To Do, Be

More than 30 years ago I was a big fan of the TV series "Kung Fu" with David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine who travels the American west in the 1870s, fugitive from Chinese assassins who are trying to revenge the murder of the emperor's nephew, who Caine killed after the nephew shot and killed Master Po. I loved this show back in the day. It planted the seeds which have blossomed into my own Buddhism. This year I started watching Kung Fu again via NetFlix and its even better this time around! The Buddhist philosophy which the series presents is packaged in a 1970s western and each show is predictably formulaic, yet the nuggets of wisdom which Master Po and Master Kan impart to young Grasshopper, and the adult Caine's application of these instructions in his western drama, are just priceless. After reading extensively in the Buddhist lore, the words of the Shaolin priest ring so true to me. And when we are watching the show, usually on Friday evenings, and the scene transitions from the American west to China, Ryder and I both yell "its Grasshopper time!". One of the last episodes we watched when Caine was at an impasse, not knowing how to deal with a particularly onry bandito, he flashed back to Grasshopper time and Master Po instructed him "To do--be." A poignant message, which embodies the essence of The Way. I call upon this message often in my journey through this life as a scientist and mentor. Faced with constant conflict and relentless struggle for funding, instead of getting caught up in the worry about how to do science, instead, I just do it. I never thought about it before, but Nike must be a Buddhist to. I am not alone in finding the philosophy of Caine applicable 30 years after its release. http://www.kungfu-guide.com/overview.html
has s a very nice compendium

Tis the season. Post traveling for nearly 6 weeks, I am now settling back into the work a day world and bicycle commuting. So I gave my Cannondale a bath yesterday, cleaned and lubed the chain, and swapped my fat tires for some skinnies. I put nearly 600 miles on my 37's this season, but now that distance riding calls, I switched to 25's. What a difference! A little stiffer and less forgiving on the ragged pavement, but they roll like a dream. Instead of gearing up for a marathon this fall, I am going to get as many long rides in as I can. Ryder and I are having a great time riding together and he is keeping up at 10-12 mph pretty well. I don't think he's quite up for a century, but he certainly could do a quarter century now. We've ridden 10-12 miles many times. He really wants to do the Apple Cider Century this fall. We will have to work up to that distance for sure. My goal is to do the century in under 6 hours-- but not with Ryder.