Paddy KamenWhere I've Been, What I've Cared About
I am 68 years old and have been a freelance writer for over 20 years. I did not keep my CV current because I had no need for it. I wasn’t an academic and was not looking for work. So, this is an unconventional CV approach, starting with a few key facts: dropped out of high school in grade 10, married at 17, had my first child at 19, obtained an undergrad arts degree (creative writing) while a mother of three young kids. I moved from professional writing, media relations and public speaking for politicians and government into freelance writing/journalism around age 44, and had a few pieces published in the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. I did not see myself as a journalist. |
My first love was writing poetry and I had modest success with that, although I was not career oriented. I won a Harbourfront Reading Series (now the Toronto International Festival of Authors) Poet’s Discovery Night in 1984, which gave me the chance to read in their international reading series. At one point, years later, I checked and found my name of the list of authors who had read there. I was a miniscule blip on a screen of great talents! One of my poems was published, by a mentor, Susan Musgrave. I did not seek other publication.
A passion for interior growth and metaphysical realms led me into the practice of meditation at age 16, which through the meandering ups and downs of life led to an interest in the field of technological aids to brain enhancement. I started a website in 2010: www.betterbrainbetterlife.com. I kept that up for four years and gained enough credibility that several doctorate-level folks interviewed with me and wrote for the site. I self-published a book of the best from that site as BetterBrainBetterLIfe: Tips and Tales from the Tantalizing World of Brain Science in 2013. The site is still accessible, but the content is stale. It may be revived!
These days I am super-thankful and indeed, privileged, to be writing an authorized biography of, Shinzen Young. While Shinzen has already made an incredible mark as a leading teacher of Buddhism in the West, he stands an excellent chance of making a significant impact on global human happiness with his current science-based projects. I have interviewed him over a period of 20 years, along with over 60 of his students, friends, family, and colleagues.
Shinzen’s story needs to be told—he’s nearing 80, at the apex of his powers, and is now moving into a wider sphere to benefit all beings through the intersection of science, technology, and the wisdom teachings of the world’s contemplative traditions. Replete with risk and transformation, his story is one with big themes and lived experiences that are cinematic in scope and…dare I say…inspiring!
The book will encompass Shinzen’s entire life. You’ll read about his heroes, setbacks, extreme adventures, and profound spiritual insights. You’ll find him running with outlaw bikers in L.A., singing Japanese songs with WW2 veterans in a karaoke bar in Kyoto, and discussing his neuroscience research with Sir Roger Penrose over lunch in Silicon Valley. This is no idealization of Shinzen, but rather an honest and revealing account of a remarkable human being who has followed a singular vision.
Now. Smiling. I am yours.
A passion for interior growth and metaphysical realms led me into the practice of meditation at age 16, which through the meandering ups and downs of life led to an interest in the field of technological aids to brain enhancement. I started a website in 2010: www.betterbrainbetterlife.com. I kept that up for four years and gained enough credibility that several doctorate-level folks interviewed with me and wrote for the site. I self-published a book of the best from that site as BetterBrainBetterLIfe: Tips and Tales from the Tantalizing World of Brain Science in 2013. The site is still accessible, but the content is stale. It may be revived!
These days I am super-thankful and indeed, privileged, to be writing an authorized biography of, Shinzen Young. While Shinzen has already made an incredible mark as a leading teacher of Buddhism in the West, he stands an excellent chance of making a significant impact on global human happiness with his current science-based projects. I have interviewed him over a period of 20 years, along with over 60 of his students, friends, family, and colleagues.
Shinzen’s story needs to be told—he’s nearing 80, at the apex of his powers, and is now moving into a wider sphere to benefit all beings through the intersection of science, technology, and the wisdom teachings of the world’s contemplative traditions. Replete with risk and transformation, his story is one with big themes and lived experiences that are cinematic in scope and…dare I say…inspiring!
The book will encompass Shinzen’s entire life. You’ll read about his heroes, setbacks, extreme adventures, and profound spiritual insights. You’ll find him running with outlaw bikers in L.A., singing Japanese songs with WW2 veterans in a karaoke bar in Kyoto, and discussing his neuroscience research with Sir Roger Penrose over lunch in Silicon Valley. This is no idealization of Shinzen, but rather an honest and revealing account of a remarkable human being who has followed a singular vision.
Now. Smiling. I am yours.