virtue

[truepenny]

This morning, I have:

1. cleared three gigs worth of crap off the hard-drive.
2. defragmented same.
3. cleaned my desk. (Okay, so nobody but me can tell--I still did it.)
4. used the shredder.
5. shredded neither self nor cats in the process.
6. actually got some words on Kekropia. It's not moving fast, but it's moving.

My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is so goddamn pure.

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I shall think of you when next I am writing a triumph-through-impurity-of-heart scene.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :)

[larryhammer]

I should write more triumph-through-impurity-of-heart scenes.

---L.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Pure what?

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Um.

Obstinacy, I expect.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

You also get he "we do more before nine am, etc." award for today *g*

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, "before noon" is more accurate in my time zone, but thanks!

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

All honor to you!

To rid oneself of "red dust" (in the Buddhist/Taoist sense) is a worthy activity.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

What is the Buddhist/Taoist sense of "red dust"?

Because I'm ignorant and would like to be less so.

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

"red dust" refers to the earthly things that tie you to this life (Buddhist) or the world (Taoist). From the Buddhist viewpoint, earthly things tie you to the world and detachment from the world lets you reach Nirvana more easily.

Taoists don't reject "earthly things", but they don't attach to them either. For Taoists (roughly speaking), the world and material objects exist, can be used, but aren't _important_.

All of this is, also, a low-key piece of Chinese humor. Much of China, especially in the north, is covered in a layer of loess that is hundreds of meters thick. Chinese pottery is based on this soil. But when the winds blow, the soil turns to dust and it gets everywhere and covers everything. So, "red dust" is a short-hand term for "all your physical possessions".

A good book explaining Taoism is "The Tao of Pooh". Honest. I thought the premise cutesy - but that was before I read it. I highly recommend it. If you don't find a copy before next Minicon, I'll ship you one of my spare copies via jonsinger. Just let me know. I don't know of an analogous book about Buddhism, alas.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

(I believe my husband owns a copy of The Tao of Pooh, although where exactly it is I am not sure.)

[lalouve.livejournal.com]

Or because your hard drive and your desk are pure..?

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

::contemplates desk (Alien Queen dancing with the Witch King of Angmar, postcard of Jack Sparrow, etc.)::

::contemplates hard-drive and the contents thereof::

Nope. That's not it.

*g*