Jazz, Philosophy & Biscuits

New Domain

2010-06-04T17:01:00.001+01:00

I am now at a new domain, here. The backlog is still here, but I'll try and move it over.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Today's Walk

2010-06-02T16:51:00.012+01:00

Went on a walk today, here are the pictures:

Looking out over the golf course.

Leaving the golf course with Baz.

At the river, it was boiling hot.

Looking out towards Rivelin Dams.

Baz.

Thanks for viewing, please send any suggestions for future blogs by email to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com, or comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

The Moon

2010-06-01T12:00:00.005+01:00

'A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."'

Source: http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/zenstory.html

Can some things never be given, or shown?

Please comment below, and send suggestions for future blog topics to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Wesak

2010-05-27T10:44:00.010+01:00

Happy Wesak day people! Also known as Vesak, Vesākha and Saga Dawa, just to name a few, Wesak day is Guatama Buddha's birthday. It is always held in the first full moon of Taurus, usually in May. All Buddhists celebrate this day as Buddha's birthday, and some also celebrate his enlightenment and death on this day as well. Common practice for Wesak includes wearing white, offering donations to the poor and to charities, visiting and giving to monks, and freely giving the Dharma to people. In temples, flowers are given to represent beauty, and how the flowers will wilt and die, as all things will. Also, water is poured over a statue of baby Guatama Buddha, to represent his birth. All Buddhists are encouraged not to eat any meat on Wesak, and to observe the five precepts (in Sri Lanka, slaughter houses and alcohol shops are closed, on orders from the government). The five precepts are:

Do not harm living things
Don't steal
Do not engage in sexual misconduct
Do not lie
Don't take intoxicating drugs, such as alcohol

All in all, it's a day for happiness, colourful paintings and decorations, and the like.

Thanks for reading, please send any future blog topic suggestions to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com, and please comment any thoughts below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Ultimate Band

2010-05-20T17:36:00.005+01:00

Right. Ultimate band. Go go go.

John Zorn - Composer/ songwriter - Have you heard this man? No. I didn't think so either. Because you are a heathen. Go and listen to him. Now. Go.
Billy Martin - Drummer - All round nice man. From Medeski, Martin and Wood fame. Not just a great drummer, but a great remixer too.

Skerik - Saxophone - A crazy man. He's pioneered saxophonics.

You know.

Saxophonics.

Mike Patton - Vocals - I've put vocals, but that doesn't really cover what he does. This man is a musical genius. (It's true!) He can fit his voice into any style of music and he did the zombie noises for Left 4 Dead. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? I'm actually scared of meeting him. If I did, I'd just end up licking his face and crying with tears of joy.
Les Claypool - Bassist - You probably thought I was going to put myself here, didn't you? I'm not that egotistical. But yeah, Claypool will rock you. Verily.
Me - Guitar - Ha! Only joking. They aren't in my league.

So. Here we are. I've done it. And all my people are still alive. Instant win over Danny.

Questions over for the week.

Tom.

The Ultimate Band

2010-05-19T11:31:00.006+01:00

Having listened to a fair of music by this point in my life, I thought I'd make my ultimate band. So, in my band, there would be:

Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone
Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet
Thelonious Monk - piano
Charles Mingus - bass
Elvin Jones - drums

If only they were all alive, it would be a magnificent quintet. They'd play bebop, hard bop, post bop, all the bops. And swing, led by Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw, depending on who was available at the time. Obviously, I'd rather have Benny Goodman, were they both available.

Let me know your ultimate bands, jazz or not, by email (jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com) or in the comments below. Tom'll be posting about his band soon, stay tuned. This, where we both do our opinions on a single topic, may become a regular feature.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Look! I'm contributing!

2010-05-18T10:32:00.002+01:00

So. Danny's asked me to become a co-author for his blog.

Exciting? Yes.

I've been told that I can 'Just do a post now and again, when you feel like it', which seems fair enough. Not as EXCITING as getting the blog. Well, co-getting the blog.

To Danny: Can I call it an internet diary? Don't like blog.

Neil Cowley - Radio Silence

2010-05-16T12:27:00.004+01:00

Having recently acquired a 32gb iPod Touch, I decided to make use of its iTunes Store feature, where I purchased Neil Cowley's new album, Radio Silence. I was introduced to Neil Cowley's music a year or so ago, and I haven't stopped listening to his trio. If I had to categorise his style, I'd call it something vague, like contemporary jazz, but he really does have a style all of his own. There are fast, complex piano lines and phrases, played by Cowley, all backed up by double bass and drums.

His other two albums that I own, Displaced and Loud Louder Stop, are both great, and those plus Radio Silence really sum up what is so special about Neil Cowley Trio. His fast, methodical and intelligent style are unique. The chord sequences, the phrasing, the piano lines, they are all unexpected. And yet they are still catchy. Perhaps it is a love or hate style, but I thoroughly recommend listening to at least some of his stuff.

