A Cup of Zen

The first cup of coffee in the morning is a beautiful, enjoyable thing. You're not quite awake and your mind is open and receptive to the thoughts you drink in. As you enjoy your Zen Coffee first thing in the morning, allow the coffee to fill you with a wonderful feeling of calm and peacefulness to set the tone for your day.

Zen Coffee... Review

Since my last several posts have been about reviewing Zen books, I thought I'd share a review, written by Cassie Bendel of Espresso Machine News about my own book, Zen Coffee: A Guide to Mindful Meditation.

Author Gloria Chadwick has released a book that seems like an oxymoron: Zen Coffee. But her aim is to teach you how your favorite drink can help calm you down.

Many people approach coffee drinking as a means to an end. They're tired and they need to get the caffeine in the coffee into their system as quickly as possible so that they can wake up, or at least feel like it, and rush on to the next part of the day. This, in my opinion, is why God and the good people at Red Bull invented energy drinks.

While I can't claim that I don't benefit from coffee's energizing purposes, it's always been something different for me. It's meant a chance to slow down. A chance to stop and notice what's around me. So imagine my delighted surprise when I came across the book, Zen Coffee: A Guide
to Mindful Meditation by Gloria Chadwick.

Chadwick's approach to coffee leans more towards seeing the world's #1 beverage as a way to bring a sense of mindfulness and peace to your life rather than something to chug down on your way out the door. However, on her blog, she explains that the book is also for busy people who need the chance to slow down and literally drink in all that life (and coffee) has to offer.

While I haven't read Chadwick's book, her ideas seem quite appealing. According to her, the book can show the average coffee drinker how to utilize their favorite drink and translate those experiences into lowering stress. Chadwick claims you needn't become a Zen expert to experience the calming effects the practice can have on your mind and spirit.

We can all use a little more mindfulness in our daily lives, whether it means committing to a few moments in meditation or simply just taking a second away from the noise of appointments and technology to really stop and see ourselves more clearly. Though I've already found my own approach to coffee as a reason to embrace these moments, I hope to pick up a copy of Chadwick's book and see what a fellow coffee lover thinks about it too.

The book is $9.95 and is available on Amazon.

Answers from the Heart

When Bodhipaksa of Wildmind asked me to review Thich Nhat Hanh's new book, Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions, I immediately said yes. I've read many of his books and found them to be loving and peaceful.

In the spirit of honesty, I must say that I was disappointed with this book. It seems vague; most of the responses to questions asked are answered with an all-encompassing response
of basically to be mindful of the emotion you
are feeling. In my opinion, Thich Nhat Hanh doesn't offer concrete--or practical--answers to questions in the chapters about Daily Life, Family, Parenting, and Relationships, Spiritual Practices, Engaged Buddhism, Sickness and Health, Death and Dying, and Children's Questions. But perhaps this is the purpose of Answers from the Heart. To offer us koans to help us create our own answers, to look within for our own compassion and understanding.

Here's an excerpt from the chapter on Family, Parenting, and Relationships: Question: My teenage son and I argue all the time. How can I stop these fights? Answer: The first thing you can do is to look at yourself, to see whether you have enough calm energy to help calm him when he is in your presence. The problem may not only be with the child, but within the parent. If the parent is not peaceful, this can trigger negative emotions in the child, especially if there are negative seeds planted in him. In the past there may have been times when you got irritated and reacted in a state of annoyance--this has deposited those seeds in him. You have to undo this in the present moment. Being loving and calm and having the capacity to listen can absorb a lot of suffering. If you can engage him to talk to you about his difficulties by practicing deep, compassionate listening, that will help remove the kinds of energies that are making him suffer. If you have loving kindness and the energy of peace in you, even without speaking you can influence another person and he or she will feel better just sitting with you.

The book is $12.95 and is available from Amazon.

I had a bit of a dilemma about whether to post this review since it's negative and I have so much respect for Thich Nhat Hanh. I've read many of his books and enjoyed them tremendously, but I didn't enjoy this book and would not recommend it. I decided to post this review (obviously, since you're reading it) because it is my honest opinion of
the book. Have you read this book? What did you think about it?

Still the Mind

I had the pleasure of reviewing Bodhipaksa's new 2-CD set, Still the Mind: Simple Breathing Practices for Inner Peace, published by Sounds True. Bodhipaksa is a Buddhist teacher and runs the online meditation center, Wildmind, a wonderful website. The
CD retails for $19.95 and is available
on the Wildmind website for $15.96.

I totally loved Still the Mind. I felt as
if I was listening to a very kind, gentle teacher who was speaking with me, a teacher who truly wanted to share the peace and joy that meditation brings. Bodhipaksa makes meditation available and easily accessible to everyone who wants to meditate. I loved it because it's so real, so practical, and so down-to-earth.

