how do i do the
charting?
You can download a chart here.
Mark the chart daily. (Guessing a few days later is prohibitted by local, state, federal, and international law.)
Basically, you earn or lose points for
actions and behaviors. These are added up to get your daily total. Usually
you count an activity in only one category, even if it is applicable to
more than one. The exceptions to this rule are marked by an
asterisk * These can be considered as "bonus" categories. For
example, you ate many vegetables in a given day. That counts in
the vegetables category. But if 90% of your food also was
organic, you get an additional point in the bonus category of
"organic."
Draw a zero with a
slash in all empty boxes. It creates greater acknowledgement
of each area of activity and the overall chart ends up looking better.
the 17 events of the
chart:
EVENT
|
MAX
PNTS
|
HOW
TO SCORE:
|
BOOKS THAT INFORM THE SUBJECT
 |
| Kindness |
5
|
Acts
of Kindness need not be large, but they must be offered to strangers, people you aren't
dating, working for, or related to by
blood. One
point per act. Also, include activism that is directed toward helping
the local or planetary eco-system and/or the creatures that inhabit it.
If
you volunteer, that's a point. If you give someone a ride in your car,
that's a point. If you donate to charity, one point per $10. If you
collect trash on walk, that's a point. If you see
someone who looks lost and say "hello," that's a point. If you
speak out for non-human species, that's a point.
Set the rainforest site as
your home page and click it everyday to save 11.4 sq ft of rainforest. And/or also the Care2 site, which is beautifully designed.
You can have one point per day for writing down 3 positive events that have happened to you.
|
 |
Yoga
|
6
|
One point per 30 minutes up to 4 points. Any kind of yoga counts,
including Laughing Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Power Yoga
and other classes that are more-or-less yoga. Teaching a yoga class
counts here also.
Other classes could go here too, like Zumba or dance (although those could be put in the exercise category below).
|
 |
| Exercise |
3
|
One
point per 30 minutes. Any aerobic exercise would count here: running,
swimming, cycling, dancing, walking... You
may include
games like tennis and soccer here as well ---anything that moves the body and gets the
heart rate up. Studies show that walking just 30 minutes a day
has amazing health benefits. |
 |
Meditation
|
3
|
One
point per session. Generally speaking, a meditation session is about
20-40 minutes long. Also,
different approaches to meditation count, such as guided meditation,
chanting meditation... but not "I was meditating while walking to work."
*NEW* You can have a point
each time you sit with an intention to meditate for a while, even if
you go crazy and get up after only 5 or 10 minutes.
|
  |
Unicycle
|
3
|
*NEW*
One point for the first 5 minutes of trying/riding. A second point for
the next 10 minutes. A third point if you keep going for 20 more
minutes.
|
|
Circus Tricks
|
6
|
One
point per 30 minutes of practicing such wonders as juggling, tightrope
walking, and handstanding. Improv theater and clowning may count here.
If you have children and you take time out to goof around with them,
this could count here--especially if it is very silly.
|
|
Costumed
|
2
|
If
you put on a fabulous costume, 2 points. If you put on part of it, like
just the shoes, 1 point. My definition of such regalia includes any
elaborate treatment of the head (wigs, multiple hats, feathered
headdresses), the body, and the feet.
|
|
Recitation
|
2
|
One point for 20 minutes of reciting poetry or other interesting verse. A second point if one recites it to another person.
|
|
Research
|
6
|
One
point per 30 minutes of reading non-fiction on a subject of
interest. Classes, lectures, and other relevant formats count.
Listening to the news or surfing the web doesn't receive points (although
web-based research can count if it is on topic). New: Your research can take non-linguistic forms, such as space or sound (therefore art or music practices receive points here).
|
|
Vegetation
|
6
|
One
point per helping of vegetables. In my view, one need not measure the
vegetables exactly. Each meal can have a
maximum of three points (up to the max 6 points per day). Some
non-sugary fruits count as vegetables: cucumbers,
tomatoes, and lemons. Sweet fruit doesn't get points (but doesn't count
off either). A green smoothie, therefore, might bring in up to three
points.
SPECIAL
EXCEPTION: If you fast all day, you earn 9 points (but no points "raw" or "organic").
|
 |
Raw & organic
|
3
|
If
you ate 80% raw foods, 2 points. If 50% raw, 1 point. Raw
means that your calories come from vegetation that hasn't been
heated above 118 degrees.
Additionally, you may have one
point for eating 80% organic and/or from your own garden and/or from
local growers (who we presume to be organic or better).
|
  |
Cleanings
|
3
|
Of
course there are many ways to clean oneself but the three that count
here are a) flossing one's teeth, b) drinking half your body weight
in ounces of water, and c) taking time out to bring order to your living space.
One point for flossing; one point for water; one point for cleaning house.
|
  |
| Transportation* |
2
(or possible loss of points)
|
If
you got about all day long without using any motor to propell you, then
you get two points. This is true even if you stay home. If you took mass-transportation or carpooled, then you get one point.
