With Palms Together,
Good Morning everyone,
Zen and Technology, Part Three
As I go through my day I notice both very fine nuances in my brain’s activity, and the gross impositions its impairment places on my ordinary daily activities of living. I notice my body’s lack of balance, facial tics, and my halting, stumbling gait. I notice my fingers are tight, perhaps a little puffy. I notice how my mind tries to go to sleep when I open a book or sit down for zazen. Everyday life is our playground. In it we reveal ourselves to ourselves. It is these revelations that we should notice. Notice, not grasp.
Technology is neither good nor bad; it is neither the beginning nor the end. It is the sun setting, the moon rising, the birds chirping.
Change is always difficult. We experience a sweet moment and want to hold it forever. Yet, there it is, that pesky next moment intruding on our song. For all of our talk about being in the present, I notice a desire to live in the past or in some future rendition of perfection. I just notice. I open my grip on it and let it slip away.
We also fear change. Our children, those digital brains, are the next step in our evolution as a species. They will understand their creation in a wholly different way than we do. Moreover, they will not understand us without great effort. They will be less and less constrained by a physical world and be more and more interconnected in the vast network of the universe. Values and expectations will change. And much like our ancestors were challenged by the paradigmatic shift regarding our place in the universe, so too, will we.
From a Zen perspective, no problem: Be here now!
Organ Mountain Zen
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Zen and Technology, Part Two
With Palms Together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen and Technology, Part Two
Written over the last couple of days:
This morning the weather report on my computer said it would be overcast and possibly stormy. I understood from one of my students, (who called last night on her cell) that it was supposed to rain on us in the morning. So, I decided not to go to the park for Zen in the Park this morning and instead sent an email to those who often sit with me informing them that I would be sitting in the Condo Zendo. After that, I checked the Order’s bank account online, made some modifications to a blog site, and then began composing this post.
July 2, Afternoon
This afternoon, I had two occasions to use Skype video conferencing. The first with Student John from California. And later, our Zen discussion group included a member via Skype. Student Dai Shugyo had come down with strep throat and needed to stay home, but he wanted to be a part of the discussion. We set up the Notebook with camera facing the group as we then pursued a rich discussion of the early part of the Platform Sutra.
July 2, Evening
Such technological innovations as cell phones, telephones, computers, and the Internet have brought us close together and in so many ways shrunk the world. On our Zen Living list, for example, we have over three hundred and fifty members, many from very distant parts of the planet including Australia, China, an, Iraq and Iran. On Face Book, I am connected with over four hundred people. My friends at Tricycle and Blogger bring me to nearly a thousand…and this does not count the smaller, more personal, email directory I post. Not only are words posted, but pictures, video, and audio files as well.
At no time in the history of our species have we been so easily able to instantly connect to, speak to, and listen to the myriad voices of the human race. As with any tool, however, changes inevitably occur as we adapt to the new technologies. We not only make our tools, but are, in turn, made by them. This is a very important point and cannot be overstated. Children, for example, who routinely use computers, grow different brains than those who don’t. We now have a term for this, “digital brains” in “digital children,” or “Digital Natives.” See this article for a fascinating introduction.
The absence of a tool in one’s life changes one’s life…and now we know, even one’s actual brain.
Human beings are a social species. We gain our humanity through social relationships. So, one of our basic human drives as beings in the world is the drive to connect and through that connection define our reality.
What is this reality?
July 3, Morning.
Suki is better. She has not coughed for two days. I am pleased and grateful to all who offered their thoughts on behalf of her well-being.
Reality is what we make it to be. Things in themselves mean nothing in themselves, but add a human being to the mix and we get meaning. Human beings assign meaning to everything, then rank order those meanings and this rank order gives rise to an axiological scheme: what we value.
Yet, this is a case where the interaction between the thing and the being changes both. A cup once offered the meaning of ceremonial teacup becomes something other than a cup and that something other alters our brain as we interact with it. Form and function inter-are…intimately.
Technologies are nothing in themselves. What is a Blue Tooth without a human being calling it a Blue Tooth? Assigning meaning to it (a useful, hands-free tool or a sign that the Borg are already with us), is what we humans do. Our Zen is to notice.
Next: Notice what?
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen and Technology, Part Two
Written over the last couple of days:
This morning the weather report on my computer said it would be overcast and possibly stormy. I understood from one of my students, (who called last night on her cell) that it was supposed to rain on us in the morning. So, I decided not to go to the park for Zen in the Park this morning and instead sent an email to those who often sit with me informing them that I would be sitting in the Condo Zendo. After that, I checked the Order’s bank account online, made some modifications to a blog site, and then began composing this post.
