The wonderful Evelyn Underhill was born on this day in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, England, in 1875. She would grow to become a novelist, poet, and most of all a renowned spoksperson for the mystical encounter. Me, I tend to be wary of those who use the word mysticism and the related as too often they are speaking of psychic phenomenon, things in the general area of reading auras or bending spoons. Of course, there are other meanings in... Read more
The Brain—is wider than the Sky— For—put them side by side— The one the other will contain With ease—and You—beside— The Brain is deeper than the sea— For—hold them—Blue to Blue— The one the other will absorb— As Sponges—Buckets—do— The Brain is just the weight of God— For—Heft them—Pound for Pound— And they will differ—if they do— As Syllable from Sound— Emily Dickinson Faustus Socinus, also known as Faust Paolo Sozzini and sometimes as Faust Socyn was born on this... Read more
These two pictures show our Boundless Way revealing its heart. The first picture is from today of forty of us marking the end of our annual Rohatsu or Bodhi Day celebration sesshin (“to touch the heart-mind,” an intensive Zen meditation retreat) at the Boundless Way Temple in Worcester, Massachusetts. The temple in Worcester is the first real estate to be owned by a member community of Boundless Way Zen, the Zen project to which I give my heart and energy. Me,... Read more
I’m off to sesshin at the Boundless Way Temple in Worcester, Massachusetts. See you all in a couple of days. In the meantime watch out for those flying bricks. Sometimes they’re love notes. Sometimes they’re not… Read more
I did note this last year. But, that’s kind of how such things work. Today, as it turns out, is Rex Stout’s birthday and therefore, Nero Wolfe’s… Rex Todhunter Stout was born on the 1st of December, 1886. He was a writer, best known for his mysteries. I’ve read, I’m moderately confident, every one of his Nero Wolfe mysteries. Certainly all thirty-three novels, and probably all forty novellas featuring the rotund detective and his faithful assistant. Mostly I read them... Read more
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on this day in 1835. As a writer he first started using the pen name “Josh,” and later “Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass,” until finally settling on “Mark Twain.” He said a lot of things worth hearing. Sure could use him today… Read more
Off to Massachusetts to the Boundless Way Zen Temple for our Rohatsu Sesshin. After we get there postings might be a bit thin for a few days… Read more
Yesterday, as Jan and I try to do several times a month in our early retirement, we went out to see a movie and then have dinner. This time we saw Arrival. Later that evening Jan would write on her Facebook page “Just saw Arrival, with Amy Adams as the female xenolinguist protagonist. I would have loved it just for that, even if it weren’t the most thoughtful & moving science fiction film I’ve ever seen! Spoiler alert: no hand-to-hand... Read more
Today is one of my favorite days. As pretty much all my friends are told, well, every year, today, the 27th of November in the calendar of the Roman Catholic church as well as for those of the Eastern Churches who follow the revised Julian calendar, this is the feast of Sts Barlaam and Josaphat. The Orthodox who continue to use the Julian calendar observe the feast on 26th of August. Actually, for the most part this holiday is no... Read more
Bat Masterson was a fixture of my childhood imagination, first as portrayed by Mason Alan Dinehart as an associate of Hugh O’Brian’s Wyatt Earp television series, and then on his own, and a bit more vividly in my mind as portrayed by Gene Barry. Natty, with that derby and his walking cane, with which he took out the bad guys. I owned my own plastic derby and cane for a time… The real life person turns out to be even... Read more
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