I agree and thought my response made that clear.  The point was as you stated above to learn from those experiences and move on . . .

I know very little of Pema Chodron or what the Tibetans are about. But I do remember the Chogyam Trungpa "thing" which cemented my resolve to stay far away . . .

The link was just the first when I did a quick search so luck of the draw and no agenda.

Here's another view of the mind.  One that is over 2500 years old. This is not a "reading" book. It is more of a reference/guide book to understanding experience:
Abhidhammattha Sangaha

Even as skillfully and well documented as these revisions are, it is inevitable that the content will be misunderstood by readers with no knowledge of Pali language or significant internal exploration of the  processes described, so tread lightly and don't embarrass yourself. 

FWIW . . . those involved in the revisions of the translation, which were made 30 years ago, were known to me as teachers, mentors and colleagues.  I was asked to review the changes and was surprised and honored to receive a mention of my efforts in the preface.

Yes, incoming data is just a springboard to dreams and that is where the real challenge lies. Some experiences are pleasant, greed/attachment arise and the mind seeks more. Some are painful, aversion arises and the mind recoils. Other incoming objects are so uninteresting we fall asleep or frantically seek pleasure to keep the dream alive. Better to just observe the whole contaminated process with detachment.

And an observation . . . the formatting of the text in the original Ruiz quote is producing line breaks.  Would be easier to read if the text could just flow.  However, it does give me an opportunity to note annoyance, so thank you for that . . . 

Did a 5 minute jump through from beginning to end. Stunning visuals wasted on such silliness, self-indulgence, and fantasy.  Nothing of liberative value there.  Just a celebration of excesses and stereotypes that perpetuate the dream.

Well said, Andy. Those who are suffering hope for a better life. Even those who have a wonderful life want more.  The thirst is insatiable and fuels the cycle.

The error humans make is to assume a transition to the same time, place and species.  Destinations are infinite which makes the prospect even more terrifying.

Unless the mind is very disciplined, it is a roll of the dice.  That is what stopping the dream and practicing to be  here and now is about. Over time the dream fades and there is just now.

I'll have a look at the movie later.

Yeah, that is a good one.  Zuboff nails it!

Sri Lanka also has a history of colonial abuse.  First there were the Portuguese then the Dutch and finally the British Empire. It went on for centuries . . . Of course they did everything they could to impose their religious beliefs on the "natives" as Western European colonists did all over the world.  Disgusting . . .

@MiyoLinux . . . It's easy to step into a pile of poo when assumptions are made. Those assumptions most always say more about the assumer than the receiver.  You are certainly "special" in my Rolodex for whatever that's worth  . . . 

Free speech is a tricky thing but is speech "free" when it is only allowed for some but not for others? Book burning is also problematic.  Which books get burned and who makes those decisions? The gamut of human opinion is infinite and it is driven either by   generosity or greed, kindness or hate and truth or delusion.  How does hating those who hate solve anything?  It just fuels the flames.  The Devuan community is better than this . . .

Having a bad day HoaS?

/me sends another hug . . .

Actually the disease of human hubris and stupidity is the cause of both those problems.

Good for you! I never went the route of direct action but instead, that of words.  My site which collected documentation and news stories was #1 in google rankings for almost 10 years. Scotland is holding the GMO line but the rest of UK not so much. The administrative battle with word-twisting continues at the regulatory level.  In that game, the bad guys always get their way  eventually and I no longer have the stomach for it.

I still buy bulk but also may have to readjust because I just can't eat that much at my ago.

Yeah . . . I do a lot of potatoes too but almost impossible to find decent ones here. Lucky you to have Pink Fir Apple! /me high-fives the Scots!