Description 48 - Don't Expect Much

The Dalai Lama classes up an episode with two blizzards, official Canadian Football League turf, a lot of heavy breathing and an explanation why I don't sound quite as sad as I once did.

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Associated links
Toronto "blizzard" flickr set (by Robin Yap)
Zen Buddhist Centre
Edmund Bergler @ Quest For Self
DicksnJanes podcast
Allan Watts Theater!
Urban Dharma - the podcast
Pema Chodron
Ajahn Brahm podcast via Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Tengye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Temple
NOW Magazine on the Dalai Lama's visit to Toronto
Dalai Lama interview on CBC News Sunday

I'm posting this while sitting in the Kingsville Public Library, my nearest source of wi-fi happiness. Thanks, guys.

While all the podcasts I've linked up there are excellent, if you have any passing interest in Buddhism, your primary one-stop shop for a crazy load of info on this stuff can be found at BuddhaNet. From the simplest thing to the lists upon lists upon lists, it's really all there, and for free.

Being home for this long (it will be about ten days in total) is quite the tough proving ground for my nascent buddhist mindfulness. To paraphrase The Feeling, this place makes my head soft. But work like getting this episode together has helped. With tales of family selfishness, sniping and martyrdom (like with all families...and stupid judge shows that are on every frigging hour of the day around here), it wasn't a bad idea to sit myself down in the rocker/recliner in front of one of a half-dozen space heaters and strain to make out what the hell I was saying about inpermanence and unsatistfactoriness while tromping through the snow a couple weeks ago - not to mention trying to make out the echoes (literally) of the Dalai Lama. The much harder work here has been shutting up the chorus of judgements that roar in my head. Strangely, during my time here so far, I'm getting an idea where I got that chorus long ago. Maybe that will help the noise-reduction. We will see.