Awareness cannot be practiced

Awareness cannot be practiced. There has been some confusion between awareness and mindfulness. They are related, but distinct. Sati, or mindfulness, implies there is action of the mind. We purposely set ourselves to pay attention to our minds. We exert effort. Awareness is different. Awareness is devoid of any action. The mind simply "awares." There is no action here, only a collected and spontaneous awareness that just "sees." Here, mindfulness is the cause, and awareness is the effect. You cannot practice or train the effect. You can only practice something that will cause it. We have to start with mindfulness so that awareness may arise in us.

- Thynn Thynn, in Living Meditation, Living Insight from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book

I &hearts Tim Powers

I've been reading Tim Powers' new book, Three Days to Never. His writing is awesome. I'm really enjoying the read. Mysteries to ponder, fast pacing, odd twists. It's all there. It also brings together his California settings (including Last Call, Expiration Date and Earthquake Weather) with his supernatural spy thriller Declare. I think there may be an actual character crossover, or maybe multiple ones, from Declare, but it's been too long and I only read it once. He only has a new book about every three years, so it's been a while. I should actually buy it...I don't have that one yet. Or TDtN either, since I borrowed them both from the library.

And he seems to be genuinely the nicest guy. He really thinks about his fans, and thinks about the details in every arena. I met him once at one of the local SF conventions. I had brought my hardcover copy of Last Call for him to sign. I bumped into him in the halls rather than at a particular scheduled event. He not only signed my book with a personal inscription, upside down, he drew a picture of himself with a caption claiming it was him doing research. Playing poker, that is. I had torn my book jacket in the transporting, so he signed that too, claiming in the inscription that it was his fault for trying to sign the book with his pen in his teeth. I doubt I will ever voluntarily give up this book, it's just too awesome.

Doctor Who?

( You. Well, me, I mean. )