SHAOLIN TRIPS by DM

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Wait a second! I'm a foreigner.

[Drunk Monk]

lao rhymes w/ cow. wai is like why

It means old outside and is used to refer to foreigners, sometimes affectionately, sometimes derogatorily. Take all the foreigner advantages that you can. It's more expensive, but you're a rich American.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

So, I'm strip mining a book called 'Tracking Bodhidharma' for cool poems and quotes to use in my Monks in LA movie. The book is half exploration of Bodhidharma, half travlogue in Bodhidharma's footsteps.

But they are in Shaolin and they are hiking down from Huike's Temple, when Shanli a foreigner who spent twelve years at Shaolin, a friend of the authors talks about running up to Dhamo's cave and how he spotted some members of the Wu Tang Clan. The Wu Tang Clan were very impressed when Shanli promptly lit up a cigarette after the run to the cave.

I could just feel DM peeking in from his book and stories into Tracking Bodhidharma.

[Drunk Monk]

I'll have to give that a gander.

For Bodhidharma resources, Red Pine's original translation is the most poetic. There's a new translation that's more accurate - damn, I just went looking for it on my bookshelf and can't find it after the move. Prolly with my Hallucinations book. Skip Goren Powell's book (heck if I could find my copy of that, I'd send it to ya, but I think I sold it).

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

It is pretty fresh, but I thought for sure you were going to tell me you had read it a million times and you were personal friends with the author, especially since he is a Northern California boy or at least resides currently in Petaluma.

Tracking Bodhidharma by Andy Ferguson.

[Drunk Monk]

I read Ferguson's Zens Chinese Heritage: The Masters & Their Teachings and it was excellent. It's one of my top reference books on this topic. I do not know him personally. Didn't realize that he was from Petaluma either. Thanks for the tip!

The other book I was thinking of is Jeffrey Broughton's The Bodhidharma Anthology.

[Drunk Monk]

Ttt 4 2018
So my Shaolin Master Decheng is in town for a week. Unlike the cfs, I never discipled under Wing Lam. I took my vows at Shaolin. But you all know that.

My left elbow is wrecked. The hyperextension from my master of martial hearts plumbing triggered a bad tendinitis flare up. Pisses me off because my training has been fairly on point over the summer, except for Europe. Now I got a busted wing. Hurts like hell.

Beyond the rainbow of Nurse Rainbow’s passing, stacy and I saw an optical halo last Monday. It could only be seen with sunglasses on or I would’ve tried to snap a pic. I’m deep in that Shaolin zone for the next week. It’s hard, but as always, I’m hoping for enlightenment.

---

You are going to at least do local talk radio, right?

Huh. Well I did do that. How did you know? You’re like a feckin prophet, ppfy.

---

Is that one of those psychology tropes? Determine your psychology profile by determining which Peanuts character you are most closely aligned to? You can do the same thing with Gilligan's island, too.

BTW, when it comes to Gilligan’s island, I’m totally Ginger. Y’all can fight over who lays claim to Skipper

[Drunk Monk]

I drove up to SF this morn and saw faint rainbows in the fog. The RM orientation was amusing - sat in the back with old timer hooligans and made snarky remarks, and got 2 shout outs from stage plus some young Asian gals cornered me to make sure I noticed them. That was weirdly flattering but one has decided I’m her dad. She can call me daddy if she wants.

But back on point, I cut out early to get to San Jo for the seminar. I ate a little later than I should have and regretted that for the initial part of the lesson. Good turn out. Lots of students. 

It was delightful to be reunited with my Shifu and 4 other old students showed. The workshop was grueling. I dug out some old Shaolin robes but much to my dismay, the elastic was spent so I had to rely on old skool belt tying. My elbow hurt like hell until the endorphins kicked in and for an hour, I could feel that Shaolin juice again. Great to be training next to old friends. Then I gassed out about a half hour before it was over with calf and foot cramps. Good session tho. Felt great for a spell.

Got home, ate, and took a long epsom salt bath. Now sipping whiskey and getting ready to sleep in with the time change. Tomorrow is session 2. 

Strangely my elbow feels a lot better right now. Maybe it’s numb. I’m just gonna go with it.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Healing power of whisky, even that vanilla-flavored stuff that you like. I better take my medicine right now.

[Drunk Monk]

Nilla as Greg’s Irish snow buns*

I’m not sure if I can get out of bed right now. My legs are complaining heavily.









*’snow buns’ was a slang used by the gay community back in the late 80s. Jonathan from AFS learned it and started singing it incessantly in his acting gay voice to antagonize me. It’s a good thing we were both stoners or I would’ve stabbed him in Bay 3 and hid his body in the basement with the gloves.

[cranefly]

... I would’ve stabbed him in Bay 3 and hid his body in the basement with the gloves.

and with his snow buns exposed.


Just trying to help.

[Drunk Monk]

and with his snow buns exposed.

For someone who never worked at AFS, you get us.

You really get us.  

[Drunk Monk]

Session 2 survived. I’ve relearned Da Luohan. I think Guolin taught me the first time in a one day seminar. I may have even written an article on that. I’ll look tomorrow.

Drank electrolytes all day to ward off cramps. That worked, but my right thigh was done at the start. All the pubu, xiebu & dingbu (the deep crouching stances) are on the right leg. And then, at the end, there’s a tricky sweep and flying kick sequence for the right. The last half hour I was standing y’all, knowing that I’d not be able to get up from another low crouch.

Only about a third of the students survived to the second session which left nowhere to hide. My shidi from Santa Cruz is diligent and younger so it’ll be easier to retain this form this time.

Doing an application demo, Shifu kneed me in the tenders. It wasn’t hard enough to drop me, but Enoch to make me wince and flinch, like an awakening koshaku in the zendo. He apologized after.

Just took a long epsom salt bath with back comfort essential oils. My body is done. So glad for an extra hour of sleep tomorrow. Daylight savings saves my ass.

Thursday he comes by the office for an article shoot. Hopefully he won’t knee me in the tenders again. Friday is qigong - 8 section brocade - part of my daily regimen so I’m looking forward to the super fine pointers, along with some other old student friends - maybe the cfs even? Jeff & I had so much fun training together again - hope you can come out.

[Drunk Monk]

Almost passed out at work after lunch. So exhausted. So sore. Limped home and was fully intending to do a restorative yoga class with Stacy at PCC but there was a sub so we bailed. Did some restorative at home. Had a frozen pizza, watched some tv and am working on some Powers (aka yeti-nilla). There was another seminar at a different school which I could’ve crashed, but I can hardly walk so there didn’t seem much point to that.

[Greg]

The sound of your bones creaking is the new soundtrack to your life!