Ate food from the dumpster

Dumpster diving has become a usual activity in the U.S. because there is so much edible food waste produced. One of my experiences in dumpster diving that I caught on camera was with a group of friends who were out bicycling around Los Angeles. As we were a large group and had worked up a good appetite, we stopped at a health food store to see what was out back and look what we found! In addition to the variety of fresh food we came upon and later enjoyed, there was a bunch of new baby bassinets in there.

Donated money to the Burmese cyclone relief efforts

One of my roommates during the Vipassana meditation course is Burmese. This is an email I just received from Phyuthwe:

A group of friends from NY and BKK are raising funds, I am buying supplies here and my husband group is distributing them in hard hit areas. He came back 2 days ago and he left again this afternoon. I am going there this Sat. Because we are burmese we are able to go to restricted areas for aid workers. If you like to help please visit our blog site and forward anyone who can help the victimes. I am updating everyday with all all the details, from funds raised to what we buy and where we donated
Thank you for your support.
Our blogsite: moegyo.blogspot.com

The Master Cleanse

Fasting is a method used for millennium for the purpose of body purification, detoxification, and rest for the digestive system. It has numerous benefits ranging from healing, disease prevention, longevity, and steady energy levels.

There are many types of fasts ranging from 1-day to 40-days using water, tea, juice, fruit, etc. One I have been curious about for a while is the Master Cleanse which consists of 10 days of spicy lemonade (pure water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper). In order to do it, I knew I would need moral support so finding some folks to do it was my excuse for never doing it before. When I got back from Vipassana, a couple friends were planning to do it. Here was my big chance! After 10 days is silence, I was ready to tackle 10 days of fasting.

Here we go:

Day 1-
As I have practiced 1-day fasts for a while, day one was as expected-- a bit hungry but no big whoop.
As with all fasts, herbal teas are allowed. I am supplementing the spicy lemonade with chrysanthemum and ginseng, mint (hmm, refreshing!), as well as Bojenmi tea, a herbal laxative tea. In addition to the lemonade, laxative tea is second part of the cleanse/detox process.

Day 2-
It's hard to be around food due to creation of food cravings. Grumpy and low energy. My eye balls are bloodshot.

Day 3-
I can't believe I still have solid poo in my system! I'm feeling lighter and thinking/acting with greater clarity. I'm not super hungry but whenever I do get hungry, I have lemonade or tea and am fine.

Day 4-
Food cravings are still there. It's helpful to have lots of work and planned activities in place of meal times. I have had an incredibly productive week!
I have also been going to the sauna to sweat each day which is a rejuvenating replacement for more vigorous physical activity.

Day 5-
At start of day five, I still have solid poo- amazing! Day ten seems like a long way away but I'm almost to the mid-way point.

Day 6-
Oops-- overdid it with the physical activity today. I am very hungry and tired out.
I realize, however, that this is really the first time I've been hungry (as opposed to just experiencing craving) since I began.

Day 7-
Yesterday was taxing and my muscles are a bit soar but I'm back on my regimen of light activity, a lot of desk time, and sauna. I have also been careful to go to bed early to get plenty of sleep. Meditation practice has been invaluable during this time to bring greater focus to the mind and awareness of the body-- thank you, Vipassana!

Day 8-
I am ready to be finished.

Day 9-
Almost there...I feel fine for the most part though I certainly am moody and sensitive at times. Otherwise, my energy is good-- light but strong, steady-- and I'm quite giddy at times. I have been carrying extra weight since my trip to India (too many delicious chapatis) and it feels good to be back to my normal size. I've lost about a pound a day since Day 4.


Day 10-
Looking forward to breaking with miso soup, greens, and a combination of rice, beans, and sesame seed (blended and easily digestible) as recommended by Dr. Chong, my trusty acupuncturist.
This has been a psychological, emotional, physical, and metaphysical experiment for me. Much of it was psychological in terms of being so intensely aware of food cravings, exposure to food, advertisements, etc. This process also brought great awareness the quantity, frequency, and types (impure/non-nourishing) of food I eat unnecessarily.
Though I heard that this fast gets easier after the third day, this was not my experience. In fact, the intensity increased especially for the last few days. I became particularly sensitive to both physical and emotional sensations, interactions, habits, and patterns in my life. Though this was not an easy experience, it was highly valuable and has heightened my awareness in daily living. Interestingly, I have also felt more open and expressive, getting in stronger touch with my creativity.
I could not have done this without the support of my partna in crime, who enthusiastically volunteered to do it together. His emotional and culinary support in maintaining a Master Cleanse home for ten days was invaluable. And the inspiration of my friends to do it was crucial motivation for me. Thank you, Ashish, Joy, and Lauren!

