Books: Aug-Sept'11

I like to read, mostly science fiction, but sometimes other things too. Here is what I've been reading lately:

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Fuzzy Nation is a modern ‘reboot’ and reimagining of ‘Little Fuzzy’ by H. Beam Piper from 1962. It offers the reader a snarky sci-fi look at intelligent life and corporate ethics through the lens of a morally ambiguous rogue who’s a bit of a jerk (just for fun) and makes a circus of legal courtroom procedures in the most amusing way. It also has velociraptors, because who doesn’t love the threat of a good velociraptor-maiming scene?

The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story by Alison Thompson

The Third Wave tells the inspiring story of how volunteering changed Thompson's life. It begins with her first real introduction to disaster relief after 9/11 and ends with her more recent efforts in Haiti , where she has helped create and run, together with Sean Penn, an internally displaced person camp and field hospital for over 65,000 Haitians who lost their homes in the 2010 earthquake. In The Third Wave, Thompson provides an invaluable inside glimpse into what really happens on the ground after a disaster—and a roadmap for what anyone can do to help. As Thompson shows, with some resilience, a healthy sense of humor, and the desire to make a difference, we all have what it takes to change the world for the better.

Kara Goucher's Running for Women: From First Steps to Marathons

Kara Goucher is crazy, madly, head-over-heels in love with running, and she wants to help you feel that love, too. Whether you’re just getting started or already a seasoned runner, this is the book that will take you to the next level. Kara Goucher’s Running for Women contains her expertise, tips, and tricks targeted specifically at female runners to help you become a better, happier, healthier, and more fulfilled runner.

Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara

The true story of how a group of resident monks saved the oldest Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States from a wildfire. A gripping narrative as well as an insider’s portrait of the Zen path, Fire Monks reveals what it means to meet an emergency with presence of mind. In tracking the four men and one woman who returned—all novices in fire but experts in readiness—we witness them take their unique experiences facing the fires in their own lives and apply that wisdom to the crisis at hand. Relying on their Zen training, the monks accomplished the seemingly impossible—greeting the fire not as an enemy to defeat but as a friend to guide. The Tassajara monks were able to remain in the moment and act with startling speed and clarity. In studying an event marked by great danger and uncertainty, Fire Monks reveals the bravery that lives within every heart.

Buddha by Karen Armstrong

With such bestsellers as A History of God and Islam, Karen Armstrong has consistently delivered "penetrating, readable, and prescient" (The New York Times) works that have lucidly engaged a wide range of religions and religious issues. In Buddha she turns to a figure whose thought is still reverberating throughout the world 2,500 years after his death. Many know the Buddha only from seeing countless serene, iconic images. But what of the man himself and the world he lived in? What did he actually do in his roughly eighty years on earth that spawned one of the greatest religions in world history? Armstrong tackles these questions and more by examining the life and times of the Buddha in this engrossing philosophical biography. Against the tumultuous cultural background of his world, she blends history, philosophy, mythology, and biography to create a compelling and illuminating portrait of a man whose awakening continues to inspire millions.

Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits

From 1966 to 1976 the malevolent rage of the Chinese Cultural Revolution struck a devastating blow to all religions in China, destroying countless temples and shrines that had stood for centuries and forcibly returning thousands of monks and nuns to lay life. Bill Porter had been told that the venerable hermetic tradition in China had also succumbed, but he went looking anyway. What he found, Taoist and Buddhist monks and nuns living in huts and caves deep in the mountains of central China, is more than a revelation, it is a glimmer of hope for the future of religion in China

Training & Health

Well, I'm back in the US of A. And after three years without, I kind of went overboard on 'new' old tastes like Minsky's pizza and Foo's Frozen Custard. But I'm over that now, I think. I know I've talked about health before and no matter how much I 'fall off the wagon', it's no less important every day. So, again it's on my priority list as I settle into a new life back in KC.

Unfortunately, several weeks ago, I tripped on my regular run. Kind of embarrassing at the time but I think I ended up running four or five miles that day. I was scraped up all over my knee and the back of one of my hands. But the next day, I realized those injuries were masking another injury, a strained achilles. So, one moment of inattention, and my running got sent back to the beginning. I couldn't manage more than a mile or two. Then was overwhelmed with 'must do' things my last week in Mongolia.

Now that I'm back, I'm running again, 5-6 miles 4-6 times a week. The achilles still bothers me sometimes but it's definitely better. And my DailyMile.com friends will be with the whole way. And I'll be getting back to my Bodyrock.tv bodyweight exercise to give me a bit more cardiovascular activity until my mileage is higher.

