Urban Dharma Meditative Bike Ride
Date: Jan 4 Th
Mileage: 13.5 (Blertiot)
January mileage: 45.5
Year to date: 45.5
Had a very pleasant short ride this evening in between work and the boys' bball practice. I was supposed to commute to work, but Man, the first week back is wiping me out! After coming home and NOT being laden with grading, I jumped out for a 'quickie'. I had downloaded my first podcasts, this from Urban Dharma, a site from which I get a weekly email. This was my first experience with podcasts, and after some pecking around, I seemed to get some hang of it. Today's was the first of a two-part "intro to Buddhism", as presented by the director of UB, Kusala Bhikshu. This first installment proved to be very interesting, in plain-spoken friendly English. Apparently, it was a speech/conference given at a L.A. Catholic high school. Also apparently, spending lots of time with dichos jovenes has put me at their level, for I very much enjoyed the tone and tenor of the intro. Mr.KB is very active in the L.A. Buddhist community, and has served a variety of roles such as hospital and prison chaplain, probation camp director, and from his C.V., has been one of the most active Buddhist leaders in the western U.S. This blog deals mostly w/ bikes and basketball, but in the past 3-4 yrs my interest in Buddhism has grown. The Evangelical Religious Right's prominence of the past, eh, 25yrs. has brought back so many of the negative connotations that I hold of Christianity, or at least conservative Christianity. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church full of "devil music", "homuSEXuality", and "you're damned to hell", that I can never truly take it seriously. Buddhism seems so encompassing and generous to me, and today's podcast did nothing but reaffirm this. I can't deny the simplicity of a system that says I alone am responsible for easing my suffering, and that my good acts and meditation will help do so. All the major religions in some ways have comparable messages. Thus the Golden Rule, you know. But Buddhism appeals to the logical side of my mind, and on occasion, when I do meditate (especially walking meditation), I very do truly feel better. Today's ride could almost be considered "riding meditation", although there were too many ipod stops and fiddling about to really be considered meditative in the truest sense.
Peaceful talk, though, made for an easy, peaceful ride. I took the Bleriot out while wearing my old, faded, bleached Chuck's. (mine are way funkier and nastier than these new ones) . The only prob seems to be a mystery sound coming from the front of the Bleriot, which I am quite sure relates to the front fender. I'll get on that this weekend. We should have good weather for some more miles after tomorrow's rain.
Mileage: 13.5 (Blertiot)
January mileage: 45.5
Year to date: 45.5
Had a very pleasant short ride this evening in between work and the boys' bball practice. I was supposed to commute to work, but Man, the first week back is wiping me out! After coming home and NOT being laden with grading, I jumped out for a 'quickie'. I had downloaded my first podcasts, this from Urban Dharma, a site from which I get a weekly email. This was my first experience with podcasts, and after some pecking around, I seemed to get some hang of it. Today's was the first of a two-part "intro to Buddhism", as presented by the director of UB, Kusala Bhikshu. This first installment proved to be very interesting, in plain-spoken friendly English. Apparently, it was a speech/conference given at a L.A. Catholic high school. Also apparently, spending lots of time with dichos jovenes has put me at their level, for I very much enjoyed the tone and tenor of the intro. Mr.KB is very active in the L.A. Buddhist community, and has served a variety of roles such as hospital and prison chaplain, probation camp director, and from his C.V., has been one of the most active Buddhist leaders in the western U.S. This blog deals mostly w/ bikes and basketball, but in the past 3-4 yrs my interest in Buddhism has grown. The Evangelical Religious Right's prominence of the past, eh, 25yrs. has brought back so many of the negative connotations that I hold of Christianity, or at least conservative Christianity. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church full of "devil music", "homuSEXuality", and "you're damned to hell", that I can never truly take it seriously. Buddhism seems so encompassing and generous to me, and today's podcast did nothing but reaffirm this. I can't deny the simplicity of a system that says I alone am responsible for easing my suffering, and that my good acts and meditation will help do so. All the major religions in some ways have comparable messages. Thus the Golden Rule, you know. But Buddhism appeals to the logical side of my mind, and on occasion, when I do meditate (especially walking meditation), I very do truly feel better. Today's ride could almost be considered "riding meditation", although there were too many ipod stops and fiddling about to really be considered meditative in the truest sense.
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