Kreativ Blogger

Along with much of the other wonderful news of last week came a very lovely award from Kristen, aka Miss Vesper of Vesper in Limbo. (Thanks, miss V)

If you’re awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award, you’re supposed to post 7 Things You Love and 7 Kreativ Bloggers whom you wish to bestow the award upon.

7 Things I Love: [aka 7 things I’m grateful for]

1. Buddhist Philosophy – So maybe it’s a bit nerdy, but when I take the time and allow Buddhist thought to flow over me, from cosmology to ethics to meditation techniques I am always left refreshed and simply feeling great about life, the world, and everything else.
2. Modernity – the world, as it is, right now. Oh, and I don’t think now is postmodernity, except maybe for a handful of intellectuals, web-geeks, and others for whom virtual trees are about as good as the real thing.
3. The Illuminati – not those of conspiracy theory, but the truly enlightened folks out there, which could include: your grandpa, Barack Obama, my girlfriend’s cat, Oliver, and many others. Often, we just don’t know.
   

   One of my favorite Tibetan teachings describes the Buddha as like the sun, who compassionately sends his teachings in all directions without discrimination. Why are we all so ignorant and suffering then? Because we’re standing behind a building. Move.

4. Landscapes – I’m hooked on the mountains of Missoula; Mount Sentinel which I climb about 80-100 times a year, Lolo Peak off in the south-west, the Black and Blue Mountains due west, the north hills, which seem to lean into town on sunny days as you drive (er, I mean ride your bike) north on Higgins Ave or Orange St.
   

   Mountains, I believe, cradle us in a way that connects us with our anscestors. They, and the great oceans and seas, set out human boundaries. They also remind us of our smallness and the grandeur of nature. For those of us happily still in the modern age, they are a reminder for humility, both personal and societal. They shall endure longer than all of our efforts.

5. Community – It comes in many forms: the community of people we graduated high school with, the community of Missoula joggers or hikers, the community of bloggers, etc. But I think the most important community we can have is one built out of time together – around the dinner table, the camp fire, through hard times and good. I’m optimistic that we can replicate this in cyberspace – perhaps even completely – but I think the communities in the physical world around us somehow have a richer texture.
   

   That said, I am a Buddhist philosopher living in Montana, not exactly a hot-bed for such oddballs (though I am happy to say there are a few: Matt, Larry, Brad, Chris, et al.), so I am very grateful to my cyber community.

6. Spring – if it would just come and stay and be nice (like today and tomorrow will be).
7. Books – I seem to be on a steady diet of purchasing about 10-15 a month of late, and checking out dozens more, so I am now surrounded on all sides by mountains of ’em.

Passing it forward:

1. Sjors – One of my London flatmates, he is one of those rare people living squarely in postmodernity. Very cool. Very creative.
2. Patia – phenomenal writer and photographer and a pretty darned nice gal, to boot.
3. Julie – ’cause she’s my girlfriend, er, I mean ’cause this blog’s got killer potential. Having seen her photography and goldsmithing, I know she’s wonderfully creative.
4. Raven – this guy is amazing. He somehow straddles modernity, postmodernity and some ancient, ancient western wisdom.
5. D – I have a friend here in Missoula (who sadly just hit the road for who knows how long) who, every time I see her, tells me how much she loves D’s blog.
6. Margaret – for all the poetry about dancing martian unicorns you will ever need in life, not to mention musings and photos from lovely Gozo, Malta.
7. Sana – Who wins the award for furthest away in Pakistan (another of my London flatmates).

okay… back to Buddhist Ethics!