This is a list of the most popular posts on Takuin.com for 2009. This list is not solely based on comment count alone, but also on the quality of the comments, the variety of responses, and also the amount of email received for the post.
2009 was a good year. This site has grown beyond what I might have anticipated, and the response from readers, through email and comments, has been wonderful.
I’ve had many wonderful conversations through comments, skype, and in-person, and I know this will continue for some time to come. I appreciate all of you that take the time to read each post, comment or send email, and I am also appreciative of the lurkers on the site (those that look, but never participate).
I am really looking forward to meeting more of you in 2010, and I am excited to write and speak more on this nonsense I seem to be known for.
Thank you all very much!
The 12 Most Popular Posts of 2009
In Chronological Order:
January – Where does it hurt?
A very short post on hurt, and the target of the hurt. Does the victim or perpetrator exist at all?
February – Water Fasting – Day 17
17 days into a 28 day food free experiment. This post recaps the first two weeks, and also goes into basic functioning during a fasted state.
March - Mayumi’s Letter
The final message of a recently deceased friend.
April – The Grief of a Buddhist
How a human being might come up against loss and grief.
May - Zen and the Cockroach
An actual experience, and a koan of sorts. But I will not explain the possible meaning.
June – Are You Enlightened?
This short back and forth is from a conversation on enlightenment with my friend Boosy.
July – A Question for My Peers…
A question for my peers on the importance of ‘teaching’ enlightenment. Now over 100 comments.
August – Are You More Than Experience?
A short post questioning the importance of experience.
September – Does the Wind Blow?
The wind blows, but is it really there at all?
October – Notions of I AM
A short back and forth with Mike Sayers on the notions of what we think we should be.
November – The End, The Beginning
The shortest post I’ve ever written. This piece also inspired the meme, A Silent Post.
December – The Wound of Forgiveness
A group writing project of sorts between myself, Albert Foong, Tom Stine, Daphne Lim, and Davidya, on the subject of forgiveness.
Archives
There were a total of 58 posts for 2009 (making it a grand total of 228 posts since December of 2006). You can see all of them in the Archives.
Beyond the Known
2009 also saw the release of my first book, Beyond the Known: 365 Days of Exploration. I have received a lot of feedback so far, and even found out that it works with the Kindle (with a few glitches here and there).
It was an exciting process to put that book together, and I might release something completely different for 2010. Stay tuned to find out!
2010
I don’t think I will change much on this blog for 2010. I will still keep posting one or two articles per week, and keep up my responses to all of your comments.
But there is one thing I might do a bit differently; I may start being more personal in my writings. As many of you have probably noticed, I very rarely tell personal stories. But there may be something of value hidden away within one’s experience that might benefit someone else.
I am still not sure how I’ll approach this, but it is something that will most likely come about here and there, little by little.
Am I Missing Anything?
What would you like to see on Takuin.com? More of a certain kind of post? More audio? Video? Is there something I’ve not written about that you would like to explore together? Please leave a comment below and perhaps we can begin 2010 with something new and interesting.
I appreciate all of your support over the last three years, and I look forward to all of our encounters in the years to come.
Stay safe, and be good!
どうもありがとうございました
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The Beauty of Living
There is a great beauty in this world, untouched by the mind; the beauty of living. It lingers, barely a moment away and is always just beyond the reach of thought.
We try to see it, but eyes fail.
We try to hear it, but deafness roars.
We try to take it, but hands are broken.
We try and fail.
But it is always there like a sprite; the spiritus. The lively bit of the breath that moves us, loves us.
It is our trying to attain that makes it difficult to breathe, difficult to move, difficult to love.
We try and we chase, then curse the maliciousness of the pursuit, as if it were cast upon us from the outside. But we do all of this to ourselves.
This beauty of living is lively, jumping from beyond the veil, trying to get our attention. It loves us, cares for us, and lives for us. But you can’t try to see it, hear it, or take it.
You cannot try to live. You can only live.
Do not desire to be free. Instead, be free.