ZenGlop The Podcast

He who binds to himself a joyDoes the winged life destroyHe who kisses the joy as it fliesLives in eternity's sunrise. Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.html

The Habitual Body is like an exoskeleton of thoughts, preconceptions, karmic traces, emotions and aspirations. Some are obvious and familiar. Others are hidden and delicate but no less powerful. Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.html

Perhaps Karma is embedded in the universe in the same way gravity, electromagnetism and Newton's laws of Thermodynamics. In which case why ask why? But still, I do. More episodes on meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.html

My dog (Reggie) died recently which makes me very sad and reminds of two other good dogs.  Argos ( who waited for Odysseus's return and was the first being to recognise him) and Kazak, the Space Dog, who along with Winston Rutherford phases in and out of the galaxy in a Chrono-synclastic infundibulation ( Vonnegut, Sirens of Titan).More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

The quality of time, the 'kinds' of time that occur during a day at my corporate job helps to think about the moments in meditation.   More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

The state of Bafflement gives rise to realisation, wonders, concerns, confusion, theories, hypotheses and notions.  I'd suggest that the intent of a dialogue with Socrates is to give rise to that phenomenon of Bafflement - rather than to actually answer any possible question.  And that this Bafflement is also the necessary precursor to approaching the role of the observer in Quantum physics.  More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

The thinking mind is like the wind on top of Everest;  the birds flying around a mountain.  More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

I often clarify ideas for this podcast during my morning meditation.  But during meditation I am trying to reach a state of equipoise.  Surely, following thoughts and realisations is a Wobble away from that intent?  Indeed it is.  So how does the activity of 'ordinary Mind' fit with the objectives of meditation?  Are we trying to halt thouse thoughts?  Arrest the process of mentation?More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

A sine wave exists only because there is a periodic trough as well as the peak.  Maintaining equanimity through those transitions ( inhale/exhale...wake/sleep....birth/death)  feels like a testable hypothesis.More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Alan Watts wrote _The Book_ to plant a seed of an idea about the ongoing cycles in our Being.  What he calls the 'head-Tailed Cat' of 'GoWithing'.  How does this fit into meditation practice?  Let's see!! More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Marcus Aurelius mirrors Socrates in his analysis of death - - Larkin categorically ( and in quite wonderful poetry) disputes.  More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Confidence in the outcome of scrutiny,  Authenticity and spontaneity will come out of the processes and practices of an examined life as surely as water on heat will boil.More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human Imagination (https://www.amazon.com/mortality-human-imagination-Andrew-Kaiser/dp/168818676X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kaiser+mortality+and+the+human+imagination&qid=1605609759&sr=8-1)Subscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Why would I turn my efforts towards a 'magically realistic science fiction trilogy"?  What indeed!Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Talking to Socrates often left his talking partners bewildered, dazzled, unsure of what any language or thought might mean.  We're given the word Aporia to describe this sensation. Socrates might say that a good life is one spent seeking out Aporia, and this podcast would agree.Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Can I create a trend line based on the resonant patterns that arise, abide and dissolve?  From the smallest thought to the longest pattern I can be aware of - - if I dumped that information into a spreadsheet and calculated a trend, what would my confidence be in those results? Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

Sometimes I journal simply for the pleasure of feeling pen on paper ( an excuse to collect cool notebooks and beautiful pens).  Sometimes I journal to track habits - I'm a fierce proponent of the premise that priority processes will make progress with 20 minutes a day religiously practiced.  I journal daily as a matter of hygiene, to listen to the noisy part of my brain.  those pages are discarded after monthly review.  And I have a creative journal that sits beside the piano and next to my Drinking/Thinking Chair to capture fleeting ideas that may become podcast episodes, essays or new composition.What about you? Anyone keep a daily journal of their activity?Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

I have the habit on a Saturday afternoon to pour myself a bourbon, strike a match to light a pipe of Latakia tobacco and to thus apply myself to the study of whatever enthusiasm has taken me for the moment.  In the instant most recent, I happened to read a choice selection from Wordsworth, which I will hence share my thoughts upon  and a small selection thereof.  Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

I recently rummaged through my bookshelf and came up with three books that turns out give a really nice sequence.  Opening the Door to Bon by Nyima Dakota (an overview of the foundational practices for Bon Tibetan Buddhism)The Awakened One A life of the Buddha by Sherab Chodzin Kohn ( a wonderfully clear representation of the life and awakening of Gautama Buddha)What makes you 'not' a Buddhist  a really serious exploration of the core realization of emptiness.  I hope these books and this podcast help in your practice. More episodes on  meditation notes here: https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/meditation/Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

I'm enjoying the process of writing fiction.  That's a new kind of writing for me, I'm an essayist at heart.  What if I approach the thorny problems of life, the undeniable constraints and condition - up to and including the way it ends - with the same pleasure, joy and commitment that  I'm finding as I write a narrative with pencil and paper?  Isn't that the answer to Sisyphus?Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1

What are your experiences with 'writers block'?  When I find myself not writing, it is rarely when I'm looking at a blank piece of paper.  What gets written may end up discarded,  set aside into the archeological pile of draft notes, or re-used in a different context.  No, when I am not writing it is when I don't even sit down .  The space is there.  Buy my book On Mortality and the Human ImaginationSubscribe to a newsletter for occasional updates on the podcast, videos and other writing. https://www.zenglop.net/zenglop/zenglop-the-newsletter.htmlAnd/or subscribe to youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOlX6NXyQBABYljo1vAuHA?sub_confirmation=1