July 2, Afternoon
This afternoon, I had two occasions to use Skype video conferencing. The first with Student John from California. And later, our Zen discussion group included a member via Skype. Student Dai Shugyo had come down with strep throat and needed to stay home, but he wanted to be a part of the discussion. We set up the Notebook with camera facing the group as we then pursued a rich discussion of the early part of the Platform Sutra.
July 2, Evening
Such technological innovations as cell phones, telephones, computers, and the Internet have brought us close together and in so many ways shrunk the world. On our Zen Living list, for example, we have over three hundred and fifty members, many from very distant parts of the planet including Australia, China, an, Iraq and Iran. On Face Book, I am connected with over four hundred people. My friends at Tricycle and Blogger bring me to nearly a thousand…and this does not count the smaller, more personal, email directory I post. Not only are words posted, but pictures, video, and audio files as well.
At no time in the history of our species have we been so easily able to instantly connect to, speak to, and listen to the myriad voices of the human race. As with any tool, however, changes inevitably occur as we adapt to the new technologies. We not only make our tools, but are, in turn, made by them. This is a very important point and cannot be overstated. Children, for example, who routinely use computers, grow different brains than those who don’t. We now have a term for this, “digital brains” in “digital children,” or “Digital Natives.” See this article for a fascinating introduction.
The absence of a tool in one’s life changes one’s life…and now we know, even one’s actual brain.
Human beings are a social species. We gain our humanity through social relationships. So, one of our basic human drives as beings in the world is the drive to connect and through that connection define our reality.
What is this reality?
July 3, Morning.
Suki is better. She has not coughed for two days. I am pleased and grateful to all who offered their thoughts on behalf of her well-being.
Reality is what we make it to be. Things in themselves mean nothing in themselves, but add a human being to the mix and we get meaning. Human beings assign meaning to everything, then rank order those meanings and this rank order gives rise to an axiological scheme: what we value.
Yet, this is a case where the interaction between the thing and the being changes both. A cup once offered the meaning of ceremonial teacup becomes something other than a cup and that something other alters our brain as we interact with it. Form and function inter-are…intimately.
Technologies are nothing in themselves. What is a Blue Tooth without a human being calling it a Blue Tooth? Assigning meaning to it (a useful, hands-free tool or a sign that the Borg are already with us), is what we humans do. Our Zen is to notice.
Next: Notice what?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Zen and Technology
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Technology and Zen: Part One
Technology. Good grief. What is it in this modern world that drives us to be so connected? My cell phone would not operate in the Condo. Every call required a walkabout outside. (Note: I seem to get a lot of calls.) This situation drove me to Skype, a wonderful computer program that enables telephone and video calls. I considered giving up the cell phone and installing a satellite card in the Notebook, but they tell me the bandwidth requirements were excessive and my monthly fees would be high. I needed access to various email accounts, Skype, telephone, Face Book, Blogger.com, and Tricycle.com. Most of my work as a monk is through the Internet and through the use of these various technologies. So.
I broke down and ordered a new phone and phone service. Then I spent the next several days trying to actually get the new phone shipped. This was followed by another several hours yesterday trying to get the thing to work. And now, finally I have it able to receive and send calls (imagine that!), but I still cannot get the email function to work properly (as it seems dedicated to Google mail) …I was able to sync in my Yahoo account info, but so far cannot get additional mail, except through a browser window. I managed to connect Face Book and the Blue Tooth thingy, as well: A Zen cyborg, I.
New Mexico now has a Cyborg law. We have to have an implant in our ear in order to use the phone while driving. I understand this and even support the hands free part, but goodness, there has to be another way! Everywhere I turn, earpieces, and now me!
Which brings me back to my question, what is the drive to be so connected: technology in service to connectivity for the sake of what?
See Part Two
Good Morning Everyone,
Technology and Zen: Part One
Technology. Good grief. What is it in this modern world that drives us to be so connected? My cell phone would not operate in the Condo. Every call required a walkabout outside. (Note: I seem to get a lot of calls.) This situation drove me to Skype, a wonderful computer program that enables telephone and video calls. I considered giving up the cell phone and installing a satellite card in the Notebook, but they tell me the bandwidth requirements were excessive and my monthly fees would be high. I needed access to various email accounts, Skype, telephone, Face Book, Blogger.com, and Tricycle.com. Most of my work as a monk is through the Internet and through the use of these various technologies. So.
I broke down and ordered a new phone and phone service. Then I spent the next several days trying to actually get the new phone shipped. This was followed by another several hours yesterday trying to get the thing to work. And now, finally I have it able to receive and send calls (imagine that!), but I still cannot get the email function to work properly (as it seems dedicated to Google mail) …I was able to sync in my Yahoo account info, but so far cannot get additional mail, except through a browser window. I managed to connect Face Book and the Blue Tooth thingy, as well: A Zen cyborg, I.
