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Member Profile: BlueMountainsWalking
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"Now and Zen..."
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I am a:
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55-year-old Man (Divorced)
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Located in:
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Canterbury, England (United Kingdom) |
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Seeking a:
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Woman (35 to 55) |
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For:
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Friendship |
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Spirituality:
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Buddhist |
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| About Me
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Zen Buddhist dad living in rural Kent with plants and books. I would like to teach the world to sing but since I can't sing myself, I find contentment in drinking tea and thinking deep thoughts (thoughts such as '"what is for supper?" and "will my kids ever learn to put their shoes away?").
I took Jukai (lay ordination) in Sōtō Zen this January (2014) as a deepening of my practice and dedication. For my, spiritual practice is about dropping separation between self and other, and working for the benefit of everyone with kindness and compassion. As humans, we inevitably fall short or fail, and need to dust ourselves down and then continue with renewed vigour. Within practice, there is ample room for joy, beauty, love and creativity. No need to be overly sombre or serious! :-)
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Basics
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My Sign:
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Taurus |
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I speak:
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English, German, French |
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Education:
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PhD/Post Doctoral |
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Ethnicity:
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Caucasian |
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Height:
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5 8" (173 cm)
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Body Type:
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Average |
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Eye Color:
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Brown |
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Hair Color:
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Dark Brown |
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Hair Length:
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Short |
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Lifestyle
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I live with:
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Live alone |
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Have kids:
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Yes, sometimes living with me |
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Want (more) children:
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No |
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Willing To Relocate:
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No
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Diet:
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Vegetarian, Vegan |
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Smoking:
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No |
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Drinking:
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No |
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Exercise:
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exercise occasionally |
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| Personality
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My Personality:
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Caring, Creative, Intelligent
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When out with friends, I'm usually:
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Trying to be a good listener
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I'm happiest when:
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In woods or by the sea. Also reading books, practicing yoga and with my children.
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The things that annoy me are:
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Greed, poverty, unkindness.
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The best day of my life was when:
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So many to choose from - children being born, climbing mountains in the Alps, today...
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If I could have dinner with any three people, they would be:
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My three children. Fortunately this happens often.
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Interests
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My interests, hobbies, and pastimes include...
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Cooking, Crafts, Gardening, Knitting/Sewing, Museums, Politics, Reading, Science, Writing
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The physical activities I'm interested in are:
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Yoga (hatha)
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My favorite movies:
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Lost in Translation, Spring Summer Autumn Winter... and Spring, Enlightenment Guaranteed, Spirited Away.
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My favorite music:
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I don't listen to so much music now but have some fondness for Neil Young, John Renbourn and Nick Drake.
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My favorite books:
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Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, Small is Beautiful, New Seeds of Contemplation, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Siddhartha, A Tale for the Time Being, Orlando.
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Values
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The virtues I consider most important are...
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Compassion, Kindness, Humility
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My goals, and what I want out of life...
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Joy, peace, to serve others. Shukke tokudo (ordination) would be lovely.
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My greatest accomplishments in life have been...
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My children, PhD research, living overseas, learning to bake bread.
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Five or ten years from now, I see myself...
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Who can say? I have a firm direction but no fixed plans. Since my youngest daughter is 9, I imagine I will still be around here for the next nine years at least.
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My political inclination can be described as...
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Liberal
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Spirituality
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Spiritual Orientation:
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Buddhist
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I consider my spirituality...
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Very important to me
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What brought me to my spiritual path and motivated my interest...
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I began meditating in my teens out of curiosity but chronic illness made practice more imperative.
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I consider the purpose of my spirituality to be...
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Finding happiness and peace within
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After the body dies...
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I don't know, but I'm not worried about it
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I would define a spiritual experience as...
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Life is a spiritual experience. It is equally present in washing the floor and chanting sutras. For me it is the dropping away of body and mind so there is no separation between self and other.
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The spiritual books and authors that have had the greatest impact on me...
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Dogen, Father Thomas Merton, John Daido Loori, HH Dalai Lama, Ken McLeod, The Buddha, Shunryu Suzuki, Pema Chődrőn, Thich Nhat Hanh, E F Schumacher, Vandana Shiva, Charlotte Joko Beck.
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Who I'm Looking For
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I'm seeking a:
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Woman (35 to 55)
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Ethnicity:
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Any
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Height:
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4' 6" to 6' 6" (137cm to 198cm)
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Body Type:
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Any
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Hair Color:
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Any
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She should speak:
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English
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Education:
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Bachelors Degree, Graduate Degree, PhD/Post Doctoral
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Annual Income:
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Doesn't Matter
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Smoking:
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No, Occasionally
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Drinking:
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No, Social Drinker
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Vegetarian:
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Yes
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Has children:
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Doesn't Matter
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Wants children:
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Probably not, No
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Personality:
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Doesn't Matter
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When out with friends, she would be...
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The talkative one, The quiet one, Trying to be a good listener
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Spiritual Orientation:
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Buddhist
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She would consider her faith or spirituality...
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The central focus of her life, Very important, Pretty important
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