Reading

 

One of the hindrances I have while meditating is a todo list. A subset is what to read. I'm reading Bakewell's fun romp through existentialism, and that will be due back to the library eventually. I like the time limit on library books, when you buy, you can just pile them up. I suddenly got the idea of doing a cross breed of Confederacy of Dunces and the Odyssey, and then I thought I should read Ulysses. So many Dharma books to read. Tibetan, Theravada, Mahayana. I come up with an ideal reading list based on what I know at the moment, for others. Then I think, just grind on the Pali canon. So much amazing stuff there. The Buddha once told some monks to meditate on the loathsomeness of the body and they committed suicide. Opse. In his mortification phase, before he found the middle way with meditation, he ate his own shit, animal shit. Yesh. Mostly it's repetitive formulas meant for memorizing. I am grateful to the tradition for carrying the teachings forward. I have a tome of Mary Oliver to read. I read all her individual books, that the library had, and now it's the collection. I've neglected Gravity's Rainbow. I've neglected Self Compassion by Nell. I'm more inclined to add books to my neglected pile than subtract. I'm reading Fury by Michaelides for a book club. I had the revelation that I like the first third of books when I try to figure out their vector, and I'm not as keen to work through, in psychotherapy and in reading literature. I like figuring out the vector most. 

Then there's 2 new episodes for Star Trek Discovery, and a new Resident Alien, and a new Young Sheldon now that March Madness is consolidated into final fours. Not to mention all the movies out there. Because I like Parasite, people recommended Memories of Murder, and there's a 4 hour documentary on a French restaurant on PBS until 4/20.