Thanks for reading, please send any suggestions for future blog topics to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and any comments below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Exams

2010-05-12T08:59:00.004+01:00

Just to let you know, I had my Spanish Speaking GCSE yesterday. Could have gone better, by which I mean it couldn't have gone much worse. I spent the last two years learning verbs, activities, enough so that I'd nearly be fluent. But when I get into the exam, and I'm asked what I did yesterday with my family, what do I say? The best that my brain could come up with was that I went to Scarborough and played tennis. I haven't been to Scarborough in over a year, and haven't played tennis for much longer. At least I've got six days free of exams, my next one is RE on Tuesday, that'll be a fun two hours.

On another note, I have now watched both Alien and Predator, having rented them from LoveFilm. Conclusion: Alien pretty good, Predator appallingly bad.

Thanks for reading, please send any suggestions for future blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.a~

Quantum Entanglement

2010-05-05T17:43:00.005+01:00

Quantum Entanglement is based on the theory of quantum physics. When any two particles are in contact, no matter how far they may then be separated, even light years away, causing one to react will cause the other to do the same. So, any particles can be linked, even if they are separated by meters, miles, or light years. Now suppose that all particles were once all in contact with each other, all matter condensed. Sound familiar? Should the big bang theory be correct, all of known matter is linked by the 'quantum field', the energy that is everywhere. This links in quite nicely with Buddhism's view of interconnectedness, stating that all being are linked. Sorry that I can't really explain quantum entanglement properly, it really is complicated. I recommend researching quantum physics, it's a fascinating subject, if you can tolerate it.

Thanks for reading, please send any suggestions for future blog topics to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and any comments below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

DofE

2010-05-03T17:57:00.004+01:00

Just finished my three day Duke Of Edinburgh walk and camp, and feeling more exhausted than I thought I would. Perhaps it's because I only got two hours of sleep per night. I really should be catching up on sleep now that I'm back, but I'm just not that tired right now. After three days of walking, the first thing I did was take a long bath, get changed, put Spotify on, and write this. That's how dedicated I am to this blog (this post is really to make up for a long gap in posts, I think about a five day gap). So, I'm back, feet and legs aching, but still awake. Just.

Thanks for reading, please give me any future blog suggestions at jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and feel free to comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Monkey Mind

2010-04-28T18:41:00.003+01:00

Monkey Mind is the term given to someone whose mind's always running, thinking, always going from one thought to the next, like a monkey. 'Just as a monkey swinging through the trees grabs one branch and lets it go only to seize another, so too that which is called thought, mind or consciousness arises and disappears continually both day and night,' said Siddhartha Guatama. If you spend a short time simply noticing what your mind is doing, you will probably find, to a certain extent, that many thoughts will pop up, no matter how much you try and stop them. Worth a try.

Jack Kornfield's Buddhist Psychology

2010-04-20T18:14:00.007+01:00

I'm currently reading Jack Kornfield's book The Wise Heart, subtitled Buddhist Psychology For The West. It contains explanations of Buddhist psychological beliefs, and they are summed up in concise points. I've tried to find these concise points in a list, both in the book itself and on the internet, but no luck. So I thought I'd compile them here. I'd first like to stress that these points are intended to be coupled with Jack Kornfield's invaluable detailed explanations, so don't expect to fully understand them straight off. If you want to learn more, please find a copy of The Wise Heart, this is only to a) give people who've read the book a single list, and b) give people who haven't read the book a flavour of the book as a whole.