If
you are the driver of a carpool, then you also get a point for
carpooling. This is where it gets tricky... especially if you have kids
because kids can't drive. And they are family members (which affects
"acts of kindess") but still you're not directly deciding to drive...
gosh. To make things more simple, let's say that if you are organizing
your driving around moving kids about, and maybe running errands too...
then maybe just put no points down, either positive or negative.
Lose one point if you went on a solo excursion in a vehicle that gets less than 30 miles to the gallon. Subtract another
point for 12 or more miles of daily driving. Work errands may be excused, but not driving to work.
You
may offset the carbon made during longer trips via groups like carbonfund.org.
Otherwise, you drop 1 point per 60 miles of driving
solo or 120 miles if in a vehicle with other people (whether driving
or not, including busses and shuttles). For planes, also lose 1 point
per 60 miles. No loss of points for electric trains.
|
   |
New
Purchases
|
--
|
You
lose one point for every item or package that you buy. This mainly has
to do with discretionary consumer items.
Exemptions include business expenses,
food & anything in the grocery store, any media (books, movie
tickets, etc),
and anything vintage or used already. Note that gasoline is counted in the motor section, so no need to count it here.
If you order
steamed vegetables (let's say) and the meal is served to you in a styrofoam plate, then
that is a new purchase.
|
  |
Animal
Products
|
--
|
You
lose one point per serving of an animal product, such as meat &
fish, dairy, and eggs.
Take breakfast, for example. Each glass of milk is minus one (even if
it is a large glass). If you have one egg over easy, minus one. If you
have three eggs scrabled, minus one. An omlet might be minus two
because it is quite large and also has cheese and milk. If you have a
breakfast of eggs, sausage, and yogurt, then minus three. If you have
cereal with milk on it, then minus one. There
are no limits to how many points one may lose per meal or per day.
Note: If you buy cat food for your cat, that doesn't count off.
Same for dogs, although they may not require meat.
Note: Organic animal products also count off, although you may still qualify for the organic bonus point (above).
|
 
|
Sugars
(except fruit) & Wheat
|
--
|
One
point is lost per sweet thing eaten. Note that if you were to have a
sweetened yogurt or ice cream, then it would be minus one even though
it applies in two categories. Fruit is exempted but maple surup, agave
nectar, and honey cost points.
One
point lost per serving of bread. It is true that
not everyone is highly allergic to wheat gluten, but actually it is a
disaster for human beings. There are key books on this topic
which you might want to look at. The overall point is that humans
evolved over some 400,000 to 2.5 million years (depending on when you
mark "human") but only in the last 10,000 did anyone start planting,
harvesting, and baking wheat. Our bodies don't process it properly. 98%
of wheat eaten by Americans is enriched (even if it says "whole wheat")
and of a modified strain called "Dwarf wheat." Very inflamatory. Read more.
|
|
Intoxicants
|
--
|
One
point lost per drink. One point lost per cigarette (harsh!). Two points
per recreational drug, since generally the dosage is equal to at least
two drinks.
It is fascinating that yoga does have a history with smoking hash and
I've read that the Vedas were written under the influence of
mushrooms... but you can find all the happiness you need by looking
inside--and it is a better path to demonstrate for others.
Coffee counts here if you regard it as an intoxicant and would like to stop drinking it.
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|
|
AMAZING PRIZES
Prizes are
awarded to those who mark the chart daily and then attend the
end-of-the-month meeting. To learn of the exact time and dates of the
ceremonies, write to calclements(at)gmail(dot)com and he will add you
to the email list for such announcements. The ceremonies will last
60-75 minutes.
HOW PRIZES ARE GIVEN OUT
The more people attend the ceremony, the more prizes.
number of attendees with charts
|
prizes
|
1-5
|
1
|
6-10
|
2
|
11-15
|
3
|
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
Generally,
you'll have a choice. The prizes range from natural rubber yoga mats,
clown regalia, gift certificates, and tools of special interest to
bodhisattvas. During
our last charting contest (called "CREW"), Marie-Claire won an
all-expenses-paid trip to a Yoga Conference in New York. Many
all-natural yoga mats were awarded, along with $50 gift certificates to
Gymnopedie (a virtuous and tiny restaurant).
SPECIAL PRIZE TO THOSE WHO SCORE HIGHER THAN DR. CAL CLEMENTS
Since Dr. Clements is the inventor of the chart and prize giver, he
will himself not be competing. However, all participants who score
higher than Cal will receive 25 cents per point in the form of legal
tender. For example, if Cal scores 550 and you score 950, you will get
$100 in cash.
WHAT IF I FILL OUT ONLY SOME DAYS ON MY CHART, PERHAPS BECAUSE I STARTED LATE?
That is fine... your total will be your total... but there is no back dating.
Charts must be filled out daily. In other words, if you forget to fill
out your chart on a given day, then you can't go back a few days later
and guess what your points were. (It is almost impossible to remember.)
WHAT IF I DON'T WIN?
You'll still receive the following gestures: a) a golden stamp on your
chart, b) the community of fellow bodhisattvas, c) an excuse to dress
up.
SHOULD I DRESS UP FOR THE CEREMONIES?
Why, certainly--that would be lovely. The more eccentric the better.
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