amanda of the bark cloth

Good Morning,

If there's one thing i know for certain today, it's that the end of the year is a happy time for "listers."

Why so many lists?

I just checked a popular website to learn that Time mag in partner with CNN has posted their 50 Top 10 Lists of 2007...

Some of these include…

Top 10 Natural Disasters… ???
Top 10 t-shirt worthy slogans
Top 10 Awkward Moments…
Top 10 buzz words

At best i guess they allow us to take a look and laugh at ourselves.

At worst they're a way to discover that you’ve been living under a rock for a year…

Top 10 Asia stories...turn to your office mate and discuss... (anything about a Giant panda doesn't count!)

I too like to make lists. so in the spirit of happy listing, I went through my AudioDharma library and selected 10 talks I thought anyone, regardless of religious affiliation might find useful and enjoy. You can find these talks at www.audiodharma.org or on iTunes.

Below I’ve listed the title of the talk, the speaker and why I selected them as favorites.

10 AudioDharma Talks (in no real particular order)

1. Effort and Karma (Gil Fronsdal)

Buddha dharma tough love!

2. Conceit, Restlessness, and Anxiety (Gil Fronsdal)

you get to hear a highly respected Buddha teacher with over 20 years of formal academic study…extensive retreat and monastic experience…sounds like a dad : )

3. Speech, Impermanence, and Beauty (Pamela Weiss)

the Buddha sounds socially awkward after his awakening and has a Mike Brady moment with his son

4. Patience (Berget Jelane)

interesting slip of the tongue. Listen for “when our hearts are small even the tiniest of insults will throw us into a titty…”

there’s ALSO a beautiful story at the end where a wise monk talks to his young student who'd just been spat (?) on by an American soldier

5. Impermanence (Andrea Fella)

an honest look at the inevitability of change and death.

6. Equanimity (Misha Merrill)

interesting concept: spiritual materialism. Funny to think of the implications. Competitive meditation…a room full of monks comparing notes on their Enlightenment

Mostly though I love her definition of patience and would like for her to come to my house and read me stories…

7. Perception of Change (Anushka Fernandopulle)

This is the cognitive psych class i wish i would've taught.

8. Loving Kindness (Andrea Fella)

The smile experiment—Andrea gets only 1 ½ min. of happiness out of her experiment. I’m quite sure I can beat that. A couple activities come to mind…like dancing!

9. Trusting Yourself (Heather Martin)

I just want this lady to come over and read me stories too…she has the most comforting voice…I’ve probably listened to this one the most during difficult times.

10. The Precepts: Refrain From SexualMisconduct - (3 of 5) (Ines Freedman)

Ines offers thought provoking questions and gives one of my favorite quotes...

While it’s theoretically possible to have sex without forming attachment,
it would require so much equanimity that the capable individual would also
have no problem eating dog poop in place of chocolate cake.

--Dali Lama

okay, Peace. Take Care and hope you're planning for a
great New Year.

--Amanda "of the bark cloth" (nooo reason for that. just a borrowed epithet that i enjoy : )