See the inner nobility and beauty of all human beings.
Compassion is our deepest nature. It arises from our interconnection with all things.
When we shift attention from experience to the spacious consciousness that knows, wisdom arises.
Recognise the mental states that fill consciousness. Shift from unhealthy states to healthy ones.
Our ideas of self are created by identification. The less we cling to ideas of self, the freer and happier we will be.
Our life has a universal and personal nature. Both dimensions must be respected if we are to be happy and free.
Mindful attention to any experience is liberating. Mindfulness brings perspective, balance and freedom.
Mindfulness of the body allows us to live fully. It brings healing, wisdom and freedom.
Wisdom knows what feelings are present without being lost in them.
Thoughts are often one-sided and untrue. Learn to be mindful of thought instead of being lost in it.
There is a personal and a universal consciousness. Turning awareness to the unconsciousness brings understanding and freedom.
The unhealthy patterns of our personality can be recognised and transformed into a healthy expressions of our natural temperament.
There are both healthy and unhealthy desires. Know the difference. Then find freedom in their midst.
If we cling to anger or hatred, we will suffer. It is possible to respond strongly, wisely, and compassionately, without hatred.
Delusion misunderstands the world and forgets who we are. Delusion gives rise to all unhealthy states. Free yourself from delusion and see with wisdom.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is not. Suffering arises from grasping. Release grasping and be free of suffering.
Be mindful of intention. Intention is the seed that creates the future.
What we repeatedly visualise changes our body and consciousness. Visualise freedom and compassion.
What we repeatedly think shapes our world. Out of compassion, substitute healthy thoughts for unhealthy ones.
The power of concentration can be developed through inner training. Concentration opens consciousness to profound dimensions of healing and understanding.
Virtue and integrity are necessary for genuine happiness. Guard your integrity with care.
Forgiveness is both necessary and possible. It is never too late to find forgiveness and start again.
There is no separation between inner and outer, self and other. Tending ourselves, we tend the world. Tending the world, we tend ourselves.
The middle way is found between all opposites. Rest in the middle and find well-being wherever you are.
Release opinions, free yourself from views. Be open to mystery.
A peaceful heart gives birth to live. When love meets suffering, it turns to compassion. When love meets happiness, it turns to joy.

I'd like to thank Jack Kornfield for this collection, all credit goes to him. Hope they've changed something for the better!

Thanks for reading, please send any suggestions for future blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, comment below, and you can see my Twitter page somewhere on the right of the page.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Daily Buddhism

2010-04-17T19:50:00.005+01:00

A friend recently recommended that I should follow other peoples blogs, as a way of becoming more involved in the online community. With that in mind, I found many new blogs and websites, mostly relating to Buddhism, so I thought I'd draw attention to one in particular.

It is called Daily Buddhism, and it's, in my opinion, one of the more well rounded websites on the internet. There are short podcasts (along with written text to accompany them), blog posts and links to other great websites. Everything communicated is done so in a friendly, easy to approach way, while Brian Schell (the website's owner, poster, etc.) goes in to more detailed explanations and approaches to some of Buddhism's more complex or larger issues. All in all, I thoroughly recommend having a look at this website, a great way to make trawling the internet that little less monotonous!

Thanks for reading, please send any and all suggestions for future blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

To Hathersage And Back

2010-04-14T09:14:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, being the 13th, I went on a walk to Hathersage. I was accompanied by my friend Timmy, as we were both training for our Silver Duke Of Edinburgh award. Went quite well, only got lost once, and that didn't slow us down too much. When we got there, we were met by my parents and brother at the Outdoor shop's café, where I had a very nice cheese and tomato toastie. After that, walked back over Stanage Edge, got home for about 3:45, feet hurting a lot.

Thanks for reading, send any suggestions for future blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Santander (Continued)

2010-04-10T16:18:00.006+01:00

Any of you who regularly read this will know about my frustrations with trying to order a debit card from Santander. It seems to have taken a step in the right direction, if very briefly. I went into a branch to order another card, all went well. My card arrived yesterday, and I opened the envelope with glee. Surprise surprise, they cocked it up again. Instead of sending a new debit card, they sent a cash card, one of which I already own. Bravo Santander, Bravo.

Thanks for reading, email me at jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com with suggestions, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Bill Turnbull

2010-04-07T08:40:00.005+01:00

Who says the news is going downhill? I think at the point where BBC Breakfast's Bill Turnbull is reporting politics from a fairground in Milton Keynes, you know something's gone wrong. It is, at the best of times, a little distracting trying to follow an interview conducted in front of a candy floss stand. At the end of Turnbull's segment, he picked up some candy floss, and made a pun. I was so distracted throughout that whole time, I can't remember anything he said. I know nothing more about politics after that. I do now know that Milton Keynes has an indoor fair today.

Next up on the program, absolutely true, Sian Williams interviews Rory Bremner, discussing his impressions of this year's election politicians.

Thanks for reading, send suggestions to jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com, and feel free to comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Easter

2010-04-03T23:14:00.007+01:00

Not really sure what to write here, Easter's pretty self explanatory. Jesus died on Friday, resurrected on Sunday, yay. In short, looking forward to chocolate.

Also, saw Goodfellas yesterday morning. It was very good, reminiscent of The Godfather series and, to a lesser extent, Scarface (but that was terrible). If you've seen The Departed (another good film), liked it, and also liked The Godfather, it's a safe bet that you'll like Goodfellas. It's got all the old-style charm of the gangsters, Godfather, mixed with new music, Departed. On top of that, with Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta in it, it's bound to be good. It's one of those one's where you hear the protagonist's commentary throughout, which, surprisingly, doesn't get annoying. All in all, I recommend watching any of those films I mentioned (if you are old enough, of course), except Scarface. Because it's crap.

