Reviews and Comments

Oh my so I just got to the part where the first talks of succession are happening. I understand why Vera would turn down Ben's offer but he's right, even if I'd be in favor of something less cataclysmic as a contingency plan. Those who are oppressed never get liberation by asking nicely. It's a bit symptomatic of the idealism and faith in our systems that was much more common in the time this book was written than our own. That optimism is gone and the situation is more dire. Would Vera make the same decision today? Will she stand by that decision all the way to the end of the book?

I've been doing zazen for quite some time now, but this was a good read none the less, especially since the last couple years I've been practicing alone. The first half of the book is a nice, quick read and does a good job of explaining the subtilties of sitting Zen posture in a quick, direct way and I plan to check back in with it here and there until I can rejoin a sangha. The second half is a written dharma discourse that's quite nice to read as well. All in all, a good book for beginners but still some use for non-beginners as well!

It's a quick read :)

Going back to basics

I've decided Vera Allwen is like the anti-Hilary Clinton. Like Hillary Clinton is the evil twin of Vera Allwen. And in this TED talk, I will.... 😂

Starting this one up again

Vera Allwen inviting all her friends over for spaghetti and wine and then somehow starting to create a political party is a whole damn vibe that I want in my life

Excited for this one. Ecotopia gave me so much hope and the recent election has taken that way. I'm determined to get it back.

Finished section one. It's alright. Nothing to radical from what I normally do but it's nice to hear it so reinforced. It's also just the general introduction to his philosophy so we'll see how it plays out more practically in the other sections.

I must also say the Dorje Phamo is my nomination for breakout character. Love that sassy lady ❤️

Raul being horny is getting annoying as hell. And right when I thought that, another character was like, knock it off. Thank goodness. But seriously I get it. You're in love and lust. But there's bigger stuff going on! Get your head in the game!

Oh wow! I can't put it down now. Everything is coming into focus. Random, forgotten details are coming back in big ways.... I'm here for it!

Raul's jealousy needs to take it down SEVERAL notches. As a polyamorist, I'm over here like, "Molly, you in danger, girl."

Okay so can confirm that Dan Simmons does have a tenuous understanding of Buddhism and I think zen as well. He just defined mu as "unask the question," which I've never heard of before so I went sleuthing online. It apparently comes from the book Zen and the Art of Motocycle Maintenance which the author himself kind of says is neither about zen nor motorcycle maintenance. So I'm not going crazy, he's just taking liberties.