He starts off with an introduction, then suggests we start where we
are, because it's the only place we can start, then guides us through a short meditation of simply following the sensations of the breath. This, in and of itself, is very beautiful. We accept where we are and simply begin our practice of meditation to begin to still our minds. If our thoughts stray as we begin to meditate, we treat ourselves with kindness, returning our attention and focus to our breath.

The CD continues in a gentle, conversational style, as if you and Bodhipaksa are sitting together, just discussing mindfulness and how
to achieve inner peacefulness. He answers all questions almost before you can ask them and covers any doubts you may have that could hinder your practice. After listening to both CDs, you feel empowered to begin
a life-long meditation practice.

Rather than meditation becoming a goal or something you achieve, he encourages you to allow meditation to become a natural part of your life... as natural as breathing.

If you're looking to begin a practice of mindful meditation, Still
the Mind: Simple Breathing Practices for Inner Peace takes you on a peaceful journey into the Buddha-nature within, into the gentle, quiet place of inner peacefulness, and the experience of a still mind. I highly recommend this CD set.

The back cover blurb reads as follows:

Find the stillness behind every breath with this step-by-step guide to meditation. The average person has 12,000 thoughts per day--most of them a recurring handful of unwelcome distractions. On Still the Mind, master meditation teacher Bodhipaksa offers an essential program for anyone looking to move beyond the chatter of a too-busy mind, while laying the foundation for a daily meditation practice.

Two CDs of instruction and guided sitting sessions will help you discover the breath as an untapped source of mental clarity and inner peace, as you transcend the hectic demands of everyday life and learn to settle into the deepest parts of yourself. Bodhipaksa's gentle teaching style and straightforward delivery take the mystery out of meditation. His step-by-step instruction will help you cultivate your own daily practice right in the middle of your busy life, as you explore:

• The 1-2-3's of sitting practice, from the best times to meditate to what you can expect in your first few days, weeks, and months;
• How to evolve a spontaneous and self-motivating practice that is both joyful and empowering;
  
• Using the breath as a natural gateway to your inherent wisdom and clarity; and
  
• How to channel your new-found mindfulness into your relationships, career, and creative pursuits.

Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned meditator, Still the Mind gives you easy access to greater self-awareness and self-confidence, increased calm in any situation, and harmony within and without.

You can visit Bodhipaksa at Wildmind.

Guest Editorial

And here's an editorial from a former Moon travel guidebook writer:

OUTSOURCING MOON
by X-Moon, Delhi bureau

Bill Newlin has announced that he is outsourcing all guidebook writing to a company based in Bangalore, India. Further questioning reveals that this company is in fact a plantation where monkeys have been trained to climb trees and twist off coconuts. With the recent rapid decline in world coconut production, unemployed monkeys have been ingeniously retrained by the Bangalore plantation owners to modify content for Moon guidebooks.

There are estimated to be 2,000 monkeys typing away on 2,000 typewriters.

They are divided into huts by continent: North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe.

"The maps have proved problematic," said Bill, "but otherwise, the gibberish is adequate for most travel needs. It's an ideal match for Moon because we pay them peanuts." Bill also mentioned that he is pleased that the monkeys will not dispute the format of the material. They apparently do not go berserk if print-size is drastically reduced, or the work is printed on paper so thin you can see through it. They tend to go berserk, however, if the peanut supply dwindles.

Bill spoke further: "The disconnect we were having with the human writers was causing a lot of aggravation in our editorial offices. What the chimps do is take older editions and change one word on each page, which then passes for the new edition. That's all we need really. Most of our readers don't give a fig about content anyway. What they need is the security blanket of some sort of guidebook to hold. And that's what we give them."

Next on the horizon, Newlin is thinking seriously about outsourcing cover designs to elephants in northern Thailand. "I have heard that they are quite capable artists and very adept with their trunks. Of course, the cost of feeding them is far higher than the monkeys, but still well below human designer rates, even those of starving artists in garrets." Newlin is currently looking into cheaper sources of feed for the mammoth designers, in order to cut costs.

Your Mind is Magical... You Are Magical

Last week, I posed a coffee question asking how you meditate, so I thought I'd share some of the ways I meditate. There are no rules to meditation; whether you meditate zazen, sipping your coffee, or just becoming calm and quiet, you always arrive at the same benefits--a peaceful place in your mind.

I often meditate by inner journeying, by creative visualization, by embracing my Zen coffee and the calm it brings to me, and by opening up the magical power of my mind to explore my true spiritual nature.

I have another blog--Magical Mind--and I'd like to invite you to explore more ways to meditate, to explore your inner, magical self.

Coffee Question

How do you meditate?

Holding a steaming mug of coffee while breathing in the ethereal essence and aroma of the coffee?

Sitting quietly, clearing your mind of all thoughts?

Creatively visualizing on a pleasant image?

