I'm listening to Adyashanti, who trained in Buddhist Zen for many years (not sure if "trained" is the right word). He says suffering is caused by misperception, not seeing things as they really are. His writing and speeches are very interesting to me right now. "How am I causing my own suffering through my own misperceptions?" "There is no such thing as a true belief... Reality itself is clear."

Class today was fun. Weed science is like "plant story time", because the instructor has tons of energy and loves to tell stories about things. He told a story about wild parsnip, commonly found on roadsides and in abandoned lots. A girl's father was brought to court for child abuse. The girl (7 or so) has severe welts on her back. It looked as if she had been whipped. The defense brought a weed scientist, who was able to confirm that her welts were from wild parsnip. Apparently there was a patch of it in her backyard that she felt into. It causes contact dermatitis (similar to poison ivy). The father was finally acquitted. Who knew!?