Sunday, the 9th I found my way to Ali\u2019s for the last game of the World Cup, and also found an article saying that Tibetan Buddhist<\/a> monks would be rooting for Italy<\/a> (so I naturally did likewise). I only really caught the last 5 or so minutes of overtime and the penalty kicks, but it was exciting nonetheless \u2013 and nice to spend time with folks at my future home.<\/p>\n Monday I found out that I WILL be teaching Buddhism<\/a> this fall! It has been a slow build-up, so the excitement (and the nervousness) has been fairly well contained, but I\u2019ll have my own classes, the introductory course with 100+ students and a meditation course with around 20. Monday night I had an adventure with Tim, a fellow philosophy student and ardent Nietzschian, tracking down a playable version of Axis & Allies<\/a> \u2013 which didn\u2019t end up working out. Instead of playing the game we had a couple beers, played some music, and called it a night.<\/p>\n Tuesday a Zen Buddhist monk (Rev. Master Zensho Roberson of the Serene Reflection Meditation<\/a> Soto Zen tradition) arrived at my house to stay for a couple nights. We ate together and then I went to a presentation by Global Warming Solutions.org<\/a>, which had been advertised at Al Gore\u2019s movie An Inconvenient Truth<\/a>. I had \u2018pledged\u2019 to see the movie openning weekend, but it didn\u2019t make it to Missoula until a couple weeks ago. It is very, very, very much worth seeing! <\/p>\n Wednesday I spent the day driving a hybrid Ford Escape to and around Bison Range, MT for a field trip with The Center for Ethics<\/a>. The Native American tribes in the area have been in negotiations for a while now to get the land back, which the federal government decided to \u2018give\u2019 itself (taken as a chunk out of the reservation) almost 100 years ago. Hearing the litany of crimes against the native peoples of America reminded me of a bumper sticker I was given a couple years ago which read: \u201cWhy free Tibet when America\u2019s own Natives are not free?\u201d It\u2019s a tough question, and a good one\u2026. After the field trip I made my way to Rev. Master Zensho\u2019s evening talk on \u201cPractical Buddhism\u201d and ensuing meditation period.<\/p>\n Thursday I took it easy, making my way through most of Victor Frankl\u2019s book \u201cMan\u2019s Search for Meaning: an Introduction to Logotherapy<\/a>\u201d \u2013 which I\u2019ve just finished. It is a thoroughly remarkable book on the ability to find meaning in even the most difficult of circumstances (Frankl spends much of the book telling of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps). <\/p>\n
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