Thanks, have a good Easter. Comment and email please.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

The Filmworks Challenge

2010-03-30T21:14:00.007+01:00

Composer John Zorn has written over twenty albums of music entitled 'Filmworks', followed by a roman numeral denoting which album it is. They are, to say the least, not your average listening material. I in fact wrote a Haiku to illustrate his work:

Juxtaposition-

John Zorn's beautiful sectrets,

Forlorn of harmony.

Not much, as Haikus go, but it sums it up. Zorn uses dissonances and silence, as well as some conventional harmony to portray a different perspective. (Incidentally, the albums are not written for films, they're just called that. Don't know why)

As such, I have given myself this challenge: to listen to every Filmworks album, in order, on Spotify during the Summer holidays. There are two or three albums missing on Spotify, but I've still got a good 14.8 hours of listening time.

Thanks for reading, please comment below, and email me with suggestions for any future blogs.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

The Santander Banking System

2010-03-27T16:26:00.007Z

The only way I can really describe this is to do a big list, so here goes:

I phone Santander to order a Visa Electron card.
Get redirected.
Get told I can order it over the phone.
Get redirected.
Get told I have to go into a branch to order it.
I go into a branch and order it, told it will be seven working days.

[Three weeks later...]

I phone up to see where the card is.
Get redirected.
Told it hasn't been ordered.
Get redirected, to the branch where I 'supposedly' ordered the card from.
Told, again, it hasn't been ordered
Get redirected to somewhere where I can order it over the phone.
Put on hold for four minutes.
Heavily accented Scottish man tells me it hasn't been ordered.
He then tells me he can order it.
Put on hold for six minutes.
Told by Scottish man he can't order it, I have to go into a branch.

How is anyone supposed to use this system effectively? Not looking forward to applying for mortgages and credit cards...

Thanks for reading, email me at jazzphilosophybiscuits@gmail.com with suggestions, and feel free to comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

The HobNob

2010-03-22T18:49:00.005Z

The HobNob. Probably the heartiest biscuit, maybe because its origins lie in Scotland, 1984. It's made of oats, and they're very good for dunking. McVitie's introduced the chocolate covered variant in 1987, though I prefer the plain one, bigger absorbable-surface-area to volume ratio. Incidentally, if anyone is reading this at around 17:00 on Monday 22nd of March, 2010, I am currently eating a plain HobNob.

This biscuit is worthy of recognition, and I give it a 8/10. 6/10 for the chocolate covered variety.

Thanks for reading, please email and comment.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Picnic

2010-03-20T17:28:00.006Z

Yesterday probably wasn't the best day for a picnic, weather-wise, but nonetheless I enjoyed it. We were jointly celebrating the birthdays of Jasmine and Vicky, so we had a picnic at Western Park. It was drizzly most of the time, and at some points raining, but it was good. Around 17 people were there in all. There was an impressive selection of food: Crisps, brownies, tortilla chips, 4 litres of Pepsi Max, buns, sandwiches, and 2 cakes.

After the excessive eating, we had a couple of games of 'hide and seek', one game of '1 2 3 dunnya' before heading down to Crookes Valley Park, where we played 'tig', and generally running around the playground. This entailed some sort of spinning contraption, which made me feel quite sick afterwards, swings, a climbing frame and a merry-go-round which had its own pedals!

All in all, despite the mildly miserable weather, great day. If either Jasmine or Vicky are reading, thanks.

Thank you for reading, send all suggestions for futures blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

King Edward VII, Jazz Workshop

2010-03-13T18:21:00.007Z

For anyone in Sheffield who likes jazz, and would like to play it with others, this is worth taking note of. Saturday mornings, 10:00 until 12:30 at King Edward VII school, Sheffield. The jazz workshop's there are great for beginners and more advanced players alike. I've been going now for a couple of years, and I love it. You learn the theory of jazz, along with learning jazz standards, under the guidance of one of many workshop leaders. You get a huge confidence boost when you play your first solo, however bad it may sound! I remember my first time there, I was extremely nervous, but everyone there, leaders and participants alike, was very nice and encouraging. I recommend this to anyone who's thinking of taking up playing jazz. For me at least, it was/is a very fun and enriching experience.

Thanks for reading, email suggestions for future blogs to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com, and comment below.

~Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.~

Mere Christianity - CS Lewis

2010-03-10T21:59:00.004Z

CS Lewis: converted Christian, also wrote the Chronicles of Narnia series. Good books. Mere Christianity however is his take on the religion. I'll do my best to give a brief overview of the book, though I was only borrowing the book from a friend who now has it back.

He begins by attempting to establish a logical case for Christianity. I quite enjoyed the earlier sections of this book, where he talks about the philosophy and logic that lies with Christianity. I think that this section is mostly for non-Christians, so I enjoyed the philosophy aspect that he gave and the structured, logical way in which he formulated his arguments.

