What will you find here?

I'm still figuring out what to put in my various landing pages, but for now, you can expect me to talk about the fantasy books I've been reading. It's my preferred genre and probably makes up about 90% of the books I read. I've always been a big fantasy nerd since I was a young lad and that's only gotten stronger over time. I also might talk about the DnD sessions my friends and I have. We have been playing Descent into Avernus for nearly a year and it's been our longest running session yet.

Check out my bookshelf!

Recent reads

Check out my bookshelf for a complete book listing!

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po-- Wow, this one really resonated with me. Huang Po cuts straight to the heart of Zen - eliminate all conceptual thought and you will become enlightened. Yet, to even use language to describe it misses the mark. It is the paradoxical nature of Zen Buddhism which makes it so interesting to study. This is a worthy addition to any interested in the concepts. This was a good companion to read with Bankei as they both try to simplify things. However, the wording might be confusing in the text if you aren't familiar with some of the concepts. Capital M Mind is, in this book, the absolute, the Buddha, while mind as we might say it is conceptual thought. I wouldn't recommend this as your first Zen book, and it might also help to read some of the reviews before jumping in.

“Away with your dualism, your likes and dislikes. Every single thing is just the One Mind. When you have perceived this, you will have mounted the Chariot of the Buddhas.”

Bankei Zen: Translations from the Record of Bankei -- Bit of a broken record, I think I read the phrase "marvellously illuminating unborn buddha mind" at least 50 times, but it was a good read! Nothing wrong with keeping it simple, stupid! I wouldn't recommend this as your first Zen book, but once you know a few concepts it's worth a read. Bankei says that we all possess the zen spirit, the unborn buddha mind as he calls it, and that most people try to overcomplicate it. This book helped me further understand the concept of attachment vs non-attachment. I definitely plan to revisit this one in the future and to take notes.

The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts -- This was my intro to Zen philosophy. It provided historical background as well as a look at some specific practices and practitioners. It's an attempt of the West to understand the East, essentially, and for that reason I highly recommend this if you're just getting started learning about Zen philosophy.

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius -- Meditations was my foray into Stoicism. Really enjoyed this one a lot and it's another I intend to come back to and take notes on. Stoicism is about internal strength, and realizing that things aren't really good or bad, instead it is our opinions on things which make us feel a certain way. I find stoicism really valuable with the world we live in. The internet exposes us to all of the injustices and atrocities of the world, and it can feel draining. But, turns out, you don't have to have an opinion on everything! You can be the rock in the stream, and let things just pass you by none worse for wear. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's what I find valuable - I may not have a choice on what happens, but I can control how I react to things. Stoicism for me is about resilience and doing right even in the face of adversity. If you're curious about stocisim, Meditations is a great jump-off point.