February 6, 2012 at 10:23 I'm taking a poll of faculty, students and staff who would be interested in having an ongoing Zen Buddhist sitting group active and meeting regularly on campus. If you are interested or have questions, please contact me through this site or at x5496.
February 6, 2012 at 10:07 I have explored more of Hartford and its surrounding towns. I find it amusing that people here mean Hartford when they say Hartford rather than the entire MSA. When I say in Hartford I mean everything from New Britain to Manchester and Windsor down to Wethersfield.
Finally made it to A Dong market. This was a pretty good Asian market and had a big selection of foods. There were fish and meats which were good as wells as Asian vegetables that you would typically find. The vegetables were fresh and a lot more reasonably priced than other stores in the area. I got Burdock root and Daikon at very good prices. They had a large selection of soy sauces but not the spectrum of different Japanese types that are important for different types of cooking. Overall, it seems to be the place to grab your Asian groceries.
A Dong is also not far from the closest comic book store I can find, Eye Opener. Eye Opener isn't far from A Dong. It can be a little difficult to find as it is on the side street. It is a small shop but they seem to have everything you might be looking for or should be able to order it if not. I'm mostly interested in DC's New 52, and you can pick them up there.
Only thing left on the list is a mechanic. I think I found one in Canton.
January 6, 2012 at 16:38 I've gotten some feedback on my last post about necessities in Hartford. This weekend I plan on checking out A Dong Supermarket for Asian Food in West Hartford and Apple Tree Markets in West Hartford for fish and vegetables. I found a liquor store, Harvest Wine and Spirits on Farmington Ave in West Hartford. Otherwise, spending the weekend unpacking and finishing my rakusu. Jukai coming up on the 28th.
More input on things to do finding necessities is welcome, and I'll report back on my weekend trip. Am close to finding an Audi mechanic I think.
January 6, 2012 at 16:15 For those of you following my journal and registering for my advanced class in public health law, I must apologize that the syllabus is not yet ready or available. Blackboard is not yet functioning for the class. If I do not have Blackboard on Monday, I will email readings and syllabi to those of you currently enrolled in the class. If you are interested in the class but have not enrolled, do so as soon as possible.
December 30, 2011 at 7:29 The latest Back to Work I heard, #46 is outstanding on meta-distraction and more importantly the widespread misuse of Zen. Back to Work is a show by Dan Benjamin and Merlin Mann. Listen. I tend to be a practitioner whose inclination is to hit people with a stick.
Also, check out the Hsin-Hsin Ming. Someone pointed me to this page with the original text and a detailed discussion of the characters.
December 18, 2011 at 10:28 After much back-and-forth between Massachusetts and Connecticut, I am finally settling down in Hartford permanently since taking my teaching position at UCHC. I realize that there are a lot of things I need to find that I'm used to having. Hartford and the area seem to make it difficult to find some of these.
December 5, 2011 at 19:08 At the the University of Connecticut Health Center, which houses the Graduate Program in Public Health at the University of Connecticut, we require Public Health Law as a core course for graduating and obtaining an MPH from our program. After teaching the course in the past, I proposed to the curriculum committee that the material could be better presented if split into two classes: Public Health Law I and Public Health Law II—known as Public Health Law and Advanced Topics in Public Health on the PUBH side. Using principles of backward design. They agreed.
I redesigned the original course to provide core basics that every public health student should understand and am designing the second course to allow students with a interest in law and policy to drive more deeply into public health law as applied and some of the more difficult legal issues, e.g. preemption, administrative law, and public health law research.
To accomodate as many students as possible, the curriculum has been altered slightly. I will be teaching Public Health Law II in the Spring of 2012 and the Spring of 2013. I will also be teaching Public Health Law I in the Fall of 2012. This post is to clarify information for students interested in taking the class and to answer some logistical questions. If you have questions about the class not answered here, feel free to contact me.
Schedule The second course Public Health Law II / Advanced Topics in Public Health Law (PHLAW2) conflicts with the core MPH course Environmental Health on Wednesday nights. We looked at many alternatives. There was no way to move the course. Environmental Health and PHLAW2 will both be held in the Spring on Wednesday nights in 2012 and 2013. We hope this will give everyone a chance to take the course if you are interested. You should plan your schedule accordingly knowing that if you do not take your core course in 2012, you must take it in 2013.
Books PHLAW2 will require three books:
All other readings will be cases or materials available online for download. No materials will be required on reserve.
Topics The course will cover the following topics:
Again, if you have questions, feel free to contact me. The syllabus should be complete soon and will be posted online.
October 11, 2011 at 7:41 This has recently become a favorite. I've captured it from Monkey Mind and one of my teacher's Roshi Ford's blog. He has a link to a monk chanting it if you're interested.
The text:
Song of Zazen - by Hakuin Ekaku
All beings by nature are Buddha,
As ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
Apart from beings, no Buddha.
How sad that people ignore the near
And search for truth afar:
Like someone in the midst of water
Crying out in thirst,
Like a child of a wealthy home
Wandering among the poor.
Lost on dark paths of ignorance,
We wander through the Six Worlds,
From dark path to dark path--
When shall we be freed from birth and death?
Oh, the zazen of the Mahayana!
To this the highest praise!
Devotion, repentance, training,
The many paramitas--
All have their source in zazen.
Those who try zazen even once
Wipe away beginning-less crimes.
Where are all the dark paths then?
The Pure Land itself is near.
Those who hear this truth even once
And listen with a grateful heart,
Treasuring it, revering it,
Gain blessings without end.
Much more, those who turn about
And bear witness to self-nature,
Self-nature that is no-nature,
Go far beyond mere doctrine.
Here effect and cause are the same,
The Way is neither two nor three.
With form that is no-form,
Going and coming, we are never astray,
With thought that is no-thought,
Singing and dancing are the voice of the Law.
Boundless and free is the sky of Samádhi!
Bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes,
This very place is the Lotus Land,
This very body, the Buddha
September 29, 2011 at 12:00 Know that in a remote place in a cloud-covered valley,
There is still a sacred pine that passes through the chill of the ages.
- Keizan