@linda-blanchard. Hi Linda, nice meeting you and thanks for asking. I do Vipassana Meditation mostly, at home. Occasionally Meta. I taught my self using a workshop I bought online by Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg. I’ve joined a group here in Mexico a couple of times. They are Theravada. So it’s also Vipassana. I also do walking Meditation once in a while. What about you?

@cmcosmos Honestly, I meditate way less these days than I used to, though it slips into my life almost daily a little bit at a time, just when I need to slow down a bit. When I do, it's the very simplest forms, first counting breaths then when I stabilize, just watching my breath, and noticing thoughts. So basically, mindfulness meditation. I also do bits of walking meditation but for very short moments since mostly I get around in a wheelchair. But there's something very grounding -- literally -- about feeling one's feet contacting the floor. Do you notice that? 

Most of my practice consists of what gets called "guarding the sense doors" -- noticing what I'm experiencing and how I'm reacting to it, putting a pause between the experience and reaction to it, to make room for other options.

We have a small local Buddhist group here but since Covid I haven't attended. I miss it.

@linda-blanchard Thanks for sharing Linda! There are also a few days here and there, when I don’t meditate. I saw in your profile that you also write. I do too (not professionally and mostly in Spanish). Only if you feel like it, I would like to read something you wrote. You can also email me at [email protected] or text me at +523322592447.

@cmcosmos Thanks for asking about my writing. Since I'm not sure which sort of writing you'd like to read I'm going to go overboard and list several places you can find bits of it.

Most of what I write these days is Buddhist-related. I do have one science fiction story that got published in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine but that was waaaay back in 1983 -- hard to find copies of that issue anymore. 

I've written several blog posts about Buddhism that were published right here on this site. They're currently not as easy to locate as they might be, though, because somehow during one of the upheavals the site has had to deal with my "By-line" got erased (so they just say "By" and no name!). The best way to find most of them is by doing a search for "Secular Understanding" which brings up the results found at this link:

https://secularbuddhism.org/?s=secular+understanding

I have a few papers published in the Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, freely available, but they're pretty heavy reading, lots of quotes in Pali (though I do try to make them readable for people unfamiliar with that ancient language). Those can be found for free at this link:

http://jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/search/search

And finally, if you want to read some lighter stuff you can visit my ancient pre-Wordpress website: 

https://nowheat.com/grfx/writg/index.htm

though to be fair, "On Disbelieving" isn't light reading (I still cry every time I read it) but the events described are a strong influence on why I'm not a rebirth-believing Buddhist but a more secular one.

What types of writing do you do, Carlos?

@linda-blanchard Thank you for sharing all of these with me Linda! I plan to check them out during the weekend. Science Fiction is one of my favorite genres. Specially Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I’m looking forward to have a quieter life. I’m planning to be retired next year. I have 3 children, an ex-wife, and a job that demands lots from me. My wife (btw, she is also Linda) is extremely independent and makes my life easier. I have written sporadically throughout my life, mainly short stories and poems. Now I’m working on non-fiction book, about reality, the universe and consciousness/the self. I’m loving Scrivener por IPad, I don’t think I’ll be done anytime soon but I’m enjoying the process. I’ll share my intro with you later on 😉.

I love Scrivener, too!

Not sure if Linda is your second wife or if she is the first, from whom you are divorced. I am divorced, too, and people find it odd that my ex and I are friends and good support for each other. We had two kids together -- a girl, 32, and a boy, 29. My daughter still lives nearby, and my son moved to the Big City. 

I look forward to your intro. 

@linda-blanchard Hi again Linda. Linda is my current wife. My ex wife is Martha. I’ve not seen her in the 6 years we have been divorced. I wish her good, but different to your case, we are not friends at all. I wish that was the case. I have 3 children, Montserrat (25), Martín (23), he is graduating as a musician and will continue studying. And Maite (19), she just started pre-med. The 2 oldest were born in Brazil, Maite in Mexico City, but all of the live in the US.

@cmcosmos Sounds like you've got a great family, as well as a challenging job -- built a great life.