New Mexico now has a Cyborg law. We have to have an implant in our ear in order to use the phone while driving. I understand this and even support the hands free part, but goodness, there has to be another way! Everywhere I turn, earpieces, and now me!
Which brings me back to my question, what is the drive to be so connected: technology in service to connectivity for the sake of what?
See Part Two
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Darkness
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning it is a delightful dark outside. The bulb in the door light has blown out and I am pleased at its passing. Darkness seems underrated, light overrated. In the darkness, we more easily access stillness. In the darkness, we more easily access ourselves. Light provides a myriad of distractions and takes our attention away that we might see what is there to see. So, a blown-out light bulb provides a respite from the light and I reside for a moment, with Suki, in the dark as she does her morning business.
Suki seems to be doing a little better. Less hacking, no blurry eyes, and her nose seems much better. I have an appointment with a veterinarian tomorrow. I am hopeful she will offer some medicines in addition to that which I am using. She has a lot of heart. Clearly, she struggles valiantly to be well.
Zen life is like that, putting one foot in front of the other aiming to complete the journey, but not really knowing what that means. We abandon meaning for the sake of the experience of each breath. And when asked, “Is that all there is?” We say, “Yes.”
Each breath is life itself, entirely and completely. Each blink of the eye, turn of the mouth, movement of a finger or foot, is the universe arousing itself. Being well is nothing more or less than being awake in this arousal.
May your journey today be what it is, but that it is peaceful and safe.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning it is a delightful dark outside. The bulb in the door light has blown out and I am pleased at its passing. Darkness seems underrated, light overrated. In the darkness, we more easily access stillness. In the darkness, we more easily access ourselves. Light provides a myriad of distractions and takes our attention away that we might see what is there to see. So, a blown-out light bulb provides a respite from the light and I reside for a moment, with Suki, in the dark as she does her morning business.
Suki seems to be doing a little better. Less hacking, no blurry eyes, and her nose seems much better. I have an appointment with a veterinarian tomorrow. I am hopeful she will offer some medicines in addition to that which I am using. She has a lot of heart. Clearly, she struggles valiantly to be well.
Zen life is like that, putting one foot in front of the other aiming to complete the journey, but not really knowing what that means. We abandon meaning for the sake of the experience of each breath. And when asked, “Is that all there is?” We say, “Yes.”
Each breath is life itself, entirely and completely. Each blink of the eye, turn of the mouth, movement of a finger or foot, is the universe arousing itself. Being well is nothing more or less than being awake in this arousal.
May your journey today be what it is, but that it is peaceful and safe.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Suki's Moment
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Life seems to test us. Life does not seem to test us. On the one hand, as our brain separates us from what life is, we can perceive it as something outside of us; testing us, embracing us, celebrating, or supporting us. On the other hand, if we realize there is nothing outside of us, that this inside/outside is just a function of our brain perception and organization and not reality, then nothing is presenting itself in any way, we are just living.
Suki is still sick. Another trip to the shelter revealed a threat to her life. The vet tech thought that maybe she had distemper. Since I do not “own” her yet, as the mandatory waiting period and spaying has not occurred, they could simply seize her and put her down. We are trying a heavier dose of drugs and a few other things. She seems to be doing well, but for the cough, and has no symptoms of distemper itself.
One way of looking at this situation is it is another loss in a row of losses. I could add them up, say OMG, and feel like crap. Another way is to say, “Suki is ill, care for her.”
Tomorrow is an imagining, yesterday a fictionalized memory. This moment, this moment is all there actually is. My function in this moment is to care.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Life seems to test us. Life does not seem to test us. On the one hand, as our brain separates us from what life is, we can perceive it as something outside of us; testing us, embracing us, celebrating, or supporting us. On the other hand, if we realize there is nothing outside of us, that this inside/outside is just a function of our brain perception and organization and not reality, then nothing is presenting itself in any way, we are just living.
Suki is still sick. Another trip to the shelter revealed a threat to her life. The vet tech thought that maybe she had distemper. Since I do not “own” her yet, as the mandatory waiting period and spaying has not occurred, they could simply seize her and put her down. We are trying a heavier dose of drugs and a few other things. She seems to be doing well, but for the cough, and has no symptoms of distemper itself.
One way of looking at this situation is it is another loss in a row of losses. I could add them up, say OMG, and feel like crap. Another way is to say, “Suki is ill, care for her.”
Tomorrow is an imagining, yesterday a fictionalized memory. This moment, this moment is all there actually is. My function in this moment is to care.
