With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
The sun is rising over the mountains and the cool desert air is rapidly warming. We are forecast to hit the 100 degree mark today, tomorrow, and the next day. We have our thermostat set at 82 degrees. Our ceiling fans cool us nicely, as the condo is set facing east so that by afternoon, the windows are all in the shade. I open our windows overnight and close them around 8:00 AM, dropping the blinds as well. This procedure allows for fresh air overnight and cooler inside temperatures through the heat of the desert day.
This is my "off" day from exercise and I look forward to not running, biking, or swimming. We all need a rest day, a day to recover ourselves, nurture ourselves, and re-set our spirits.
In Judaism we call this day Shabbat. Christianity refers to it as Sabbath. Zen has no such day. I've wondered about this. Why no day of rest in Buddhist practice?
In the days of the Buddha (and even today in some places) monks arose early and walked to villages where they stood silently in front of houses with begging bowls seeking food. A day without begging was a day without food. Monks had no possessions other than their robes and begging bowls. They did not cook, nor did they store up things: monks were "shukke," home-leavers.
There are other reasons however. The categories of work, play, and rest, are mental constructs. We add these concepts to our activity. A being who is awake lives without such categories. From an outsider's perspective he or she might be working or sitting or resting, but from an insider's point of view, he or she would always be at stillness. When we practice Zen, we practice being awake in all postures: sitting, walking, lying down. This "awake" is very particular. It means being one: no separation between the person, activity, and environment. No separation between the consciousness of this or that. Just this. Living thus means we are never in opposition. By definition, there can be no work: we are always at rest.
This is every moment Shabbat.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Zen is Life
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen practice is life practice; life practice is Zen practice. All of life is our way and it offers us many paths upon which to walk. As we wake we might say, "This morning as I wake, I vow with all beings to see each thing as it is and not to forsake the world." This simple vow demands of us that we practice mindfulness with each breath and each step while embracing each thing in our awareness.
Its easy to embrace birdsong in the morning or a gentle breeze through leafy trees. It is much harder to embrace the stench of exhaust fumes or the sounds of loud, drunken people at a restaurant. Yet, each offers us something: opportunity to practice compassion. Compassion for our environment being polluted; compassion for people who want to be happy, but choose poisonous means to achieve their end.
Our practice is the practice of engaged action. We are asked by our opportunities to seek ways to cease causing harm, to do good, and to bring about abundant good to all beings. These opportunities may be direct or indirect. Directly dealing with exhaust fumes may require the use of face masks (as they do in Japan) or through the indirect means of purchasing a car with higher fuel economy and lower emissions, riding a bike, or walking. Directly dealing with loud drunks, a word to the management, might be in order, or leaving the premises with a comment to the management. Indirectly, we might support drug and alcohol education in schools and in our organizations. We might support and encourage disciplined spiritual practices such as meditation, avoiding high doses of alcohol, and increasing our ability to understand deeply the interconnectedness of behavior and environment.
Every time we become annoyed we should feel the annoyance and understand it as an immediate call to practice. Every time.
We should stop, look deeply and listen.
In these ways, life is Zen and Zen is life.
In these ways, we become our practice.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen practice is life practice; life practice is Zen practice. All of life is our way and it offers us many paths upon which to walk. As we wake we might say, "This morning as I wake, I vow with all beings to see each thing as it is and not to forsake the world." This simple vow demands of us that we practice mindfulness with each breath and each step while embracing each thing in our awareness.
Its easy to embrace birdsong in the morning or a gentle breeze through leafy trees. It is much harder to embrace the stench of exhaust fumes or the sounds of loud, drunken people at a restaurant. Yet, each offers us something: opportunity to practice compassion. Compassion for our environment being polluted; compassion for people who want to be happy, but choose poisonous means to achieve their end.
Our practice is the practice of engaged action. We are asked by our opportunities to seek ways to cease causing harm, to do good, and to bring about abundant good to all beings. These opportunities may be direct or indirect. Directly dealing with exhaust fumes may require the use of face masks (as they do in Japan) or through the indirect means of purchasing a car with higher fuel economy and lower emissions, riding a bike, or walking. Directly dealing with loud drunks, a word to the management, might be in order, or leaving the premises with a comment to the management. Indirectly, we might support drug and alcohol education in schools and in our organizations. We might support and encourage disciplined spiritual practices such as meditation, avoiding high doses of alcohol, and increasing our ability to understand deeply the interconnectedness of behavior and environment.
