Every so often, you have to turn off the machine, and for me that usually happens this time of year. I have a long, long list of things to do, not the least of which is ger repair and maintenance, cabin repair and maintenance, and my own repair and maintenance. Then, after everything is repaired and maintained, I have some courtesy visits to make back home in Asia.So many deserts, so little time.
Busy, busy, busy until the Tibetan New Year rolls around, which happens to be on Valentine's Day 2010. Was sort of planning to treat myself to retreat for 2010 - 2012, so we might have a long absence in the works.
What to do with my giant infant, the Digital Tibetan Altar Blog? The readership right now is simply astonishing -- the largest audience we have ever had, and it keeps growing at a steady rate. If I go walkabout, who will keep the world safe for naljorpas, desert dwellers, and rabbit fanciers?
When I was previously on holiday, my experiments with guest authors didn't seem to work out all that well. Will there will be a black hole in this blog when I am gone? Should I start a blog about not blogging?
What is that word academics like to use? Oh, yes... sabbatical.
While I am on sabbatical, I will still post from time to time, and there is always the trusty auto-post, written today for your viewing pleasure next month. However, if I go on retreat, naljorpas, desert dwellers, and rabbit fanciers will have to fend for themselves. You know, I warned you many times this was coming.
It is like the epitaph on a hypochondriac's tombstone:
"I TOLD YOU I WAS SICK!"
There are something on the order of 1,200 posts on this blog already, so in an emergency you can use the search function or just browse. On the other hand, you could just turn off the machine and go on your own sojourn, or sabbatical, or retreat. Worst comes to worst, you could always stop reading about Buddhism, talking about Buddhism, buying "Buddhist supplies," and thinking about Buddhism, and actually practice, but I realize that is probably asking too much.Those of you from the sixties remember Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book.
Well, this is Terrible Tenpa's Turn Off the Machine.
I don't know... sometimes it doesn't demand a lot of angst or examination. Sometimes it doesn't need a whole lot of explanation. Sometimes it is sufficient to merely state that this is just the way things are.
7 reader comments:
OK, here we go again. Where is the ger located? I say it is in Terelj, just north of Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia.
Anza-Borrego Desert, California's largest state park. It is actually a project for school children.
Nifty, eh?
School children, huh? Damn. Say, I suppose it'd be a bit expensive for one to build their own ger. This would make the perfect Thanksgiving holiday.
Specifically, this is the Anza-Borrego Foundation's 5th Grade Environmental Education Camp. The A-B Foundation also recently sponsored a field trip to Anza-Borrego's "sister park," whoch is the Ikh Nature Reserve, in Mongolia. So, there you go... the Mongolian connection deepens.
I smell a put-up job. First, Don Croner links up Lady GaGa and Tokharian Caravanserai, right? Then you turn around and link up desert gers and Paris Hilton. You bad boys wouldn't be up to something, now would you?
May your path to enlightenment accelerate by giving-up, letting go and surrendering. ZP
Thank you, and may your path to enlightenment accelerate by giving up giving-up, letting go of letting go, and understanding that there is no surrender necessary because there is nothing to surrender to or from.
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