Be well.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Rain
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning the air feels heavy. The rainy season is fast approaching. In the desert southwest we typically get rain, often heavy, in the afternoons each day through August and sometimes into September. It is a pleasant season overall, cooler due to the afternoon overcast sky, but the humidity rises and in can get quite uncomfortable, especially in large black robes.
Yesterday, we held our Zen discussion group and the section of the Platform Sutra we addressed was the Fifth Patriarch’s request for his students to show their understanding and the senior disciple’s poetic reply. He writes on the wall,
“The body is a bodhi tree
The mind is like a standing mirror
Always try to keep it clean
Don’t let it gather dust.”
As a corollary, I introduced a koan Student that John S and I were working on, Master Langye’s “Original Purity.” This is Case 6, from Master Dogen’s True Dharma Eye and puts forth the notion that all things appear and each of them are dharma gates: so what is purity?
These two points of ancient text stand as kyosaku. The senior disciple has part of it. He teaches us serenity and practice, but he does so with an aim: the aim of purity. Red Pine points out that the poem “is not the teaching that sets us free, but the teaching that itself becomes a burden…”(p.99).
Master Dogen’s koan offers us a way through the problem: everything is pure, everything. As Daido Loori points out, “There is nothing outside of it.”
The result? Pure and Impure lose their meaning. What is left is absolute Oneness.
Rain is not rain, it is just what we call rain; rain is just rain and it appears as though we might get some today.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning the air feels heavy. The rainy season is fast approaching. In the desert southwest we typically get rain, often heavy, in the afternoons each day through August and sometimes into September. It is a pleasant season overall, cooler due to the afternoon overcast sky, but the humidity rises and in can get quite uncomfortable, especially in large black robes.
Yesterday, we held our Zen discussion group and the section of the Platform Sutra we addressed was the Fifth Patriarch’s request for his students to show their understanding and the senior disciple’s poetic reply. He writes on the wall,
“The body is a bodhi tree
The mind is like a standing mirror
Always try to keep it clean
Don’t let it gather dust.”
As a corollary, I introduced a koan Student that John S and I were working on, Master Langye’s “Original Purity.” This is Case 6, from Master Dogen’s True Dharma Eye and puts forth the notion that all things appear and each of them are dharma gates: so what is purity?
These two points of ancient text stand as kyosaku. The senior disciple has part of it. He teaches us serenity and practice, but he does so with an aim: the aim of purity. Red Pine points out that the poem “is not the teaching that sets us free, but the teaching that itself becomes a burden…”(p.99).
Master Dogen’s koan offers us a way through the problem: everything is pure, everything. As Daido Loori points out, “There is nothing outside of it.”
The result? Pure and Impure lose their meaning. What is left is absolute Oneness.
Rain is not rain, it is just what we call rain; rain is just rain and it appears as though we might get some today.
Be well.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Notes
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning is Street Zen at Sagecrest Park. I enjoy very much sitting under the trees at this pleasant little park. Birds do their morning dances and people walk their dogs, gathering in small pockets of the park to share stories.
Afterwards, I am going to T or C to talk with our webmaster. From there, its back to the Zendo for a Dokusan appointment followed by our weekly Zen Discussion Group at 4:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Sesshin approaches for the second weekend of July. We have space for one additional person at this point. Confirmed registrants include Daiho, Bussho, Zen Shin, Dai Shugyo, Soku Shin, and from California, Ko Myo, Casey Cochran, and John Sorenson.
Donation for the weekend is $25.00. Meals included.
Please register now if you want to attend.
Lastly, we have availble copies of my booklet, "The Zen of Trauma" ($2.00) and the DVD short independent film, "Street Zen" ($12.00) . If you would like a copy, please email me.
Thank you.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning is Street Zen at Sagecrest Park. I enjoy very much sitting under the trees at this pleasant little park. Birds do their morning dances and people walk their dogs, gathering in small pockets of the park to share stories.
Afterwards, I am going to T or C to talk with our webmaster. From there, its back to the Zendo for a Dokusan appointment followed by our weekly Zen Discussion Group at 4:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Sesshin approaches for the second weekend of July. We have space for one additional person at this point. Confirmed registrants include Daiho, Bussho, Zen Shin, Dai Shugyo, Soku Shin, and from California, Ko Myo, Casey Cochran, and John Sorenson.
Donation for the weekend is $25.00. Meals included.
Please register now if you want to attend.
Lastly, we have availble copies of my booklet, "The Zen of Trauma" ($2.00) and the DVD short independent film, "Street Zen" ($12.00) . If you would like a copy, please email me.
Thank you.
Be well.
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