Story 61 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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When I was young, we were a family of four living in a small apartment. At the time, especially as a teenager, I bemoaned my lot in life and wished I lived in a far grander home like a few of my friends.

My mother fancied herself a philosopher. She read Lin Yutang and Richard Needham of the Toronto Globe and Mail. My father was an army guy, a vet who lived for hockey and football. My mother had no one with whom she could discuss the issues of the day until I came along. Newspaper in hand, she would come at me as I was getting dressed to go out and play and begin by saying, “This is quite interesting…” Then...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
5 minutes 16 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 60 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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As one proceeds on the non-doing path, the simpler life becomes. The simplicity refers to a lessening of inner confusion, not necessarily to fewer possessions. A letting go or a discarding happens naturally to all the habitual mind patterns that we immerse ourselves in. Again, it’s the craving for and our attachment to our chosen modes of escape...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
4 minutes 40 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 59 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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I have spent most of my adult life avoiding gainful employment. I remember telling my guidance counselor at the age of fourteen that I wanted to be a shepherd. I pictured myself lazing under a giant oak, my trusty staff at my side, ready to rescue any wayward sheep. But shepherding was not on his list of future occupations, so he checked off actuary for me. For years I thought the two were synonymous.

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
3 minutes 37 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 58 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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I don't do fun. I shun hysteria. I never understood the causal relationship between indulging in a fun activity and happiness. Having the bejesus scared out of me on a roller-coaster is not, in and of itself (as we used to insert into arguments in Philosophy 101), fun. It is terrifying. The fun can only arise, if at all, when the ride is...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
3 minutes 36 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 57 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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One parent-teacher evening, a parent caught me alone at my desk and asked to see me for a few minutes. She seemed upset over some perceived injustice or oversight. She started in on me before she had sat down.

“My Eliza in your grade 6 geography class received a failing grade on her last test. She had studied very hard for that test. She is very upset with the mark she got...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
3 minutes 17 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

More by Ian McCrorie.

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Story 56 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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I meditate mostly in my room, but I always meditate in silence. I remain still. Stillness is both a vehicle to silence and a byproduct of the same. Ajahn Chah referred to doing nondoing as a still forest pond. Stillness is also the antonym of distraction, whereas the conditioned mind is the epitome of distraction, filled as it is with well-trodden paths of judgment, impatience, craving, anger, and confusion. The myriad negative mind states prevent a banana from being seen as simply a banana.

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
4 minutes 29 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 55 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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On the way to Eungam Station in Seoul lived a tailor and his wife. He did simple alterations to pants and jackets. His wife did the measuring and the pinning. They had two large dry-cleaning machines, also her responsibility, as was the folding. He however did all the pressing. They both worked slowly. This being my favorite speed, I could relate. They took great care. They wore slippers because they lived upstairs. I always wanted a job in which...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
2 minutes 38 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 54 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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When I was young, I would spend a few weeks of my summer holiday at my grandmother’s in Toronto. She lived by herself in a small apartment in the downtown. She had no television. She had no games or toys. There were no books at my age level, let alone comics. I loved it. My mother would catch up with Grandma. I was left to fend for myself. I was totally free, unprogrammed, unentrapped. I counted cars. I ran the streets.

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
3 minutes 49 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

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Story 53 from 'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' by Ian McCrorie
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Many years ago, I attended a performance of Aida. This was a full production and the director wanted to impress. In the opening scene, he featured a live elephant. The audience seemed to anticipate the arrival of the elephant more than the two hours of Verdi that would follow the pachyderm's entrance. As the curtain parted, there stood the elephant as right as rain, center stage. The woman seated beside me, unable to contain herself, shouted,...

narrated by Ian McCrorie
2022
3 minutes 32 seconds

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Audio copyright, 2022 Pariyatti

'A Lifetime Doing Nothing' as a book and eBook can be found at https://store.pariyatti.org/a-lifetime-doing-nothing.

More by Ian McCrorie.

View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.