Dharma To Go

I'm starting to get into the flow of the semester, starting to bond with my students, and have signed up for benefits! I've also discovered a wonderful place on campus which has organic food and gluten-free bread, so I can adhere to the dietary changes I've made for asthma. I am extraordinarily grateful to be back. In my last check-up, my doctor said my lungs sound great now, and she is truly amazed at that, given that I nearly passed away in June.

But I'm still here.

Some have asked about my pursuit of Zen Buddhism, and yes, I am still at it. The only thing I am having a little trouble with lately is finding time to get to the zendo and meditate. I did get to my Intro to Zen class at last, and really enjoyed it. I was even chosen to demonstrate the use of the seiza meditation bench (which I think I will use next time). I find it rather ironic that somewhat slothful me has embraced one of the hardest disciplines of Buddhism--but then, irony is a ruling principle of the universe, as one of my dear friends pointed out.

The other update is that I can no longer use a chalkboard or whiteboard markers without starting to irritate my lungs again. After what I went through in June, I am really careful about stuff that irritates my lungs, so I am going to try out a Bamboo Pen and Touch to see if I can use it as a virtual chalkboard, using Word and the netbook I bring into the classroom.

So, we'll see.

and that's all for this week.