I’m not going to get too deeply into the meaning of reincarnation here. That will be ably covered soon enough in Temple Dog Soldier, the follow-up book to Fearless Puppy on American Road. Suffice it to say that the historical Buddha’s original teaching on the subject is reputed in some circles to have very little to do with lifeless flesh or migrating souls. We are reborn with every action. Each time we change our minds a new person comes into being. The new you or me will alter our actions in accordance with recently acquired changes of thought that become our convictions. No action happens without the thought that sponsors it, whether we are conscious of that thought or it lurks cloaked in the subconscious.

Rebirth can, (likely should be,) and perhaps is a constant process regardless of our being conscious of it or not. This functional definition of reincarnation may also be the root of evolution. As we know by now, evolution happens more quickly and efficiently when we are conscious of it, but it is going to happen regardless of whether we are paying attention or not.

I would like to experience this rational aspect of reincarnation as thoroughly and consciously as possible—on purpose. It is also time to shape up or die in the more literal sense. Like many folks my age I have been indulging excessively for decades. There is only so long that can last before the physical form of death pays my body a permanent visit.

To accomplish my (let’s call it) spiritual death I am immediately ending the thought that I have any long-standing attachments. As with everything else my generation has accomplished or failed at, I’ll do this in an excessive manner. Several near-lifelong habits have been instantly evicted including: cigarettes, fried food, coffee and sugar addictions, forty years of daily ganja and near-daily alcohol consumption, a three-decade mission of canvassing for ecological groups (Greenpeace and the wonderful Citizen’s Awareness Network), my significant other, all my friends and environs, my country, and a few other things I can’t remember now due to dizziness from all the withdrawal symptoms setting in. This has all happened (almost) overnight and is getting trippy very quickly. I’m writing this article on a plane to Costa Rica where, besides going through withdrawal processes, all my remaining teeth will be pulled and replaced by implants.

There are usually nine months between conception and birth, so it seems fitting that I stay here in Costa Rica for that length of time.

There are certainly many good reasons to spend time in Costa Rica besides dental work and reincarnation. That’s the report I have heard from anyone who has been there. I’m about to find out if my own acerbic and rapidly disintegrating nature agrees, and will report back to you about it.

Several of the reasons why this country has won universally positive reports revolve around one major reason. CR is perhaps the only country in the world that has been without a standing military for the past 50 years. This lack of aggressiveness (admittedly possible due to a major US military presence) and a practical, humane consideration for all living things have led to Costa Rica pooling all its resources toward brighter ventures than most countries occupy themselves with. The country has a 97% literacy rate, an unparalleled respect for nature, and a thriving ecotourism industry to match that respect. While CR has only _ of 1% of the world’s land mass it contains a full 5% of the biodiversity on Earth. About 25% of the country is protected, making it the singular most environmentally protected nation on Earth. Ecological habitats range from rainforests and volcanoes to beaches and mangrove swamps. An incredible variety of wildlife is protected by an enlightened national conservation system that is considered a role model internationally.

The people here are reputed to be as beautiful as the natural surroundings. This is understandable. The war consciousness embraced by most of the world has been replaced here by a comfort, security, and self-respect that allows for more smiles than fear. If a culture doesn’t thrive on fear, its citizens’ odds of maintaining happiness increases drastically. Happiness shows on people. It keeps them from aging. Looking at nature as something to cherish rather than conquer has also done well by the natives.

There are drugs and (mostly non-violent) crime, especially in the capital city, but for the most part Costa Rica is a happy, democratic, prosperous, and politically stable nation in the midst of a very unstable region. Some of Costa Rica’s autonomy can be attributed to the fact that at the time Columbus landed there in 1502 and for hundreds of years after, Guatemala City was the capitol of the Spanish empire. No one wanted to bother much with a province as far away as Costa Rica. There also weren’t many indigenous people for the Spanish to enslave. As usual, the folks doing the colonizing didn’t like the idea of having to work their own land. The country lacked enough natives for a ruling class to rule, and so was largely left to its own devices. This lack of colonial concern or intrusion in the affairs of Costa Rica allowed it to develop its own peculiarities. These peculiarities led the nation toward its democratic nature. Freedom has almost always been in abundance here.

Over the next nine months I will be sending reports to Chris and Lise about Costa Rica and its ecological/environmental, spiritual, cultural, dental and medical complexion as well as whatever other assorted educational and adventurous aspects present themselves. Both the obvious facts and inner nuances of what may be the world’s only 50-year demilitarized society might be of great interest to all my much-loved homies in Vermont and throughout New England. Some folks may also be interested in the occasional bits about how my cessation of habitual behaviors is going. As folks of my generation decay, they seem to be leaning more toward such processes. A lot of younger folks are smart enough to get on that wagon too. Gaining mental clarity and avoiding physical degeneration both have long-term advantages.

We may be American, but a lot of how we think and act as New Englanders/Vermonters is on the same page as the legendary Costa Rican ethic of “Pura Vida,” Pure Life. (Even many of our lighter notes strike the same chord. The most popular baseball team here is the Red Sox and many locals wear the “B” cap!) Maybe, if Chris and Lise like these articles as much they liked Fearless Puppy on American Road, they’ll put them up on iBrattleboro, and maybe Jeff will put them in The Commons too. Maybe not. They will be on Fearless Puppy’s Facebook Group page as well, but it is no problem if these articles are never read. This writing still has a purpose. Much like the process of writing Fearless Puppy and even more like the time spent writing the Temple Dog Soldier book soon to come, writing these articles will give me something to do while I’m dying—and being reincarnated. Be well, Ten www.fearlesspuppy.org


-Doug "Ten" Rose, reporting from Costa Rica