Actively journeying within your mind and traveling through the thoughts and images that arise?

There are so many ways to meditate. How do you like to meditate?

Meditate for Earth

Next Saturday, March 28th, at 8:30 P.M., millions of people everywhere around the world are turning off their lights for one
hour to Vote for Earth, and to help bring attention and mindful awareness to the
global warming crisis.

Zen carries with it a respect for all of life;
we can all respect the Earth by turning off our lights for one hour. I'll
be lighting a few candles, drinking some Zen coffee, and meditating during this hour, sending love vibes and healing to the Earth.

The Art of Travel Writing

I'm not sure of the connection between getting an online graduate degree, and the superb list of resources for prospective travel writers listed below, but somebody did a helluva job collecting links to all kids of useful sites. Great job, Kelly!

If the idea of travel writing leaves you with visions of luxurious vacations in exotic locations completely free of charge and all you have to do is write down your experiences in return, then you need to read the information below. Travel writing is a highly competitive profession, one that doesn�t pay especially well unless you make it to the top, and free travel is usually reserved for the very best writers. However, if you love to travel as much as you love to write and are sure you have something to offer to readers, then you will find the following information incredibly helpful as you pursue a career in travel writing. Below, you will find advice from professionals, tips, opportunities to get to know other travel writers, organizations for travel writers, places to find writing jobs, and resources for traveling.

Graduate Degree Blog

Hard Times at Lonely Planet (slight return)

Another report about the recent layoffs at Lonely Planet.

Melbourne-based guidebook behemoth Lonely Planet will announce the sacking of 50 staff tonight -- around 10% of its global workforce -- as the global economic downturn continues to gut the tourism industry and guidebook sales.

Staff at Lonely Planet�s Footscray office were informed of the layoffs this morning with management calling a meeting this afternoon to discuss the changes and tap shoulders. A formal announcement is due at 9pm tonight to tie in with owner BBC Worldwide's London-centric media strategy.

A spokesman for Acting CEO Stephen Palmer confirmed the cuts to Crikey this morning and said they will impact all areas of the business. Affected staff were still in the process of being informed that they were out of a job when Crikey called.

In an emailed statement, Palmer said the situation was a "difficult" one but that the company had no choice in the context of the economic downturn.

"I recognise that this is a terribly difficult time, particularly for those whose jobs will be made redundant. I would like to reiterate that I would not have taken this action if there was any way I could have avoided it."

Palmer said the cuts were spread across the Lonely Planet's US, UK and Australian offices and did not comment on the specific divisions affected. But sources have told Crikey that the entire online content production division has been dismantled with extra cuts to be made in support roles. The book production section is said to be immune while images staff and commissioning editors appear to have also escaped the axe.

The cuts were foreshadowed on Monday when BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons gave a speech in Cardiff indicating BBC Worldwide�s operations will be scaled back to focus on its core commercial business of repackaging the Beeb's archive for DVD sales. UK MPs have savaged the company for the $250 million Lonely Planet purchase, claiming it has no links to its core business. The BBC is also under pressure from the UK government to use its licence fees to bail out Channel 4. BBC Worldwide made 112 million pounds last year.

Louise Connor of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance said she wasn't surprised at the decision in the context of the global tourism meltdown.

"It�s sad to see decisions made in England affecting so many jobs in Australia," she added.

Lonely Planet staff tell of a sense of foreboding that has gripped the Footscray office over the past few months. Palmer has regularly used company-wide meetings to give frank assessments about revenue problems and website cost blowouts. Sources say that once the new website was completed, the heat was on middle management to justify ongoing staffing levels.

In October 2007, original owners Tony and Maureen Wheeler sold Lonely Planet to BBC Worldwide for around $250 million. The Wheelers retained a 25% stake and are still swimming in the proceeds of the deal, reportedly mulling plans to spend $12 million on a lavish production of Wagner�s Ring Cycle.

The latest lay-offs mirror a move taken by the Wheelers in 2004 when 40 staff were sacked and those remaining told to forgo a 3% pay rise in the midst of the SARS outbreak.

It is not known whether the 120 staff at Lonely Planet�s Oakland and London offices have been informed of the sackings

Crikey

Hard Times at Lonely Planet

The worldwide economic collapse has hit almost everyone, including publishers of travel guidebooks, as shown by this recent announcement from Lonely Planet. Actually, I'm surprised that they only cut 10% of their labor force, but I do expect more retreachment as the year progresses. I've also heard that Avalon Travel Publishing and Moon Publications are in deep shit, cancelling several of their planned Europe guides, and getting lousy reviews at Amazon on some of their replacement guides to SE Asia. They saved some money with lower royalty rates, but cut off their noses.

Lonely Planet tells staff to pack their bags
Chris Zappone
February 25, 2009 - 2:53PM

Travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet has cut up to 50 positions as the demand for guidebooks shrivels in the face of global financial crisis.The cuts will affect staff in Australia, the US and Britain where most of the company's sales and offices are.

