space of thoughts

"In zazen, leave your front door and your back door open.

Let thoughts come and go. Just don't serve them tea"

~Shunryu Suzuki

What is the orthogonal complement of the space of thoughts?

A sudden glimpse of it may be an outcome of zazen.

 

Remembering Dusty, my dear friend

Dusty, beloved feline and family member (April 14, 2004 - May 19, 2020)

So, yesterday we came from school and found Dusty dead by his favorite chair, after 16+ years of being a loved family member. It was in a sense so peaceful, even his death without any forewarning (probably a heart attack) was a considerate act of ultimate love. RIP my love! HE LIVED A GOOD AND LONG LIFE!

 

Photo © Mihai Caragiu

Soros matters

The Open Society Foundation mattered for me in a very important moment, and for that I will be forever grateful. It still matters and continues to be a symbol for those hoping to see the society free from the shackles of primitive tribalism and fundamentalism.

When I left Romania for Penn State in 1992,  the generosity of the Romanian section (led by Sandra Pralong) of George Soros' Open Society Foundation helped me to cover my one-way plane ticket to New York City, upon showing them the acceptance letter from Penn State.

From there, Penn State colleagues who came to JFK for me gave me a ride to State College, PA (a very long and noisy 5 hours ride). That is another act of human kindness for which I will never forget.

Just thinking about the multitude of people doing kind things makes you a better human being.

3M - mind, math, meditation (not necessarily in that order)

`Out of nowhere, the mind comes forth' 
The Diamond Sutra

I rediscovered this a few minutes ago... and I suddenly realized that it describes not only the essence/nature of meditation, but the essence/root of mathematical discovery as well. 

Mind, matter, universe appear to be grounded in this 'nowhere'/emptiness (often seen as `beginning', but that may not be the case) in that every meditation, every mathematical discovery recreates the otherwise elusive `coming forth', leaving one absolutely surprised by this Planck-scale illumination.