Blog | davidsmith208

Turkmen’s steps

You’re referring to the opening eighteen verses of the Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi — the famous Ney-nāmeh (“Song of the Reed”). The page you shared summarizes the interpretation of Erkan Turkmen, who argued that the first eighteen verses outline a structured spiritual path. Let’s examine two things: What steps can reasonably be extracted from the first 18 verses? Is Türkmen’s theory structurally justified in light of the whole Masnavi? 1️⃣ The First 18 Verses — What Is Actua

davidsmith208

Feb 193 min read

Post tennis game

Nice result — 12 of 18 games after Monday night play and Tuesday rest means your recovery window worked well. No energy drop = glycogen stores were adequate, nervous system recovered, and protein timing helped. Let’s break this down strategically since you’re trying to lose belly fat while maintaining performance. 🔎 What You Did Right Post-tennis: 32g OWYN protein → excellent for muscle repair Peanuts → added fat + a little extra protein (slows digestion, good for recovery)

davidsmith208

Feb 182 min read

Tennis scheduling

This is the right question, because the answer is not a single number of hours. It depends on what systems were stressed and how well you recovered, not just the clock. You played hard tennis Monday night until 9pm, took Tuesday as a rest day, and now have a match Wednesday at 11am. That gives you ~38 hours. Let’s break it down physiologically, then I’ll give you clear decision rules. 1️⃣ What tennis actually taxes Tennis stresses four systems, each with a different recovery

davidsmith208

Feb 183 min read

Playing the Ney in front of a buffalo

This is a wonderful example of Indo-Persian metaphor crossing into Urdu satire, and you’re remembering it essentially correctly. 👤 Who was Akbar Allahabadi ? Akbar Allahabadi (1846–1921), born Syed Akbar Husain in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), was: One of the greatest satirical poets in Urdu A sharp critic of: blind Westernization hollow modern education social pretension religious hypocrisy Deeply rooted in Persian–Urdu literary culture, but not a Sufi poet in the strict sense

davidsmith208

Feb 182 min read

The Cat and the Mouse

This is a good, careful question, because Paul Smith is not wrong — but his claim needs context and qualification. Let me lay this out in three layers: Who Obeyd Zakani really was Whether his mystical ghazals & rubaʿis exist — and in what sense they are “profound” Where we actually find (capture) those poems today 1️⃣ Who was Obeyd Zakani (1300–1371)? Obeyd Zakani is best known for: biting satire social criticism obscene parody intellectual irony Especially: Mush‑o‑Gorbeh (Th

davidsmith208

Feb 183 min read

Notes of the Ney (Perde) tear off the curtain (perdes)

Thanks — that page you shared is discussing Rumi’s use of the ney (reed-flute) and the Persian word perde (پرده) which literally means curtain/veil but is also used for the musical register or “note” on an instrument. Your question actually has two parts: Can we analyze the historical linguistic use of perde and ney in Persian mystic poetry, including quantitative patterns? How do the metaphors — especially “a sound tearing off veils” — function poetically/spiritually? I’ll

davidsmith208

Feb 174 min read

Ab Finisher

Perfect — this gives us enough data to be precise and still realistic for how hard you train. You’re 206.6 lb at 5’10”, vegetarian, high activity, and your legs/arms already get a ton of indirect work from racquet sports. So yes — focused abdominal work + diet discipline is the right lever for belly fat now. Let’s break this into nutrition today, then how to train abs intelligently so they show as fat comes off. 🥣 Today’s Nutrition (Rest Day, Fat-Loss Focused) Lunch: Lentil

davidsmith208

Feb 172 min read

How to talk to AI

davidsmith208

Feb 172 min read

Rest Day

Good — this is a smart moment. You stacked: Strength 2 hours pickleball Tiebreak tennis to 9pm 32g OWYN Ice + sleep And the arm survived. That’s a win. Now today (true rest day), the goal shifts: 🔥 Preserve muscle 🧠 Recover tendons 📉 Create small caloric deficit ⚖️ Keep insulin stable Not “eat as little as possible.” 🍳 Breakfast (Wife’s Vegan Eggs + Mushrooms) Excellent start. To optimize for fat loss + recovery: Add: ½ avocado or Small handful walnuts Black coffee or gre

davidsmith208

Feb 172 min read

The library in Tashkent

Yes — there is a long-reported manuscript in Tashkent that ties Amir Khusrau and Hafiz together, and it very well could be the one Paul Smith is referring to in his book about Persian poetic styles. 📜 What the scholarly sources say Several academic references note a manuscript (dated 756 AH / 1355 CE) now in a library in Tashkent that contains poems by Amir Khusrau copied out by someone identified as Muhammad nicknamed Shams al-Hafiz al-Shirazi — i.e., Hafiz himself. This ma

davidsmith208

Feb 172 min read

Pickleball drills

I like where this is going. You’re already putting in serious volume (strength + 2 hours pickleball + tennis), so now it’s about precision and repeatability, not just reps. To reach advanced/top-tier pickleball, especially in dinking and lobs, the shift is: From “can I make this shot?” to “can I place this shot intentionally under pressure 9/10 times?” Below is a progressive development plan structured in levels. Phase 1 – Elite Dink Foundation (Weeks 1–3) 🎯 Goal: 50+ contro

