tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123326368423499292.post7411652078578511756..comments2023-10-08T08:48:18.513-04:00Comments on The Dalai Grandma: Zen and MemoirJeanne Desyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07800258273705288582noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123326368423499292.post-58374940457394000122010-01-24T13:31:56.149-05:002010-01-24T13:31:56.149-05:00I've been accused of making choices in a vaccu...I've been accused of making choices in a vaccum. It's not that I don't respect the opinions of others, it's just that I wonder what we're talking about when we talk about the future or the past or what something may "be like." <br /><br />It's such a tough pill to swallow, that all you have is this second, and the rest is either prophecy or history...I can know that, but I can't live it. <br /><br />I think it's easier to let the past go; what can I do? But the future? One more chance to play God...who can resist?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123326368423499292.post-74890367336907417782010-01-22T20:56:11.991-05:002010-01-22T20:56:11.991-05:00It's so funny, I wanted this post to keep goin...It's so funny, I wanted this post to keep going and going - guess I was into your narrative. As a writer and journal editor who studied creative writing in grad school, I've had a lot of discussions about memoir. And as a "zen person," a lot of discussions about psychology, therapy, and the place for all of that within a spiritual practice. <br /><br />In some ways, the rise (again) of memoir seemed to be tied with our collective obsession with misery and broken narratives, as well as a longing to repair that damage. But it feels warped to me. People gawk at the horrible, retell the awful, and then somehow think they'll be better on the other side. <br /><br />On the other hand, the trouble with some of the Buddhism occurring in the U.S. is that we focus so much on the present that there is a loss of awareness about the past, and it's impact on the present. Karma gets tossed out the window, and people try to "just be now," and then wonder why that now sucks so terribly much. <br /><br />It's seems to me that the stories are both completely fictional, and also something we need to "take care of" - as Reb Anderson Roshi from San Francisco Zen Center has said. The question is what kind of caring is being called for ... still working on that one I guess.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.com