{"id":247,"date":"2007-08-12T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-08-12T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/2007\/08\/12\/saturday-night-deep-deep-deepak\/"},"modified":"2007-08-12T02:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-08-12T06:00:00","slug":"saturday-night-deep-deep-deepak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/2007\/08\/12\/saturday-night-deep-deep-deepak\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturday night &#8211; Deep-deep-deepak"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pBlogBody_298410822\" class=\"blogContent\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I&#8217;m sitting in the Caf\u00e9 at Omega at around <st1:time minute=\"0\" hour=\"18\">6PM<\/st1:time>. While Diane takes a second yoga class for the day. We did one together this morning at 7 which was really nice<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107010.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">There&#8217;s a long line in front of me waiting to get Deepak Chopra&#8217;s signature on the armful of books this guy writes.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>The book store here is absolutely packed with books he&#8217;s written.. more than 30 if my count is right.. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 499px; height: 398px;\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/books.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">nd even so.. the two I wanted.. The Return<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>of Merlin .. and<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>The Way of the<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>Wizard<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>are no longer in print.. I have no idea what they are about.. but I&#8217;m drawn to their titles as I search for my own internal wizard. I ordered them online.. but<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>Dr. Chopra signed a piece of paper for me to stick in them when they arrived.. that will do. I also gave him a SamStone. He&#8217;s a very, very cool guy. I&#8217;m certain he&#8217;ll do soemthing good with it.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b001.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">At this point I&#8217;ve been listening to him for about 10 hours and I really have come to respect him.. I never knew what to make of him.. \u2026 I&#8217;ve always thought of him as a pop icon of sorts.. <span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>. I never realized how learned, articulate and funny he is. He&#8217;s obviously read widely and deeply from all the major religions.. Listening to him is such a pleasure.. he has such a diverse background in science, and religion.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>His message is a synthesis of all three. He was raised a Hindu, went to Catholic schools, wrote a book on the Jewish Kabala, just <span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>published a Book on the Buddha and is writing one now on the teachings of Jesus.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>One thing I took from his talk today is that all the worlds religions are speaking to the same truths.. Yet.. I got the feeling that he also<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>thought that organized religions put unnecessary limits and bounds on personal choices about spirituality. He talked<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>about the wisdom of insecurity<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>and the need to embrace uncertainty.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>,, a lesson that has been driven home to us deeply by Sam&#8217;s passing.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107014.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107043.jpg\" \/><br \/><o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p><center>Note that Chopra is considerably smaller than Diane&#8217;s head !<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107054.jpg\" \/><br \/>Diane&#8217;s very pretty back.. I spent several hours contemplating it today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107050.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Man has the secrets of the universe on his Lap Top<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107038.jpg\" \/><br \/>The building we&#8217;re in today<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107030.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The day passed very peacefully.. it was beautiful weather and we managed to get a nice 4 mile run in during lunch. I really love being here with Diane. It&#8217;s like going away to summer camp for us. We&#8217;ve been on such a journey in these past 9 months.. Our love for each other has made it possible for me to survive.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>We are truly soul mates in every sense of the word.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">Casa 9B<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107027.jpg\" \/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The food has been amazing on this trip.. quite a bit better than the last time we were here.. and it&#8217;s all vegetarian..<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>We took some great walks around the campus today. My favorite spot was the meditation center.. We put a SamStone in the wall there\u2026&nbsp; and wrote his name in gravel <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p><center><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b017.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b013.jpg\" \/><br \/>The meditation sanctuary<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b010.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The face rings a bell<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b009.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Speaking of SamStones, we noticed that the one we put in the Japanese garden was no longer there\u2026<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>which actually makes me happy. Our intent is for people to pick them up and spread them around. We put another one there on the Buddha for the next finder. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b004.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>We even found a wise looking Zen Woodchuck<br \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b026.jpg\" \/><br \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It&#8217;s now about 100 PM.. we had a great dinner then went in to watch a movie that Chopra made of<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success..<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span>While I really liked the book, I did not care very much for the movie.. which seemed to me to concentrate on the <i style=\"\">success<\/i> part of the title. It was a bunch of vignettes describing how various business people had found success and meaning . I recall the book doing a better job of describing the main ideas of finding the possibility posed by every situation.. good or bad. .. the need to give of yourself freely.. the need to be able to receive graciously, the<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>need to pay your karmic depts.<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>and the need to find your true purpose or <i style=\"\">dharma<\/i> <span style=\"\">&nbsp;<\/span>.. Finding and aligning with your Dharma<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>he said,<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>allows you to accomplish almost anything with little effort.<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>I know that ease that comes from doing what you love and what you think is right. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Before the movie,the&nbsp; guy from the audience entertained us again with an impromptu concert on a Peruvian clay flute<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>and a didgeridoo. It<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>was really amazing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\">The Oaca ?  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b036.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\">The Diggery-dude<br \/><o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/aug1107b034.jpg\" \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><object enablejsurl=\"false\" enablehref=\"false\" saveembedtags=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"never\" allownetworking=\"internal\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"never\" allownetworking=\"internal\" height=\"361\" width=\"448\" data=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/player.swf?file=http:\/\/vid147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/owaca.flv\"><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"never\"><\/param><param name=\"allowNetworking\" value=\"internal\"><\/param><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/player.swf?file=http:\/\/vid147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/owaca.flv\"><\/param><\/object><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><object enablejsurl=\"false\" enablehref=\"false\" saveembedtags=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"never\" allownetworking=\"internal\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"never\" allownetworking=\"internal\" height=\"361\" width=\"448\" data=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/player.swf?file=http:\/\/vid147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/dig.flv\"><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"never\"><\/param><param name=\"allowNetworking\" value=\"internal\"><\/param><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/i147.photobucket.com\/player.swf?file=http:\/\/vid147.photobucket.com\/albums\/r319\/johncohn\/aug1007\/dig.flv\"><\/param><\/object><br \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Ok.. that&#8217;s all for tonight..<span style=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/span>We&#8217;re going to go out and look for meteors from the Persied shower.. It&#8217;s supposed to peak tonight and tomorrow .. it&#8217;s a bit overcast.. but with luck we&#8217;ll see some.. and think of Sam..<span style=\"\">&nbsp; <\/span>More tomorrow<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p>-me<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;ps.. I want to apologize if any of the bumper sticker photos I posted yesterday offended anyone.. the sticker do not (all) represent the views of the managment :-). On second reading.. some of them might have appeared hurtful. That was never my intent.&nbsp; .. I was just including them to let folks get a feel for the local politics. <br \/><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p>&nbsp;<\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m sitting in the Caf\u00e9 at Omega at around 6PM. While Diane takes a second yoga class for the day. We did one together this morning at 7 which was really nice &nbsp; There&#8217;s a long line in front of me waiting to get Deepak Chopra&#8217;s signature on the armful of books this guy writes.&nbsp;&nbsp; &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/2007\/08\/12\/saturday-night-deep-deep-deepak\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Saturday night &#8211; Deep-deep-deepak<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}