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Bill Porter update

Update on Bill Porter — translator of Chinese and Buddhist classics and China traveler, and author of Road to Heaven: Encounters With Chinese Hermits — in China.org.cn, titled “Drawn in the beauty of solitude – a life inspired by Chinese poetry.” Porter’s most recent visit to China centered around his latest book, Paradise of the Mind, on ancient poet Tao Yuanming or Tao Chien. The article reviews Porter’s travels and reflections, concluding:

Considering his age, Porter [he is 75] has decided to settle down and stop his wanderings. Together with some friends, he is preparing to open a meditation center in Seattle.

“The best things in life are things that can make the world stop,” he says. “I found it in Chinese culture, and I would like to share that.”

URL: http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2018-05/25/content_51518212.htm

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Mauro Morandi, Italian hermit

Mother Nature Network ofers an article about Mauro Morandi, age 79, who has spent the last 30 years alone on the deserted Italian island of Budelli near Sardinia. Morandi uses solar energy, makes furniture from driftwood, and shares photos of the natural beauty of the place on his Facebook account. He came to the island because “I was very angry with a society that does not take into consideration the individual, but only runs for power and money … We must try to see the beauty to the end, and then we will respect nature and perhaps this world will be saved.” Includes some of the photos.

URL: https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/blogs/79-year-old-enjoys-life-solitude-deserted-italian-island

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Solitary occupations enjoyed

Mainstream media is more carefully distinguishing solitude or aloneness from loneliness. An article in The Guardian titled “How To Be Alone: ‘I feel most alive when I’m with my own thoughts’ ” interviews five people with solitary occupations — fire tower officer, expedition doctor, wildlife photographer, long-distance lorry (truck) driver, and land ranger — on how they enjoy solitude.

URL: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/28/how-to-be-alone-having-things-do

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Sr. Miriam, Polish hermit-nun

The Aleteia website features an article on Sister Miriam of the Cross, a Polish Carmelite hermit-nun who has not spoken for 16 years. Sister Miriam writes of her silence in a universal way:

“Is not the vow of silence against human nature? I pose this question to myself, too. Without a doubt, silence is so hard for our nature, also for me. However, human social life is possible thanks to a certain dialectic of silence and speaking, contemplation and engagement, breaking free from worldly desires and enjoying the world, etc. Therefore, the role of silence in interpersonal communication, in relationships, seems crucial and actually necessary for obtaining some harmony. It is communication that takes place within the human spirit, where mindfulness, gentleness, attentiveness to the other, warmth, and respect originate. There is a close correlation between silence and speaking, as all is born out of silence.”

URL: https://aleteia.org/2018/04/20/this-hermit-nun-hasnt-spoken-for-16-years-but-heres-what-she-tells-us/

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Dobre Dobrev, Bulgarian hermit

The website Balkan Insight features an article on a hermit who raised money for church projects and achieved enormous popularity.

Bulgaria is grieving over the death of the urban legend, hermit and church benefactor Dobre Dobrev, who passed away on Tuesday at the amazing age of 103. … Born in 1914 in the village of Bailovo, 43 kilometers east of Sofia, he was famous for his ascetic lifestyle, long white beard and stooping figure.

URL: https://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bulgaria-mourns-the-passing-of-ascetic-church-benefactor-dyado-dobri-02-14-2018