In addition to fasting, I aim to practice and recommend exercises like eating less, less often, and better food. These are simple and common sense approaches that we all know that may prove surprisingly difficult to carry out. I have learned not to underestimate the power of habit on these matters. Though I've heard it takes 90 days to form a habit, I would argue that even after ten days, the mind adapts to habitual patterns. Though the last few days were hard, only drinking lemonade began to feel normal as I got up and went to the kitchen to squeeze lemons instead of cut fruit.
However, there is also no question about the power of food bombardment, so successfully conducted by the advertising and food industry. Without awareness of our mind, body, and actions, humans are very susceptible to temptations of excess fat, sugar, and quantities.
All of this especially in the U.S. where I was just reading today, we consume 5 times more food per capita compared to India. And this amount is increasing! Though much of this goes to waste here in the U.S.-- that doesn't make it any better considering the ongoing global food crisis and that when food ends up in a dump, it can't decompose the way it does in a compost (at least 1/3 of household waste is compostable). Here are some stats to snack on:
-Each Indian gets to eat about 178 kg of grain in a year, while a US citizen consumes 1,046 kg. In per capita terms, US grain consumption is twice that of the European Union and thrice that of China. Grain consumption includes flour and by conversion to alcohol.
-Per capita grain consumption has increased in the US — so actually the Americans are eating more. In 2003, US per capita grain consumption was 946 kg per year which increased to 1046 kg last year. India’s per capita grain consumption has remained static over the same period. It’s not just grains.
-As far as meat consumption is concerned, the US leads the world in per capita consumption by a wide margin. Beef consumption, for example, is 42.6 kg per person per year, compared to a mere 1.6 kg in India and 5.9 kg in China. In case you are thinking that perhaps Indians might be going in for chicken, think again. In the US, 45.4 kg poultry meat is consumed every year by each person, compared to just 1.9 kg in India.
Read the entire article here.

Vipasssana Meditation Course

Okay, so this has been in the making for a while and here was my big chance. I read S.N. Goenka's book, The Art of Living, and the concepts of the technique had been seeping their way in for a year but I had not yet known Vipassana experientially. Ten days of silence and 10 hours to practice sure did the job.

A bit about the course. It is called Vipassana, which means, to see things as they are. This is the technique discovered by Gautama Buddha 2500 years ago and is how he achieved enlightenment. After his discovery, he taught it for 40 years in northern India before his death at age 80. It has been passed down directly from teacher to student since then. I took at course at Dhamma Dhara in Shelbourne, Massachusetts, the oldest Vipassana Meditation Center in the U.S. During the first 9 days, the women and men taking the course (about 40 in each group) remain separate from one another and in noble silence to assist in silencing the mind. Chanting during meditation and a one hour video discourse is provided by S.N. Goenka, the teacher that reintroduced Vipassana to India after it had been lost for centuries. Goenkaji lives in Mumbai, India. In addition, assistant teachers are available for guidance and to answer any questions throughout the course. Below are the daily schedule and some of my experiences during during the course.

Daily schedule:
4:30-6:30 meditation in hall or room
6:30-7:30 breakfast
7:30-8:30 rest
8:30-9:30 group meditation in hall
9:30-11:00 meditation in hall or room
11:00-12:00 lunch
12:00-1:00 rest
1:00-2:30 meditation in hall or room
2:30-3:30 group meditation in hall
3:30-5:00 meditation in hall or room
5:00-6:00 tea and fruit
6:00-7:00 group meditation in hall
7:00-8:00 discourse by Goenkaji
8:00-9:00 group meditation in hall
10:00 lights out

Day 1-
Akk! I missed the 4AM wake up bell! I missed the morning meditation session but was in time for breakfast. Some student I am! I wish my roommates could wake me up.
It feels like prison here with our controlled meal and outing times to the walking loop. Ok, time for meditation-- I only need one pillow to sit on. Meditating for an hour or two at a time is hard but that's to be expected-- surely it will get easier. If I can just get some of these songs out of my head, I could enjoy the silence. Outside of meditation, I amuse myself in my mind and find humor in most any oddity.

Day 2-
I missed the bell again but fortunately hear my roommates get up. The food is good but it's odd to be finished eating for the day (other than fruit and tea) at 11:30A. Wow, my mind is a monkey! All over the place and so demanding of attention when I am working on focus. And ooph, here I go again- criticizing myself for the same things I always do. Thank goodness for the hour of instructional video in the evening when I can receive external input, sit against the wall, and laugh! And thank goodness we are around each other all day even if we are silent-- silence and isolation would be maddening.

Day 3-
How is it possible that I don't hear the bell? It's so loud. My bum is soar. My knees hurt after sitting for only a short while. My digestion is unsteady in the afternoons-- I've never experienced indigestion really-- why now with this healthy food and less eating? I'm so sick of doing the same thing over and over. It's nearly impossible to focus my mind. Ahhh, pillows to raise my knees is what I needed. No more knee pain! At least I can sit even if my mind is a crazy hairball of distraction.

