Pilgrim in America

Walk by the Willamette and Columbia river, in Kelley Point Park. Following Pat's example we gathered all kinds of trash from nut-sized to suitcase-sized ones.

I've been talking to John about meditations. I explained my theory: it is a common misunderstanding that meditation means emptying your mind. I would better call it: attainement of instinctive perception of the reality. The most adequate description of what I understand it to be I found in Henry Clarke Warren's: Buddhism in Translations. It includes a description of the technique of the "earth-kashina meditation". This is in fact a practice to reestablish an ideal natural state of mind, just as the breathing practice connected to it is also an endeavour to reestablish a relaxed normal state, of "being present" to your senses.

We had a tea in Saint Johns and did some shoppings in a Mexican shop.

At 7:30 p.m. Reed College, Psychology Building, Greg M. Epstein book presentation: Good without God - A Positive, Humanistic Approach to Non-Belief. I was early one and a half hour. Took a walk on the campus. I saw an announcement "Takács Quartet" a famous Hungarian group gives a concert on December 7: First Baptist Church, on 8th Reed College, Kaul Auditorium.

The conference room of the Psychology Building has a full house. No charge. By the pulpit a young group of people settles on the floor. There are people sitting on the floor in all the isles, I stand propped to the wall, barely able to move my feet. There are about 150 people. Elderly and young ones. Many of the latter are more interested in their iPhone though, than in the lecture. Greg is a young, agile guy, with egg-shaped head. Humanist minister of Harvard. He steps to the pulpit nonchalantly and starts his presentation. He tells about the story of his family in New York, about his father having books on all kinds of spiritual trends, being disappointed by all; about his mother, Cuban immigrant at 13, child of the hippy movement. Greg follows his older brother to the Jewish seminar, is disappointed, practices Zen, goes to China to learn the mantras on original language.

Then he speaks about the book. He admits: the title already implies a contradiction: it sounds negative although it bears a positive message. Youtube.

I notice that Greg does not use any kind of notices, speaks freely. He is a good, practiced speaker, who must have been prepared for these presentations accurately. Questions and answers follow. It is getting late, people start to leave, me too. I have a feeling we expected much but missed something essential.