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A long, arduous, beautiful, sweet and fascinating journey D.'s bro (R.)just called. They bought a new trumpet on Ebay. No one in the family plays trumpet, but that is the beauty of internet impulse buying. Actually, it is highly characteristic of R. to buy something simply because he is enamored of its beauty. He is an artiste. He once laid Bette Midler on a bed of poker chips -- no, not because he was gettin' lucky -- it was for some undoubtedly Vegas-related ad. I had a brief chat via IM late today that consisted of references to hot bitches, John Gotti and Jehovah's Witnesses. And then it ended. Otherwise, today was all about being productive! I got caught up on a few things, but that glorious slo-mo Rocky run will have to be saved for another day when I get beyond just catching up. Lastly, something has been bothering me about a lot of yogic and meditation texts I've read. As an example, Joseph Goldstein talks about "The Hindrances" -- sense desire, hatred, sloth and torpor, restlessness and doubt -- the so-called enemies of understanding one's own mind. Specifically, I'm having difficulty with sense desire being considered a hindrance. How can "beautiful sights, beautiful sounds, tastes or smells, pleasant sensations in the body, or fascinating ideas" be a hindrance? I suppose if you choose to attach yourself to these things they are, if your mind is distressed by some possessiveness you feel over these things or feelings. But what is life without these things, or our ability to experience and appreciate them? I don't know if I want to think of these things as hindrances -- in fact, right now I know that I don't, dadgummit! Ack! I'm attached! I'm hindered! I'm seeing beautiful things and tasting yummy food and having pleasant sensations in my body and being fascinated by fascinating ideas!!!! Man, it is going to be one loonnnggg road to enlightenment -- with lots and lots of sense desires inbetween here and there. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
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