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Archive for December, 2008

Happy New Year!

Posted in Self-Improvement on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

I don’t know what New Year’s Resolutions I have. However, you should apply them more generally, unless there’s something hugely important like getting a new teaching position or a new house.
Reflect on your character faults. It’s embarrassing and humbling, but these faults will form the crux of your new resolutions. If you are too easily [...]

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Merry Christmas

Posted in Personal on December 24, 2008 | 4 Comments »

I’ve been tied up with rent issues, a new internet and electricity account and bond payments, so please forgive the briefer and briefer posts. I wish everyone a merry x’mas and a happy new year.
I hope I’ll be able to update more come 2009.

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An old act of kindness

Posted in Personal, Self-Improvement on December 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Pretty unusual that people will remember debts past 35 years.
Link here.
Unfortunately, only sensational acts of kindness make it into the media. Every deed of malice and evil is reported with glee, while hardly any good is reported, because it’s just boring. But this time, it is different.

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The calling of a teacher

Posted in Religion, tagged , on December 13, 2008 | 1 Comment »

What is the ultimate goal of those who have ambitions to be teachers? Seeking to be recognized amongst students or amongst publishers is not a wise goal. From my perspective, a teacher must be the transmitter of knowledge, a locus for enlightenment and positive change. Especially teachers of religion, both lay and monastic. Acting as [...]

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Awesome Great Compassionate Mantra Remix

Posted in Religion, tagged , , on December 5, 2008 | 3 Comments »

If there’s any modern synthesis of Buddhist Sanskrit chanting that does it tastefully and effectively, it’s this one. This track blew my mind. Literally.

I swear someone could just listen to this, read the translated mantra from Sanskrit, and then just convert to Buddhism.

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Silencing Burma’s Monks

Posted in Religion, tagged , , on December 2, 2008 | 1 Comment »

By MIN LWIN, The Irrawaddy, December 1, 2008 Rangoon, Burma
The 68-year prison sentence handed down to Ashin Gambira for his role in last year’s monk-led protests shows that Burma’s brutal junta now exercises total control over the country’s Sangha, or community of Buddhist monks, who many regarded as the last bastion of resistance against [...]

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