Monday, December 12, 2011

Of Zen, Health and Lily Allen

Zen can improve your health. So can cats.


There's this virus going around where I live, giving trouble to everyone; combine it with a lot of work, and there's almost no way of avoiding it. There was a bit of luck in all that; the publisher told me he decided to delay the publishing of the book I'm currently translating for a little, meaning I had more time to translate it, meaning I could actually allow myself to be sick and not work for as long as I can keep my eyes open.

During that pause, I've read The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk by D.T. Suzuki. It's a short book, and a quick read; and yet, it's so full of information. It starts from the moment a monk gets refused at the door, goes through the acceptance, the work, the service, the humility, the koan the monk receives,  the meditation, the rules everyone has to obey... And a lot more. The book is also filled with naive, and yet so lovely, illustrations by another Zen Buddhist monk, showing all the phases of a monk's life and the instruments used in Zen Buddhism. Such a simple book, and a wonderful read. And it helped me feel a bit better and do some more work. The feel-better didn't last for all that long, but hey, every bit helps, and I have no doubt I'll recover eventually.

Lately, I've been listening to some Lily Allen songs, and for some reason, the one bellow, if you pay attention to the lyrics, went quite well with the book.


4 comments:

Karen Wojcik Berner said...

Hope you feel better, Ivana. At least it sounds like you are making the most of it. Thank goodness for your work reprieve.

angel011 said...

Thank you, karen. And yes, that reprieve makes things easier, although I'm still one of those who want to finish already what they started. :)

Beverly Diehl said...

Howling, just howling with laughter. Was expecting something very peaceful, tranquil, and instead... gotta hate that wet spot! Loved it, feel better.

angel011 said...

Glad you loved it! As for expectations, it seems my mind works in a weird way. :D