There is a mythology in Buddhism of the hungry ghost, a non-living, non-dead being that wanders around, starving because it has either a tiny tiny mouth or a very skinny throat, so anything it tries to eat cannot actually sustain it. It's a pretty scary image, because, as you start to look at yourself, suffering, and the general state of your life, it begins to seem as if you too are one of these creatures, living amidst banquets of emotional fulfillment, but unable to take part.
Anyway, I bring it up because the ZC is celebrating Halloween with, among other things, huge portraits of hungry ghosts in the Buddha hall and going up this great flight of stairs we have. They're big ink drawings of tall men-like ghouls, spilling soup on themselves and sitting in meditation postures, and their necks are very long and very skinny. No, I don't think I'll dress up.
All would be well here in enlightenment land except I have a cold. I have been sleeping for three days. Besides looking ghoulish myself, it hasn't done me much harm. Issues: there is still a shortage of showers. There is a small kerfuffle over who uses which bathroom (there are two showers on the second floor) and some friction as I make my way through the rules and personalities of the ZC. THere is a saying: the only thing wrong with Zen is Zen students.
On the work front, I'm pleased to say I'm getting nibbles through my network from some pretty interesting clients. This makes me happy. I'm also working on posting a website for myself, with all my professional accomplishments. It's actually kindof fun. Although I haven't published an article under my own name in 4 years, it's impressive (to me anyway) to see all the stuff I have written. I'm noticing I have a tendency to work with open source companies and early-stage startups doing their positioning and helping them with their presentation for press and analyst tours.
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