Before the cuts the company said it had 500 people on its payroll.The retrenchments are "directly related to the economic downturn because we're a global company,'' spokesman Adam Bennett said."It represents the decline of the guidebook market in tough times.'' Mr Bennett said the US and Britain, both of which are struggling with recession, represented a combined total of 60% of guide book sales.Lonely Planet, which is 75%-owned by the BBC's commercial enterprise BBC Worldwide, said it was consulting with employees, some of whom were not having their contracts renewed, while others were having their positions eliminated.

Acting chief exectuve Stephen Palmer said in a statement that the global market for travel was not expected to pick up soon."Even the most optimistic forecasts do not predict any sustained recovery until 2010 at the earliest, and even then it is likely to be slow and patchy,'' Mr Palmer said."The US, UK and Europe are all in recession, and these territories account for over 80% of our business.''Mr Palmer cited a UN World Travel Organisation forecast for total outbound travel to dip 2% this year.

But he predicted Lonely Planet's core markets would erode further with a 10% fall in the US, 5% in Britain and 2% in Australia."It has become clear that this economic situation is unprecedented, it will not just be a blip and we need to adjust our costs so we can manage through these tough times.''czappone@fairfax.com.au

The Stillness of Sunrise

When I vacationed in Hawaii, I would get up early every morning before sunrise and go to the beach with my coffee and sit peacefully meditating as the sun began to rise, just listening to the gentle silence.

This stillness meditation, from BKWSU, offers you a peaceful way to start your day.

On Lonely Planet and the BBC

Another interesting argument against the merger of Lonely Planet and the BBC, with some even more interesting comments on the issue.

I've blogged quite recently about the new Lonely Planet travel magazine which I think is an unfair competitor to Wanderlust (an excellent independent travel magazine which I write for quite a bit).

Why is this unfair? Because LP is now majority-owned by the BBC.

Following on from the new LP Travel magazine (which is written almost 100% by BBC writers and presenters) here's another example of how that playing field just isn't level anymore. Any brand would kill for a tie-up with the BBC on the BBC's homepage. The value in brand terms is huge. And this will translate to more hits for the LP website, more ad revenue and more book sales for LP.

You can't blame LP for wanting to make the most of the fact that its now owned by the BBC (or to be more accurate the commerical arm of the Beeb - BBC Worldwide) and with the clout of one of the world's most influential and wealthy media brands behind it the future for LP looks rosy.

I hadn't thought too much when the deal was announced about the impact on the LP brand of being owned by the BBC, but selling out to a big corporation says heaps about a brand and its future. I can see that Tony Wheeler (LP's founder) quite possibly felt that selling to a cultural corporation like the BBC rather than to a full-on multi-national commercial publisher was a good compromise... and smart too - moving the brand on from being a traditional paper and print publisher to a forward looking media organisation.

But I think it's all wrong. He'd have been better off selling to a fully commercial publisher (or media organisation) rather than one that's subsidised by the UK taxpayer. (Non UK readers - every tax payer in the UK pays an annual TV licence that costs around �130). Whilst some would argue that BBC Worldwide is a separate entity, the reality is that you can't work out where the taxpayer funded elements of the BBC start and where the commerically funded ones take over. And the benefits of association with the BBC brand are - whilst difficult to measure - most probably huge

I'm worried that LP is going to turn into some awful travel publishing megabrand that's everywhere. (take Jamie bleedin Oliver - lovely guy but do we REALLY need a Jamie magazine? For heaven's sake!) Watch this space for LP branded TV shows, LP branded clothes and gear, LP branded areas in tour operators and a plethora or LP branded websites, blog hosting services ane more... not to mention LP guide content being sold to third party tour operators, airlines and so on to use as destination content on their websites

Jeremy Head's Travel Blather

Simply Being Zen

Simply. Be. Zen. Take a quiet moment, with or without coffee, to go within and enjoy a peaceful moment all to yourself. Simply Be.

Zen Coffee Breather

Hold your steaming mug of coffee in both hands and deeply breathe in the aroma of coffee. Feel the essence of the aroma in your mind. Breathe out the essence of your coffee. Deeply breathe in the ethereal essence of you. Feel your Zen nature within you. Breathe out the ethereal essence of your spirit, allowing it to permeate everything around you and within you.

There's No Time Like the Present

I've always liked the phrase, "There's no time like the present." It reminds me that in every moment, we have a new beginning, and that the present moment is always a gift. We always have an ever-present choice to tune into our spiritual essence, to tune into our Zen nature, to take the present moment to mindfully meditate. I like that I can take any moment I wish and turn it into a Zen coffee moment.

Happy New Year, everyone. I wish for you many "no time like the present" moments to be present in the New Year--with or without coffee.