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Brady

As far as we can tell, we are the only creatures who have ever walked the surface of this remarkably conceived blue sphere who seek answers to questions, especially to those beginning with "why". It's called a search for the meaning of life, a noble search, a frustrating, unquenchable and demanding search. Just when you think you've found an answer to a question, that answer inexorably leads to 100 more questions, like peeling back the layers of an onion, ad infinitum. But the quest is a noble one, not to be undertaken by anyone paralyzed by their own 5-sensory view of the world.

Over the last 80 years, theoretical physicists have come to use Quantum Mechanics to explain phenomena that most people left to their religious beliefs to come to terms with. But as scientists continued to push the research into smaller and smaller particles, Quantum Mechanics has proven that there are no "smallest, solid building blocks of life". Enter the world of Superstrings and the "Brane" sub-theory, a world of between 10 and 26 dimensions. Einstein's discoveries that matter is energy and vice-versa have been eclipsed by these new ways of viewing what we see before our eyes, and, even more dramatically, what we don't see before our eyes. The most fascinating aspect of this new physics is how a few eastern religions, most notably, Buddhism, affirm and explain even the most bizarre quantum tenets beautifully and have been doing so for about 2,500 years. "The sound of one hand clapping" and the idea that we, as observers, influence, or even create the reality before our senses force one to put every preconception of the material and spiritual worlds on hold for a while. These are powerful ideas, ideas that, when ingested properly, are simply amazing! 

These are some of my favorite books by true seekers in the frontiers of enlightenment, religion, theoretical physics and metaphysics, all of which may actually be one and the same:

1) "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
2) "The Quark and the Jaguar" by Murray Gell-Mann
3) "The Seat of the Soul" by Gary Zukav
4) "The Dancing Wu-Li Masters" by Gary Zukav
5) "Superstrings" by F David. Peat
6) "The Theory of Everything" & "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking
7) "The Celestine Vision" by James Redfield
8) "The Life of the Cosmos" by Lee Smolin
9) "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity" by Lee Smolin
10) "Dreams of a Final Theory" by Steven Weinberg
11) "The Third Millennium" by Ken Carey
12) Writings of Meister Ekhart
13) "The 5 Stages of the Soul" by Dr. Harry Moody
14) "The Varieties of Religious Experience" by William James
15) Essays of Ralph Waldo Emmerson
16) "The Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra
17 "The Web of Life" by Fritjof Capra
18) "The Dark Night of the Soul" & "The Living Flame of Love" by St. John of the Cross
19) "The Search for the Meaning of Life" by Wiligis Jager
20) "Living in the Light" by Shakti Gawain
21) "Essays in Buddhism" by D.T. Suzuki
22) "The Perennial Philosophy" by Aldous Huxley
23) "Superstrings" by Davis & Brown
24) "What is Life?" by Erwin Schrodinger
24) "The Upanishads"; "The Dhammapada"; "The Bhagavad Gita" - Translated by Eknath Easwaren
25) "Zen Mind; Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki
26) "The Inflationary Universe" by Alan Guth
27) "A Path With Heart" by Jack Kornfield
28) "Religion & Science" by Bertrand Russell
29) "Mysticism" by Evelyn Underhill
30) "The Science of Mind" by Ernest Holmes
31) "Syncronicity" by Carl Jung
32) "Walden & Other Writings" by H.D. Thoreau
33) "The Holotropic Mind" by Grof
34) "Wholeness & the Implicate order" by David Bohm
35) "Parellel Universes" by Fred A. Wolf
36) "About Time" by Paul Davies
37) "Finding the Third Eye" by Alder
38) "Consciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett
39) "Isis - Religion & Science" by Madame Blavatsky
40) "The Experience of Insight" by Joseph Goldstein

NOTE: If these topics pique your interest, you may enjoy this website; it is my favorite non-photography site:

http://www.edge.org/ .

"If the path you're on has heart, it's the right path."

........................................................Jack Kornfield

 

  Introduction
#2 - A Close Look
#3 - Preparing a Copperhill Swab
#4 - Swabbing Illustration
#5 - Important Points
#6 - Tips & Links
You are here > #7 - Essay

We traveled down to Charlotte, NC last night (4/30/09) to see Chris in concert and were lucky enough to be sitting in the front row, center. Words cannot express how talented and charismatic this man is. His unbounded love of music and his trumpet place him into that special class of people who can perform masterfully and effortlessly, all preceeded by years of dedication and hard work. And in so doing, he reaches into the very bottom of his soul to communicate this love to the audience. You and I can only strive to be that way with our chosen means of expression, digital photography, but nurture that passion with hard work and dedication and it too may become masterful and effortless, manifesting well beyond the F-stops, apertures and pixels into a very personal record of the images you have chosen to place before your eyes and lens. And if you totally love what you are doing, as Chris Botti does, you will never get tired doing it. Your passion or life's calling will never deplete you, it will invigorate and energize you. I may not be the most talented photographer in the world, but I never get tired working behind the camera or in my digital darkroom. I lay my head down at night and can't wait to wake up and pick up where I left off. Chris has been an inspiration to me in how his love of the trumpet and lush, romantic, sophisticated music has seen him evolve into a new class of musician, he's on a level that very few people can occupy.

Chris and the band were PERFECT in Charlotte Everyone was focused like a laser yet they made it look effortless. Chris did not "crack" one note in his performance, and if you've ever played a horn instrument, you know what I'm talking about. He nailed every high note impeccably. This was the 5th show we've seen and the first show with Billy Childs on the piano. He is on that same level with Chris, a true virtuoso. Mark and Billy were spectacular as usual. Sy Smith was there to sing "The Look of Love" and "What'll I Do". Lucia Micarelli was a show-stopper playing violin on "Emmanuel" and "Theme from Cinema Paradiso". The whole band was simply mesmerizing tonight, they continue to evolve and get even better as a unit and individually. 

Set list:
Ave Maria / When I Fall in Love / Caruso / Flamenco Sketches / A Thousand Kisses Deep / The Look of Love / What'll I Do? / Emmanuel / Theme From Cinema Paradiso/ Hallelujah / Indian Summer / One For My Baby.

NOTE: If you haven't seen the movie "Cinema Paradiso", please go out and rent or buy it. It won a gazillion awards when it came out and it is a beautifully touching story with an equally moving score.