The second half of the book seems to me to be based on the assumption that you are Christian, or at least that you are serious about learning the beliefs. It covers topics such as why Christian theology is important to Christians, moral values, and marriage. Although I preferred reading the first half of this book, I think it was useful for me to read the second half, if only to understand more about the faith that many people I know follow.

In conclusion: I recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians alike, each party can get something out of it, and it's also quite short. A feature I hold in high regards.

Thanks for reading, any suggestions email me, and comment below.

'Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.'

Vlog

2010-03-08T18:29:00.005Z

My first thought on vlogs was that they'd be a waste of time. They probably are, as this blog probably is, but I do like this one by Luke Cutforth. He's trying to get to 200 subscribers at the moment, so every little helps. Good vlogging Luke, keep it up.

Next post should be on Sunday, unless something interesting happens before then.

Kind Of Blue

2010-03-05T20:49:00.007Z

Considered to be one of the best, if not the best, jazz albums of all time, Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue, 1959, marks a high point in the development of jazz. Though there are only 5 tracks on the original album, each one of them deserves recognition.

So What - The opening track of the album features Bill Evans on piano and Paul Chambers creating the iconic intro. Following each playing of the bass riff, the chords played by the front-line members are stacked up 4ths, with a major 3rd on the top. The chord is E A D G B, followed by D G C F A. That may not mean much written down, but it was such an important chord, it was named the 'So What chord' for its uniqueness.

Freddie Freeloader - In this, Davis replaced Bill Evans with Wynton Kelly, and the solos are played by Kelly, saxophonist John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis. This one is almost a standard 12-bar blues, in contrast to So What's long 32-bar form. I say almost because instead of resolving on the 1st chord of the sequence, the tune is left 'hanging' on chord 7, leaving the form with an unresolved feel.

Blue In Green - The shortest track on the album, at only 5:36, there is debate as to whether it was composed by pianist Bill Evans or Miles Davis. This one is a slow tempo track, and quite laid back. I can't really think of anything particularly special about this track, but there isn't anything wrong with it by any account.

All Blues - Another iconic bass riff by Paul Chambers, this 12-bar blues in 6/8 is famous not only for the bass, but for the rising and falling chords on the instruments other than Davis' trumpet. Another classic, this track features some great solos, and reminds me why jazz songs are often so long. So that they have enough time to develop and express (and John Coltrane is the man for that, try listening to the album A Love Supreme).

Flamenco Sketches - The final track of the album (unless you get the reissue, containing an alternate take of this track, or the Legacy Edition, which is huge), Flamenco Sketches has no written melody. The musicians improvised over a set of chords, which were planned, using different modes (essentially 'jazz scales'). Composed by Davis and Bill Evans.

Thanks for reading, please comment below, or email me with suggestions for topics you would like me to cover.

Thích Quảng Đức

2010-02-23T21:17:00.009Z

Born in Hội Khánh in 1897, Thích Quảng Đức was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. Whether or not you know his name, you probably know what he did for religious freedom in Saigon, Vietnam, on the 11th June 1963. Below are three links to a pictures that made me shocked, sad and made me question my own courage when I looked at them properly for the first time.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

I don't want to say too much about this, I'll leave you to draw own conclusions from it. This link takes you to his Wikipedia page. I know that's a bit lazy, but you'll get more detailed information if you want it from there.

Thanks for reading, comment below or email me with suggestions or your own thoughts.

Personal Thoughts

2010-02-22T22:17:00.013Z

I thought I'd finish this week off with a summary of my thoughts in bite-size chunks.

When suffering affects me, I use it to improve.

All beings are equal, and they are all searching for happiness.

Darkness and light are two sides of the same coin.

While I do not rely on others, I do not dismiss others without due reason.

For all intents and purposes, I am you, you are me.

Unless you can say otherwise, and we are equal, why do we gain while others suffer and die?

My thoughts are my own. I do not ask you to believe them, I ask you to respect them.

How can you make peace with others, if you do not find peace within yourself?

Give, without promise, or even hope of reward.

In this expanse of atoms and empty space, thank goodness we have such things we can call friends.

Thanks for reading, email me with any suggestions and comment below.

Anger compels even the greatest people to do acts of cruelty.

The Tibetan Book Of The Dead

2010-02-20T09:36:00.004Z

Also known as Bardo Thodol, literally translated as liminality liberation, this details Buddhist beliefs about death, the intermediate state, rebirth and enlightenment. Although it is commonly referred as the 'Book', singular, it is more like a collection of smaller texts written by scholars in the past. The version I have borrowed from Central Library in Sheffield contains an introductory commentary by HH The Dalai Lama.