davidsmith208

Feb 162 min read

Pickleball then tennis

David, this is a serious workload day — especially adding 2 hours of pickleball before 3 sets of tennis. You’re basically stacking endurance + stability + posterior chain + racquet sport volume. Given your recent comments about feeling strong after swimming and protein timing, fueling properly now will determine how well you perform tonight. You need three things before 6pm: Glycogen refill (carbs) Moderate protein Low fat / low fiber so digestion is easy ⏱ Timing Strategy If

davidsmith208

Feb 162 min read

The value of swimming

That feedback is very clear — and it’s a green light, not a warning sign. What you’re describing (firm muscles, more joint mobility, no stiffness) is a classic response to well-timed swimming acting as active recovery, not fatigue accumulation. So let’s lock in what’s working and refine around it. 1️⃣ Why Saturday Swim + Sauna Is Working So Well Swimming gives you: Zero impact on joints Full-range shoulder motion without load Thoracic spine decompression Parasympathetic activ

davidsmith208

Feb 152 min read

Body Optimization

David — this is excellent detail. Now we can really analyze instead of guessing. You had a very high volume Sunday: Full machine circuit at Planet Fitness 30 min wall hitting 2 hours pickleball at the YMCA 15 min rowing Plus walking That is a lot of cumulative joint stress layered onto a tennis-heavy week. Let’s break this down objectively. 1️⃣ Load Analysis 🔴 Upper body volume was excessive for your tennis goal You did: Triceps press 30 reps Assisted dips 20 Assisted chins

davidsmith208

Feb 152 min read

Listen to the Reed Song

You’re asking about one of the most distinctive sonic features of the Masnavī, and you’re right that hearing it in Persian is essential. 1. What meter is the Masnavī in? The Masnavī-ye Maʿnavī of Jalal al-Din Rumi is written almost entirely in the Arabic–Persian quantitative meter: Ramal-e musaddas-e maḥdhūf رَمَلِ مُسَدَّسِ مَحْذوف Its formal pattern In classical prosody (ʿarūḍ): فَاعِلاتُن / فَاعِلاتُن / فَاعِلُن fāʿilātun / fāʿilātun / fāʿilun Your intuitive rhythm is very

davidsmith208

Feb 152 min read

I erased everything else

And just hung on every word while listening to the Word. I said the five charged words slow until I had gotten very old. With quantum mechanics I completely erased the the past. Thanks for all the vacation spots in seventh heaven. First you jot down some notes, then you turn on your car then you say Ra ra before checking your car again after so long. After you Sat saying your names that you jot down. To say your five charged words at prime time is the essence of the sublim

davidsmith208

Feb 133 min read

Saar Bachan Radhasoami Vaartik

Here’s what’s available regarding English translations of Saar Bachan Radhasoami (including prose, poetry, and Vārtik), and where you might find them online or in printed form. 📘 1) M.G. Gupta (Agra) English Translation (2001) 📌 The Quintessential Discourse Radhasoami – English prose translation with commentary of the discourses of Sri Shiv Dayal Singh (Soamiji Maharaj), translated by M.G. Gupta and published in 2001. This is exactly the edition you mentioned (with 362 para

davidsmith208

Feb 133 min read

Kabir and Blake’s eggs

This is a very fertile comparison, and it works symbolically and structurally, even though there is no historical contact. The short answer is: Blake and the Kabirian Sant Mat tradition are describing the same metaphysical intuition — enclosure of infinity within a finite shell — using different mythic grammars. Let’s unfold that carefully. 1. The Kabirian “cosmic egg”: Aṇḍa → Brahmāṇḍa In the Kabir–Sant Mat cosmology (especially in texts like Anurag Sagar ): Aṇḍa = the egg /

davidsmith208

Feb 133 min read

Sant mat cosmology

This is a deep and subtle question, and you’re right: Kabir often presents cosmology without fully explicit explanations, inviting contemplative inference rather than systematic theology. I’ll frame some plausible interpretive “guesses” grounded in Sant Mat metaphysics, while staying faithful to the symbolic logic of the text rather than forcing later rationalizations. The puzzle in Anurag Sagar In Kabir’s Anurag Sagar , we’re told: Sat Purush (the Absolute / True Being) crea

davidsmith208

Feb 133 min read

Ai Diet

This is a very good question — and it shows you’re thinking at the systems level, not just “dieting.” Let’s design this so: You sync with your wife’s rhythm You lose belly fat You protect muscle You don’t guilt-spiral about fasting or autophagy I’ll be very clear and grounded here. 1️⃣ First: remove the guilt about 3-day fasts “I feel bad I haven’t done a three-day fast and gone deep into autophagy” You do not need 72-hour fasts for: fat loss metabolic health longevity benefi

davidsmith208

Feb 123 min read