I've been on a sharp learning curve with the technology that is such a big piece of this course. I've been trying to figure out this whole Blog thing. The other day I was clicking on something, and Blogs of people I don't know were popping-up, and I felt like I was intruding in some one's life.

That said, I understand that the blog is a journal. I'm sure I have journaled on the discussion page, and discussed on the Blog. For that, I apologize, and will try to improve upon.

Now about meditation. I need to disagree with Rinpoche when he writes in his "Meditation Instruction" that we need, ". . . simply to sit". I do agree though that meditation can be defined as, "Taming our mind" (Rinpoche). I practice meditation daily, while I am working out. Before getting hurt in November, I would run distances, and it was a big part of my life. While running, I am able to spend the first few miles focusing on my physical self; Body awareness and just getting the kinks out. After that, I would sort out issues, problems, the upcoming day's agenda. Following that, I would experience an incredible feeling of well-being, that despite any issues or problems, everything would be O.K. Finally, after running some distance, answers and ideas would come to mind. This would happen without any conscious forethought. Just great ideas happening at random.

Since November, I've had to re-invent my running meditation. Currently, it includes an I-Pod and Cardio machines at the gym. The change of environment, from the great outdoors to the small room I'm forced to share, has been a challenge. The good stuff still happens, but less frequently.

On another note entirely, when I taught Special Ed. High School Science, I used meditation as a tool to change the behavior of my students, as well as myself. Whenever the room was getting loud, or there was a student in need of some redirection, I would sit down, close my eyes, touch my thumbs to my middle fingers, and if was particularly loud, whisper, "Serenity now". Yes, a Seinfeld quote. The students knew that when I did this, they need to change something about their own behavior. Also, responding with silence was a powerful tool with these adolescents.