I found it quite interesting in the first couple of chapters, it wasn't talking so much about death, more about spiritual practices that should be done in this lifetime. Things like meditation techniques, and generally things more associated with Zen. After that though, you get into the bulk of it. When reading about the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, I was surprised to learn how often 'blood filled skulls' are mentioned. I assumed these would be the last things that are associated with a religion following ahimsa (non-violence), but, there you go.

Still haven't finished it yet, it is quite big. So far I have enjoyed reading it and learning more about Buddhist beliefs. I recommend finding a copy, even if, like me, you just borrow it from a library. For me, it was worth the time spent trawling through the lists of deities and their different appearances, characteristics, etc..

Thanks for reading, comment below or email me with any suggestions.

Quotes

2010-02-13T20:05:00.008Z

I'll be honest, I've had a pretty boring week, so I thought I'd collect some of my favourite quotes.

'Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.' HH Dalai Lama

'Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.' HH Dalai Lama

'If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.' HH Dalai Lama

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.' HH Dalai Lama

'My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.' HH Dalai Lama

'Sleep is the best meditation.' HH Dalai Lama

'There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.' HH Dalai Lama

'We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.' HH Dalai Lama

'Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.' HH Dalai Lama

'With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.' HH Dalai Lama

'A jug fills drop by drop.' Buddha

'All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?' Buddha

'Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.' Buddha

'An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.' Buddha

'Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.' Buddha

'Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.' Buddha

'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.' Buddha

'Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.' Buddha

'Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.' Buddha

'It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.' Buddha

'It is better to travel well than to arrive.' Buddha

'Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.' Buddha

'No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.' Buddha

'On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.' Buddha

'Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.' Buddha

'The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.' Buddha

'Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.' Buddha

'What we think, we become.' Buddha

'When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.' Buddha

'You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.' Buddha

'You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.' Buddha

(Source: brainyquote.com)

Thanks, if you've got this far, for trawling through those quotes, courtesy of 'brainyquote.com'. I hope they influence you for the better. Please comment or email if you wish.

Vegetarianism

2010-02-08T19:09:00.008Z

I have been vegetarian for 4 days now, and it seems to be going well. I did feel a bit weak doing PE today, but that's to be expected. My protein intake seems to be from eggs and nut-stuffing so far, but I hope that in time my diet will become more varied, and larger.

On a side note, I'll be trying to update every Sunday morning, when possible, but I may post at other times now and again.

One more point: Parinirvana Day! Today is the day we Buddhists celebrate the death of Siddhartha Guatama, aka Buddha. It sounds bad, but Buddhists believe that he was fully enlightened, and was released from the Samsara (cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth). This is a good thing because, in Buddhist philosophy, the Samsara is associated with suffering, and should be the thing that Buddhists try to free themselves from by attaining Nirvana (inner peace, freedom from suffering, and wisdom). Some people do celebrate Parinirvana on the 15th, rather than the 8th, so my apologies to those people. People celebrate by making food, bringing money and clothes to a monastery, and also by thinking on loved ones passed away, and on one's own death and path to enlightenment.

I realise that my last point was the biggest there, but, oh well. Thanks for reading, comment below, and email jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com.

Life

2010-02-04T19:18:00.005Z

Yes, I know the title's a bit vague, bear with me. As I often do, I've recently been thinking about life, purpose, etc.. It seems odd to me that, although it appears we have freedom of choice in most matters, which religion we follow, our profession, our friends, we really have much less choice than we think, unless we are very brave.

Take religion. Yes we can choose, depending on what we ultimately believe in, but deny it as you might, indoctrination happens, and it seems to work. If you are brought up in a [insert religion A] community, you will probably believe [religion A]. Even if you are told of, or even research, other religions, you are more likely to stick with [religion A] over [religion B]. This does not, of course, mean that you are stuck with [religion A], we still can choose [religion B], we are just less likely to.

Example two. We would like to think we can choose what to do in life, and we can. But we can sometimes forget the factors that influence the choices we make, intelligence, strength, skill. We might subconsciously lean towards doing a job that we are good at, rather than one we would enjoy or feel happy doing.

While we ultimately do have choice in the majority of the matters in our life, are we discouraged by 'the system' to do the unexpected, to defy convention? From primary school, not meaning to boast, I've been quite intelligent. I've had a bit of a knack for maths and the sciences (probably countered by my appalling English). As such, I'm pretty much expected to follow a certain course. Do well in GCSEs, take A levels, go to university, get a well paying job that I enjoy. All well and good. But though I do enjoy maths and, to a lesser extent, science, I would say, if asked in the street, that my main passion is firstly Buddhism/Theology, secondly jazz, thirdly more intellectual pursuits such as maths. It would be unexpected and, I suspect, frowned upon to, even if it means leaving Britain, going to a Buddhist monastery and become a monk. To tour, playing jazz would seem stupid, a waste of talent even. But because of my upbringing in this environment, that won't happen. The reality is I will probably conform, stick to the norm, not take the risk.

