The Black Caps.

I love watching New Zealand cricket. Yes, the Black Caps are my favourite team, but I also enjoy the Kiwi commentary. They're honest, they're silly, and there's something so quaint about their comments. Well, Bangladesh is visiting them right now, playing their only Test, and although I'm a Kiwi fan I seem to be rooting for the visitors. Why? Because I want them to win at least one Test against a strong country. What was their last victory? West Indies? Pfft.

I had Sunday School today. It made me happy! We were asked to teach meditation at a younger classroom. I enjoy doing this because it gives my students a sense of maturity. I start by giving my own students a pep talk on being mentors and examples. They seem to love this responsibility.
"Why are we always teaching meditation?" asked one student of mine also named Sahan.
"Because I'm the only teacher that knows how to teach meditation." They all gasped at that. "Yeah, in fact, you guys might be more qualified in meditation than anyone else." At this a couple of students got very excited and suggested that I send them each to classrooms (as missionaries) to teach meditation. A lot of the students didn't show up today because of the long weekend. In fact, I only had 8 students (out of a possible 18). Due to the meditation I lost a lot of time too, so in the end I only had about 40 minutes to get through the entire lesson. I handed back the tests, went over them, and talked a bit about the Seven Weeks After Enlightenment. I derailed a little bit to talk about the Tipitaka and it's history. Yes, it took away from my lesson, but it really fed their curiosity. In the end THAT's what engenders a passion in Buddhism. Not rote memorization, not the rules, not the dry chantings. I don't mind taking all the time to fulfill their curiosity. Today a student asked me about the Jhanas. I took 5 minutes to explain what results one experiences in each stage. In his eyes I saw the same passion and love I had in mine when I was first introduced to the subject at 16.

In a final note today I want to state how important MMA has been in my life. Forget the physical results; mentally I feel so much more resilient and determined. The past week there was some drama I had to deal with. I don't think I could've handled it had it been one year ago. I feel stronger and more confident in myself. Through MMA I'm starting to love myself. I think all girls are unstable. Yes, I generalized. Lesson of the day: bitches ain't shit.