination of having meditated/or focused for shorter periods of time in the past and the interspersed chants in Tibetan. It seemed like every time my mind started to wander, the monk began a chant which required all my attention and help re-center my focus.
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The monk and the other participants in meditation were all willing to answer questions or help me keep up. In fact, I felt a little badly that I had nothing specific to ask them. It's not that I think I know everything coming into a traditional Buddhist meditation for the first time ever! It's that I feel I don't know the questions yet...and I'm trying to keep an open mind and not put my expectations on the experience. I just want to experience the peace/calm and take each moment a step at a time.

School insanity...

You know your tired and were up too late working on papers when....

... the dentists chair feels incredibly comfortable and you find yourself falling asleep while they clean your teeth. :P

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Today:
8am -- went to dentist
Just finished paper for theories of personality. I think I'll take a lunch break before editing my paper and starting on ethics class. (Ewwy! I have a quiz in Ethics tomorrow! bleh!)

Buddah Belly

Pleasure arises from sustaining mindfulness even into old age. Happiness arises from sustained devotion to the path. Joy arises with wisdom. Bliss arises from casting off all craving. ~ The Hands of the Buddha

I've started going to meditations weekly at the local Tibetan Cultural Center. I've always had an interest in Buddhism and Zen philosophy. Even as I was studying to be a nun, I read about meditation and eastern practices. I just never could work up the courage to actually check out a Buddhist temple. I guess I was afraid that all the people in there would be Asian and/or not be able to understand the service b/c I only spoke English. I was also afraid of being seen as one of those western hippie types that wears eastern tradition like an accessory. I want to expand my awareness and my understanding of faith and reason, not preach or flaunt.

When I went with my friend Brit, the only way I could describe the meditation practice was a feeling like "coming home." I've never felt so comfortable, so welcome, or so at peace as when I was meditating. I can't wait to go again.

Hello blog:)

It's very nice to meet you! I have not blogged in a while, and had begun to miss the space to vent and organize my thoughts. I also am procrastinating instead of working on my unit 2 project for Theories of Personality.

:P