I think it was René Descartes who said there are only two emotions: love and fear (please correct me if it was someone else). Am I going to be stuck to convention because of a fear of rejection, the unknown? Time will tell...

Thanks for reading, please feel free to comment and send suggestions to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com.

Guild Wars

2010-01-23T08:32:00.006Z

I'm not too happy with Guild Wars. I expected to play it on my birthday, 4th December, but that didn't happen. Inside the box there should have been a bonus music CD, on the back of which would be the key to allow me to upgrade my trial account. But no, that was missing. After a few weeks of frankly pointless forum and email talks with the support, I decided to simply send this one back, and my brother, who had bought it as a birthday present in the first place, ordered a new better one. This one with all the expansion packs.

To be honest, I was now expecting something to go wrong. And it did. This edition went out of stock for another couple of weeks. So, last week, it finally came in stock, and my hopes of playing Guild Wars were rekindled.

Far be it from me to expect N.C.Soft to meet my expectations to provide a game that I can play, but last Friday evening, it got ridiculous. My brother texted me in school time, saying that Guild Wars had arrived, and asking whether he could install it for me and go on. I said yes, and he installed it, opened it, used the key to upgrade my trial account, made a character, and played. He told me when I got home that it was working fine. So I tried it that evening. With my brother present, I put in the same login details as him, and now it can't even recognise the account name. Not even the password, the account name. We went on the website, successfully changed my password, and tried again. No luck. Restarted the laptop, no luck. And now? Now I've once again entered into back and forth emails with N.C.Soft. I wonder if I'll ever get to play Guild Wars...

Thanks for reading, send suggestions to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com, and feel free to comment below.

The Moon Is Low - Art Tatum

2010-01-13T21:07:00.008Z

If I had to pick one pianist to listen to exclusively, it would have to be Art Tatum. The phrasing, the rhythms, the fast lines down the piano, the amazing use of chord movements, all contribute to why I would call this track, The Moon Is Low, my favourite piano piece.

You can find the version I refer to on the album The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces, Vol. 5. Unfortunately, I cannot think of an accurate way to describe this song, but I can tell you that it is of the sub-genre of jazz called stride. Stride is, basically, the right hand of the piano playing a melody, while the left plays 'striding' basslines and chords. Sounds simple, no? Correct, no. When listening to Art Tatum, stride is anything but simple. As I listen to him now, I hear the left hand moving in a fast, steady rhythm, while always changing the chord it's based on. Even on its own, the left hand of stride would be enough for me.

But, coupled with the ever more complex right hand, it produces an effect, well, twice as good. The melody is played once, embellished, played again, embellished, up to the point where the main tune is barely distinguishable. And all this while being practically blind for his whole life.

Thanks for reading, please send suggestions and other comments to jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com and feel free to comment below.

Even small things make a difference

2010-01-02T18:25:00.005Z

This is a story from Serve.com: http://www.serve.com/cmtan/buddhism/Stories/difference.html

I think that this story demonstrates well how doing even small things can impact people, animals, or anything in a meaningful way. If there was one starfish on the beach, then he would have allowed that one to live. Just because there are more does not mean that It is any less meaningful. He saves as many as he can, because he can.

Another way to think of this is to imagine people instead of starfish. If you walk through a village and find many people starving, do you leave them to die? If we strive to help anyone that needs help when they need it, good will be done.

Please send ideas and messages to jazzphilosophybiscuits.googlemail.com, or comment below.

Inverted/Non-Inverted

2009-12-24T19:15:00.007Z

The inverted/non-inverted y-axis debate has been around for years now. The non-inverted users (who I will refer to as NIU) cannot see the logic of having the y-axis the 'wrong way round'. To the inverted users (IU), it seems perfectly natural, and the moment they go to play an FPS where the y-axis is not inverted, they lose their in-game fine motor control, and even when playing for a good ten minutes or so, they still can't aim straight or move like a normal person. And, of course, vice versa.

In one respect, the non-inverted way resembles, at its simplest form, moving a camera from a fixed point. The inverted view can pretty much be traced back to the joysticks of days gone by. In the flight simulators these were used for, it made sense to have it inverted, as in real planes and helicopters. Pull back the stick to tilt the plane upwards, push it forwards to go into a nose dive. Many of the people who grew up on these games would now be the IU.

