hi, seems that quote in my last post struck a chord with many of the people who commented - and that's nice because i recall that it struck a chord with me the moment i first read it (and that iS why i noted it in my journal at the time).

that is a great, informative (bot not over-the-top) book that the quote came from; check it out if/when u get a chance. that particular quote nicely sums up some key things about buddhism - although that's just good perspective/philosophy i think, we don't necessarily have to tie it to buddhism. there are other good quotes too which i'll plan to post here sometime.

i think i could benefit from more consistently losing self-consciousness & being immersed in the present moment & action.



and one more 10-year-anniversary-type observation: the past weekend was the anniversary that my two friends & i first crossed the mekhong river from thailand on the west bank & entered laos on the eastern side. this is a beautiful, serene country which really touched my heart. i took the above picture in luang phabaang, the peaceful former royal capital of laos. we spent a month there (pretty much the maximum visa length at the time) and i went back with my wife (then girlfriend) a couple of years later.

more reflections on laos later ...

~