Book for the Day

While I raced thru 2 books the days before yesterday I stalled while reading Sylvia Boorsteins' book, "Happiness is an Inside Job". She is a reknown buddhist and prolific author - one of her more famous is "Don't Just Do Something - Sit There".
I think I'm a failed Buddhist - it would sound really hip and cool to be able to say, "I'm Buddhist" but the truth of the matter is that - despite wanting to fit in with my friends who attend sangha (a gathering of like-minded Buddhists and those aspiring to be) - I don't resonant with what appears to be its passive orientation towards life and its emphasis on disciplined meditation. I guess I'm too much of a control freak - I want to be proactive and manifest my dreams rather than always "be content with what is". Don't get me wrong, I do try to live by the axim, being content with what is, however, I want to know that I have tried everything I could possibly do before resigning to that fall back position. This includes positive affirmations, vision boards, EFT, Zpoint process, Reiki, etc. - all "doing" behaviors rather than working on discipling the meanderings of my mind.

I do like Boorstein's emphasis on achieving "equanimity" in all things and avoiding contentious actions and thoughts. However, the means by which I try to achieve that state of balance is very unBuddha like. I also find the writing to be very estoric (funny - since I majored in Philosophy in college - at least for the first semester!)and difficult to operationalize. For someone who writes simpler - try reading some of Pema Chodron's books, especially, "When Things Fall Apart". Coincidentally I met Pema's assistant (while she stays for the winter in Colorado away from the abbey in Nova Scotia)in TN, a lovely young woman who has worked with/for her for the last several years.

I hate to not finish books, almost as much as, not finishing watching movies (I can count on one hand the number of times I've walked out of a movie - not matter how horrid/distasteful it was to me....) so I will endeavor to finish it later; however, right now downtown Kansas City is calling me: for its famous barbecue, a yarn store, museums, and an evening Unity service in the Plaza...