Every time we become annoyed we should feel the annoyance and understand it as an immediate call to practice. Every time.
We should stop, look deeply and listen.
In these ways, life is Zen and Zen is life.
In these ways, we become our practice.
Be well.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Shift
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
We are awake and moving this morning with a lot to pack into a small car. Our trip to the Refuge will be leisurely (my morning mantra) and stress free (my promise). He-he-he.
Anyway, preparing for anything can be stressful. We imagine all sorts of things. Some of us imagine bad things (I forgot the corkscrew), others of us, good things (let's enjoy being together), and depending on your type, so goes your journey.
I have for years been the 'bad things' type, only recently...with the help of a Zen practice...moved over incrementally to the 'good things' type. Maybe my meds help as well, to be really honest :). And I have noticed as I shift that sometimes others have a hard time with the shift itself. Old perceptions, you know, are a challenge to change, but we continue along this wonderful journey anyway.
We are going to the Refuge to host a retreat for Temple Beth El's Religious School. We have nearly thirty people coming, I hear. (Beating away the 'Bad things' thoughts) I look forward to seeing everyone and enjoying their company. I am looking forward to hiking, sitting around a fire at night, watching the stars, and watching others enjoy the Refuge itself.
May good things rule!
See ya!
Good Morning Everyone,
We are awake and moving this morning with a lot to pack into a small car. Our trip to the Refuge will be leisurely (my morning mantra) and stress free (my promise). He-he-he.
Anyway, preparing for anything can be stressful. We imagine all sorts of things. Some of us imagine bad things (I forgot the corkscrew), others of us, good things (let's enjoy being together), and depending on your type, so goes your journey.
I have for years been the 'bad things' type, only recently...with the help of a Zen practice...moved over incrementally to the 'good things' type. Maybe my meds help as well, to be really honest :). And I have noticed as I shift that sometimes others have a hard time with the shift itself. Old perceptions, you know, are a challenge to change, but we continue along this wonderful journey anyway.
We are going to the Refuge to host a retreat for Temple Beth El's Religious School. We have nearly thirty people coming, I hear. (Beating away the 'Bad things' thoughts) I look forward to seeing everyone and enjoying their company. I am looking forward to hiking, sitting around a fire at night, watching the stars, and watching others enjoy the Refuge itself.
May good things rule!
See ya!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ten Minutes
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Temple Beth El. I teach three classes in a row: Jewish Spirituality, Jewish History, and Advanced Jewish Spirituality. By the end of the day I am swimming in Judaism. Not a bad thing, really. but cause for a period of rest. I was reading a book by Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi the other day and he presented me with a wonderful tool. He calls it "making a ten minute Shabbot (Sabbath)".
The Sabbath is a break from ordinary time, as Rabbi Zalman points out, there is "doing" time and "being" time. (Master Dogen of the 13th century pointed out the same from a Zen point of view.) Being time is full, natural time, not clock time, not calendar time, but time in the present moment, in sync with your natural, human rhythm.
We can each "make" a ten minute sabbath by taking leave of the clock and joining the natural universe, either when we need it or during a break time in our busy day. We do this by stopping what we are doing, perhaps changing our environment by walking outside, or even, as Jon Kabat-Zinn pointed out, lying down on the floor (to get a different perspective), and then paying attention.
During our ten minute Shabbot, we release ourselves from work. We smell the air, breath deeply, relax our muscles, let the tension in our bodies drift away. This is a time for rest and renewal. In Zen we call it Zazen.
At the conclusion of our ten minutes, we return to our day knowing that our day, and the work it involves, is our connection with the world and through this, a blessing to the Infinite.
Perhaps we don't have ten minutes? OK, five. Not even five? OK, one.
Enjoy your minute.
Be well.
references:
Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi, First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit
Master Dogen, Uji, in the Shobogenzo
Jon Kabot-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are
Good Morning Everyone,
Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Temple Beth El. I teach three classes in a row: Jewish Spirituality, Jewish History, and Advanced Jewish Spirituality. By the end of the day I am swimming in Judaism. Not a bad thing, really. but cause for a period of rest. I was reading a book by Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi the other day and he presented me with a wonderful tool. He calls it "making a ten minute Shabbot (Sabbath)".