Day 4-
Finally, I heard the bell! Ahhh, and further instruction. This is cool. I'm enjoying this rare opportunity. My mind stays focused for short periods of time.
I really wish I could talk to my roommate to ask for some floss. Outside of meditation, I observe the other course participants, make up names for them, and have little conversations with them or just greet them (in my mind).

Day 5-
Getting better. I feel very peaceful and relaxed. There's still a long way to go but I can feel waves of vibrations throughout my body as Goenkaji said there are all the time, we are just not aware of them. I'm amazed that every impure thought, deed, action, craving, and aversion is stored in my body-mind and is associated with a sensation waiting to be released by bringing my awareness to it. Even the smallest of things I haven't thought of since they happened. Some sensations are painful, some vibrational.

Day 6-
And better. This is bliss! I have growing awareness throughout my body. That's the first part. The second part is equanimity. This is much harder. It's difficult to maintain equanimity towards the pleasant and unpleasant sensations alike.

Day 7-
And better. My sensitivity to sensations around the body has really increased and my ability to focus has improved vastly. I am able to go right into meditation rather than having my mind wander. There is pain and pleasure throughout but both have the same characteristic- arising and passing, arising and passing.

Day 8-
Better still. This is a truly amazing experience unparalleled by any I have had previously. I want to share this experience with everyone I know!

Day 9-
Today we break silence so that we have a one day buffer of interaction with each other (males and females) before going into the outside world. Meditation first in the morning. After being welcomed to break silence, I leave the meditation hall and turn right back around to go back in. I have a visceral reaction to the mere possibility of verbal interaction. My temperature raises and I feel anxiety in a way that I have never felt. What is this? I sit and meditate more recalling almost every childhood memory I have and scanning through other memories that have come up during the course. After an hour, I am ready to go out. I go outside and walk to my room where one of my roommates is. I'm so happy and so excited to be talking and interacting finally. Wow! We go to lunch where everybody is excitedly talking yet with some amount of reserve. The sound of everyone's voice echoing off the dining room walls is really really intense-- almost unbearable. I am happy to be interacting but feel very sensitive and wish everyone could lower their voices. Soon, we are all laughing amongst ourselves and after 20 minutes or so, my ears are once again accustomed to the human voice. It's a treat to talk two wonderful women I have been sharing a room with and we laugh about the things we wished we could've said to each other over the last 9 days. We learned how two of us had talked in our sleep (so I can't say I kept absolute silence!). Then, an old friend I have not seen in 7 years comes up to me. A gift!
Today also we learn metta. Metta is loving kindness practice where we, after 9 days of introspection, focus our awareness externally to generate love, peace, and liberation among all beings. What joy!

Day 10-
I'm walking on air. I feel totally embodied in a space of peace, calm, and happiness. What a blessing to take this course and be taken such good care of- they feed us, house us, teach us, and guide us in such a peaceful and loving way. I hope that my family will come. I hope to have the strength and discipline to practice Vipassana everyday. Though I am at the beginning of the path to liberation, I know that taking the first step is often the hardest and that to have this tool within my being is the greatest gift I have ever experienced.

May all beings be happy, peaceful, and liberated!

Bike in an "unbikable city"

"You're moving where? LA? And without a car?!" It may come as a surprise that LA has one of the country's highest rated public transportation systems. True, that's not saying a whole lot considering the inadequacy of public transportation systems here compared to other countries, but I have found it quite user friendly. And paired with my bike, it's a dynamic duo! I have all kinds of local support for biking including bike paths, bike shops, bike organizations, and social bike rides.
Another similar action that I have yet to do is bike in an "unbikable climate". There are towns up north in Canada where people bike year-round. Check out Kevin Blake's pedal powered snow plow and this rad website on the formation of Bicycle Cities.

Gave away my car

Actually, I tried to sell it first. But nobody bit, so I gave it away. After having a sticker reading, "God, grant me the courage to sell my car" for a a year, I finally got the courage. And now? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, can you hear my sigh of relief? Avoid car culture? Yes, please. Avoid supporting the war machine? Yes, please. Avoid polluting with personal transportation? Yes, please. Avoid the cost of repairs, insurance, and wasted time in parking lots? Yes, please! You can too and your car will end up in the ownership of those less fortunate. These folks have a great organization going and run it with <15% administrative costs.

Ran my car on biodiesel

After not having a car for a while, I needed one for work. So, I got an old Mercedes and fueled her up with biodiesel. Biodiesel is a good alternative to dinodiesel especially to avoid dependence upon foreign oil and petroleum in general...except that it's still a major polluter and is hardly a long term solution (considering there is only enough waste vegetable oil to go around). So, I, with the inspiration of innumerable members of bicycle culture but a few in particular including Shake Your Peace, Rock the Bike, and Xtracycle....