Finally, after 3 years, I was able to get on a scale: 214 lbs. Not great, not terrible. I looked back at my measurements last summer and my belly was four inches bigger and my waist had two more inches. So, I can only imagine how heavy I had gotten to last year. But that's all behind me. I am bound and determined to keep taking off the inches and pounds and get to a healthy weight again. If I take off the maximum two pounds per week, that would get me to my goal weight of 165 in 25 weeks, roughly 6 months from now, almost exactly on my birthday.

losing 54 pounds by age 54

Cool! That will be my new motto. Besides the exercise, I want to really improve my eating habits and even improve my cooking a bit. Already I've gotten a few books from the library and two things strike me. 1) Most of the meals are very extravagant, almost like gourmet restaurant meals, and 2) the meals are not possible everywhere because of either lack of tools, availability, or cost. I mean I want skills that I can take back with to Mongolia, or where ever I end up. Going to your typical American supermarket with no credit limit is just not possible.

If I can find any words of health wisdom out there, especially about diet, I'll be happy to pass it along on these pages.

I'll keep you posted on my weight loss here in the margin.

Book: Dharma Road

Wow, what a book. I would probably say this is the best, most simple explanation of Buddhism I have ever come across. Simply amazing. I would recommend it to everyone, but especially non-Buddhists who are just curious. It's simple to read, to understand and so down to earth it makes you laugh.

Order Dharma Road: A Short Cab Ride to Self Discovery by Brian Haycock

Brian Haycock was a cabdriver--who happened to be a Buddhist. During the course of his career as a cabdriver, he learned that each fare provided an opportunity to learn the life lessons of the Buddha.

So, hop in and buckle up; we’ll be making several stops on this trip. We’re off on our journey to self-discovery, passing through the precepts, the four noble truths, taking a hard left to stop and get coffee--where we’ll learn a few breathing techniques to bolster our patience—all the while watching for ambulances and bikers, focusing our attention and awareness so that we can arrive at our destination in good time and in one piece.

Here are stories from everyday life that demonstrate how we can all benefit from a little Buddhist philosophy or practice. With each chapter focusing on a specific topic, readers will learn to coast their way to building a life routine, focusing the mind, calming themselves with breathing exercises, and much much more.

Brian Haycock is a writer and former cab driver residing in Austin, TX. He currently works for a non-profit and secretly misses driving a cab. This is his first book.

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"With wry humor and unflinching honesty, Brian Haycock steers the reader through the ups and downs of modern life with the teachings of the Buddha as his road map. An engagingly written, no-frills introduction to Zen, the Dharma and just sitting at the wheel." -Stephen Batchelor, author of Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist

"...compassionate and entertaining..." -David Brazier (aka Dharmavidya), author of The Feeling Buddha

"In Dharma Road, Haycock has achieved that rare balance of humor and wisdom. His sense of Buddhism runs deep, born out of his own fascinating experience as a taxi driver. Haycock, the Buddhist cabbie, can take you where you want to go, but more importantly he can take you to the most important landmarks of the dharma. The characters he encounters and the insights he uncovers are well worth the modest fare. His experience demonstrates the Buddhist idea that wisdom doesn't need a temple to live in, but manifests in every sort of reflective life." -Stephen Asma, author of Why I Am A Buddhist

"When I came back from the monastery, I drove a cab for Checker in Boston and can tell you this is the real deal: good taxi and straight dharma." -Jack Kornfield

"If the point of life is the journey, travel it via Dharma Road. It's accessible, amusing and wise, with a few surprising forks along the way." -Arthur Jeon, author of City Dharma and Sex, Love, and Dharma: Finding Love Without Losing Your Way

"This book is wise and witty and direct: very Zen. Also, fun to read." -Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness is an Inside Job and That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist

From Publishers Weekly

In his first book, Haycock draws on his years as a taxi driver in Austin, Texas for this "introduction to Zen practice for people who live in the real world." In his persona of cab driver he takes the reader into his former world of congested streets, rookie and veteran taxi drivers, and unpredictable passengers, punctuated by moments of grace. Haycock skillfully weaves into this story of 12- to 16-hour shifts some basic tenets of Buddhism-such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the paramitas (perfections)-with an emphasis on the Zen of Korean master Seung Sahn. Most importantly, he shows how Buddhism can inform choices about attitudes and behavior in daily life. This report from the mean streets is told with humor, self-deprecation, and an assured voice; by addressing the reader directly Haycock adds to the immediacy of his spare writing. Besides providing reassurance that monasteries and mountaintops aren't necessary for the practice of Buddhism, Haycock shows how Zen principles can be applied to even gritty and mundane jobs.