Here's what gives me pleasure (hint: it isn't religion)

Fairly often I get comments on this blog that amuse me, because they're so wrong. 

Someone will say, "Brian, you're obsessed with... " Bashing religion. Criticizing gurus. Talking trash about Radha Soami Satsang Beas, the religious organization I belonged to for 35 years.

That's laughable. 

Every couple of days I write a post for this blog. It takes me an hour or two. Otherwise I rarely think about the subjects that get discussed here on the Church of the Churchless.

I've got many other things that need attending to, most of which interest me more than the Big Cosmic Questions. Like, my family.

Currently I'm at Black Butte Ranch in central Oregon, where my wife, Laurel, and I own a 1/4 share in a vacation house.

Sunday my daughter Celeste, her husband Patrick, and my granddaughter Evelyn came to visit us here, flying up from southern California and then driving across the mountains from the Portland airport.

Today we rented bicycles for the three of them. Black Butte Ranch has a great system of bike paths, most of them separated from the roads in this beautiful destination resort.

Here's a photo of my daughter and me at Aspen Lake, where we stopped on our afternoon bike ride. (I don't do much smiling in photos, because I don't like my smile.)

Then we stopped for lunch at the charming Black Butte Ranch store. It adjoins the stables where Evelyn went on pony rides when she was much younger than her current age of 14. She still likes horses.

After that we biked to the new Putting Course. It's freaking amazing. Way better than a practice green with a bunch of holes scattered around. The Putting Course has twelve challenging holes. 

Celeste took this photo of me, Patrick, and Evelyn. Laurel decided to bow out of the putting, since it was really hot and sunny today, and she doesn't do well in those conditions, being a blonde of Scandinavian descent.

Since I haven't golfed for well over 25 years, to say my putting was rusty is to insult rust. Almost by accident, I had a few decent putts. But most would have qualified for a video on how not to putt. We had a lot of fun though. 

Then we biked back to our house, stopping along the way to visit with another bunch of horses grazing in Big Meadow. (It really is big, very big). Evelyn made a friend. That's wildfire smoke in the background.

Black Butte was looking good. Patrick plans to climb up it tomorrow. (A road takes you about 2/3 the way up, then you hike.) I've done the climb quite a few times, so will pass on doing it again.)

Then we biked back to our Black Butte Ranch house -- played Scrabble, made corn on the cob plus rice and tofu for dinner, and went for a frisbee-filled dog walk on several holes of a golf course (after golfers had stopped playing. Here's a photo Patrick took of me and Evelyn on a boardwalk that crosses over a wetland area.

So this is what's consuming my attention at the moment. Your regularly scheduled Church of the Churchless programming will resume soon.

Comments

[Ron Elloway]

Likewise Brian.

Last week my wife and I had a week's holiday in the Lake District (Cumbria UK). Walked every day including a big climb up Wansfell Pike, over the top and down to Troutbeck - and tea. A great week, only one wet day.

Back home now to tidy up the garden and enjoy my usual walk around the 'Inland Sea' (North Wales). The countryside here is awash with summer flowers - masses of pink and yellow vetches, chaffinches, warblers and goldfinches in the hedgerows. Watched the bees that have nested in a rocky bank coming and going through their entrance hole.

No thoughts about conceptual things - just this, life happening and acknowledging it.

[7]

@Ron
next time some https:// links , and we go too !

7

[Carrie Ebner]

Hi Brian,

I ran across your book God's Whisper... that I have kept for two decades. You and Laurel parted with it and 50 bucks as a good luck for my adventures in Los Angeles. I haven't read the book but I'm sure I used the 50 (or was it 100?) for gas and coffee during the drive south. I still remember some regret seeing you at the stables the next summer, because I didn't make it as an actress and that I barely tried besides. You and Laurel were so generous.

I've been mostly living in Bend. Got my bachelor's at PSU in philosophy and then a masters at SOU in teaching. I currently substitute teach, and prefer that.

At the moment I am in Bend packing my things to move to Corvallis. My husband and I would enjoy seeing you and Laurel for a walk if you're not too busy with family at BBR. Otherwise, it would be fun to see you once I'm settled in the valley later this summer.

Turns out a lot of our interests intersect. The environmentalism focus, is the main. Silas and I speak often of many things philosophy, so there is probably something we could find to talk about for an hour or so ....

Good to see you are still writing!

Carrie

[Manoj]

Great to see you're living the life you want to live and experience, Brian. Family is where the heart is always. Beautiful...

GSD & the RS Cult were and are a pain in the backside which everyone should learn to live without.

Good riddance and farewell GSD you C..T

See, a Happily Ever After:)

[Uchit]

Brian you are an excellent example of someone leaving the brain washing cult (RSSB and current tyrannical leader Gurinder Singh Dhillon) who are hell bent on recruiting and devouring foolish people of their freedom and choices for nearly a full life time - it took you 35 years!!! So proud of you, and that you are living your life on your terms with your loved ones.

We need to keep on exposing the evil satanic leader GSD and RSSB so we can awaken other sleeping souls trapped in the RSSB gutter. His agents are even on this site trying to recruit innocent souls and peddling twisted manipulated half truths they call RssB teachings ! So beware ! Love your life! Love your experience here! To the Sangat, Don't be a fool and a slave to the pathetic puppet master Gurinder Singh Dhillon who is living life of a billionaire god on earth while the rest suffer.

[Jen]

All is suffering. So many people have difficult lives. Look at the chaos in today's world with COVID where so many are struggling to survive due to restrictions.

My thoughts are that this tiny little planet called Earth, spinning through space, is over populated and this is Nature's way of cleansing. We humans imo are like little ants and so many will try to find some kind of God or guru and unfortunately its simply through fear and yet, some people are lucky and still have a good lifestyle.

I often wonder if we even have a soul. The only experience I've had is an out-of-body experience where I was hovering over my body and looking down at it. Maybe we do survive after death and our spirit is set free but we will never know for sure whilst living in this chaos called life.