I, however, was not brought up on flight simulators, in fact, I despise them. Partly because of the lack of variety in gameplay and environments, but that's another story. I am definitely part of the inverted group, so that's not the whole story. Ultimately, I have been brought up using inverted controls, and I'm not about to switch now. Maybe, the same reasoning for the flight simulator can be used to explain the FPS. Imagine yourself, well, as you are now, as a human. To look down, you tilt your head forwards. To look up to the ceiling, you pull your head back. It's a bit contradictory, yes, but it works. Perhaps us IU can therefore be more immersed in gameplay than NIU. That'd be quite hard to prove, and I'm not saying that it is true. The non-inverted users use what they know, and that's fine. It's just the scone debate again. Scone, pronounced as 'gone', or scone, pronounced as 'stone'? I suspect that neither of these debates will be ending anytime soon.

If you've got this far, thanks for reading. Any and all suggestions welcome, please send them to 'jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com'.

EST and Free-Jazz

2009-12-02T18:22:00.001Z

Up until a few months ago, I couldn't stand free-jazz. The thought of noise rather than music put me off trying it properly. However, I recently attended the gig of a famous free-jazz musician, though I cannot remember his name, that's not particularly important anyway. I am using the term 'gig' loosely, as this was held in the back room of his rather nice house, maximum seating capacity 12. When the band, consisting of the musician mentioned above, a drummer and a pianist began to play, I was scared. Scared for the safety of my ears. The trombone, played by said musician, was played with such ferocity that saliva was flying everywhere, and I mean everywhere. What came out of the trombone, noise-wise, was just noise. Very, very loud noise. However, when my mind stopped thinking thoughts like "My ears hurt, my ears hurt, my ears hurt", or "Why is the drummer using his head to repeatedly knock cymbals off drums?", I found that I was caught up in the energy of the whole experience. The rising and falling tension, the new and unexplored territories of sound. Granted you won't get the full force and energy of the music on a recording, but believe me when I say it is worth a try.

Now, onto EST. Short for the Esbjorn Svensson Trio, this band is not only great in its own right, but it serves well as listening for anyone who is new to free-jazz. You can make up your own mind when you hear EST as to whether they are truly a free-jazz band, but a couple of tracks that I recommend are: From Gagarin's Point Of View, from the album with the same name, and Dodge The Dodo. The studio version of Dodge The Dodo is good, by all accounts, but I recommend the live version, from the album E.S.T. LIVE. Both tracks give a good feel as to what EST are like, and aren't too experimental for anyone new to the free-jazz genre.

Thanks for reading, and please direct any suggestions to jazzphilosophybiscuits@sky.com. Feel free to comment, and stay tuned for more updates.

Satori

2009-12-02T09:16:00.001Z

It's strange how different environments affect us. Yesterday morning on my paper round, for example, it was a clear sky before dawn and you could see the stars perfectly. It was absolutely freezing, but it was good. And then, while looking at the sky, I had a satori. Just to clarify, a satori is a word used in Buddhism to mean a sudden and brief moment of realisation, peace, tranquillity and understanding.

However, this morning, it was about the same temperature (my hands were, once again, freezing), but the sky was overcast. I don't expect to receive enlightenment just like that, but I noticed that I didn't feel anything, even remotely. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but I think that it shows how the environment affects us, perhaps even when we're not expecting it.

As always, suggestions welcome, e-mail jazzphilosophybiscuits@googlemail.com

Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

2009-12-01T18:27:00.006Z

The good old Sega Mega Drive. Gaming doesn't get much simpler, 4 directional buttons, A, B and C. If you had (or have) the privilege of owning a Mega Drive, you'll know how fun it was. Games didn't have to rely on near-perfect graphics, actual game design was used. Obviously I'm not saying that modern games do not have a good design (take a look at the likes of the recently released Dragon Age: Origins, a favourite of mine), but Mega drive games did it without the aid of scarily real graphics. The fact that the games haven't been remade makes it seem odd to me that they went to the effort of making them in HD, but, hey, I'm not complaining.

So the game itself, the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, attempts to capture some of that classic charm from the original games. It contains Phantasy Star (I, II, III and IV), Golden Axe (I, II and III), Ristar and, of course, a whole assortment of Sonic games. Along with the classics, it comes with a bunch of games I personally have never heard of, Bonanza Bros. being one of them.

If you ever got frustrated by not being able to save on the Mega Drive, the Ultimate Collection allows you to actually reach the end of the whichever game you're playing. This really is a game worth buying. A truly amazing collection.

It begins

2009-12-01T18:13:00.001Z

I have just begun blogging, so forgive me if the blog doesn't seem to work properly at first. Feel free to tell me how it's gowing by e-mail. I'll be posting about the things that tend to interest me, such as the things in the blog name, science, maths, games, anything really.

If there's anything that you want me to look up, talk about, etc., please e-mail and I'll try my best. Thanks so far, let's see how this goes...