Jan 07 2008
Keeping balanced
Apologies for flaking out for so long! My winter break wasn’t as much of a vacation as I had hoped for. But I did manage to read a few interesting books: The Alchemist, The Kite Runner, The Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation, and The Good Heart - A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus - His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Arinna Weisman and Jean Smith’s The Beginner’s Guide to Insight Meditation helped answered some of my burning questions about Buddhism, such as do Buddhists have to believe in reincarnation? (Many don’t.) Are all Buddhists vegetarian? (No. Buddhists in Tibet and Japan often eat meat.) The writers also resonated with me by acknowledging that it’s not important to categorize or label oneself as a Buddhist because it may not necessarily be a true reflection of whether the person lives by Buddhist thought. Many people don’t call themselves Buddhist, yet they practice “awareness and awakening.” I could get carried away by spiritual talk, but I’ll just say that striving for awareness and awakening has been enriching my whole nursing experience and making the MEPN bubble a lot easier to live in.