a time for everything.

sneezing can actually hurt your back. i once couldn't walk normally for days after a sneeze. i regressed to a previously more ape-like incarnation. cleaning ones ears can cause serious problems as well. i scratched an ear-drum once with a q-tip. i never did that again, i can tell you. when next i had a wax build-up i went to a professional who did such a good job i could hear everything clearly. i actually asked the lady to put some of it back in. even coughing can be tricky. i once had a bit of food-poisoning, nothing serious, but when i coughed, well, it wasn't pretty.

the buddha apparently viewed the human body as loathsome. i don't really see it that way, although there was that one time i had just met a lovely lady for lunch when i realized i'd forgotten to put my teeth in. krishna, we're told, insisted that we each have several bodies, a concept i find scary as i tend to feel a tad schizophrenic at the best of times. st. seraphim of sarov denied himself all physical comforts, even recliner chairs and such. i once met a guy who had kept both his arms up in the air for many years, an impressive feet to be sure. i wanted to shake his hand. my friend butch believes the body is simply for pleasure, lots and lots of pleasure. he changed his name because he didn't think moishe really fitted the image he wanted to project. 

now i'll tell you where i'm going with all this: i know these bodies are wonderful and terrible. i get both concepts of enjoying and transcending desire. i've been into a bit of self-mortification myself and enjoyed sensual pleasures as well. not at the very same time, of course, although those are not as mutually exclusive as one might think. i knew a lady who ran a very successful business with only some latex and a whip, but that's another story, sort of. i have in fact experienced both sense-deprivation and self-endulgence. what i mean is, at this point, i recommend moderation in all things, except love.

"acquire a peaceful spirit and around you thousands will be saved." st. seraphim.