The Sabbath is a break from ordinary time, as Rabbi Zalman points out, there is "doing" time and "being" time. (Master Dogen of the 13th century pointed out the same from a Zen point of view.) Being time is full, natural time, not clock time, not calendar time, but time in the present moment, in sync with your natural, human rhythm.
We can each "make" a ten minute sabbath by taking leave of the clock and joining the natural universe, either when we need it or during a break time in our busy day. We do this by stopping what we are doing, perhaps changing our environment by walking outside, or even, as Jon Kabat-Zinn pointed out, lying down on the floor (to get a different perspective), and then paying attention.
During our ten minute Shabbot, we release ourselves from work. We smell the air, breath deeply, relax our muscles, let the tension in our bodies drift away. This is a time for rest and renewal. In Zen we call it Zazen.
At the conclusion of our ten minutes, we return to our day knowing that our day, and the work it involves, is our connection with the world and through this, a blessing to the Infinite.
Perhaps we don't have ten minutes? OK, five. Not even five? OK, one.
Enjoy your minute.
Be well.
references:
Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi, First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit
Master Dogen, Uji, in the Shobogenzo
Jon Kabot-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are
Friday, April 25, 2008
No Room for Self Centeredness
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
If you want to live an authentic life, you must be willing to live completely. This means living with your mind, heart, body, and environment so thoroughly integrated that there is only one. By environment, I include Big Mind, the Absolute, i.e., God.
In Judaism we practice Hitbodedut in order to experience Ruach HaKodesh, the spirit of God, which, like Big Mind, is everything. In order to experience this we must open our hearts and minds in stillness. This is the equivalent of zazen.
There is a real resistance to opening. Its as if somehow if we open ourselves we will either disappear or be injured. So we try, but retain that last bit of wall to protect us.
Such protection is the self holding onto Self. It prevents us from joining the Universal.
When we practice, we should therefore reduce the threat.
In Zen we do this by reciting the san ge mon, the prayer of repentance, and the Three Refuges, san ki rai mon. In these verses we acknowledge our sins, their source, and let them go, while also affirming our willingness to reside in Buddha (Awakened State), Buddha-Nature (Dharma, Reality), and a Sangha (Community of spiritually minded human beings).
In Judaism, we do some of the same sort of thing, though more extensively. In the daily liturgy, we thank the Absolute for pretty much everything, we bless His name, we speak about our gratitude for all the things in the world and in our lives, and we ask for healing for those in need.
All of these are an attempt to make it not only OK to let down our small and large walls, but to make letting go of small self desirable. There is no room in Zen or Judaism for self centeredness, selfish wants, or a separation from the Infinite.
When we are not separate from the Infinite, both Self and Non-Self are understood in their proper relationship. They are the same stuff, but operationalized differently. Riding the bike is being one with the bike, whilst simultaneously riding the bike, enjoying the scenery, the effort, and all other aspects of the activity. Its this simultaneity that is key.
Be well..
Good Morning Everyone,
If you want to live an authentic life, you must be willing to live completely. This means living with your mind, heart, body, and environment so thoroughly integrated that there is only one. By environment, I include Big Mind, the Absolute, i.e., God.
In Judaism we practice Hitbodedut in order to experience Ruach HaKodesh, the spirit of God, which, like Big Mind, is everything. In order to experience this we must open our hearts and minds in stillness. This is the equivalent of zazen.
There is a real resistance to opening. Its as if somehow if we open ourselves we will either disappear or be injured. So we try, but retain that last bit of wall to protect us.
Such protection is the self holding onto Self. It prevents us from joining the Universal.
When we practice, we should therefore reduce the threat.
In Zen we do this by reciting the san ge mon, the prayer of repentance, and the Three Refuges, san ki rai mon. In these verses we acknowledge our sins, their source, and let them go, while also affirming our willingness to reside in Buddha (Awakened State), Buddha-Nature (Dharma, Reality), and a Sangha (Community of spiritually minded human beings).
In Judaism, we do some of the same sort of thing, though more extensively. In the daily liturgy, we thank the Absolute for pretty much everything, we bless His name, we speak about our gratitude for all the things in the world and in our lives, and we ask for healing for those in need.
All of these are an attempt to make it not only OK to let down our small and large walls, but to make letting go of small self desirable. There is no room in Zen or Judaism for self centeredness, selfish wants, or a separation from the Infinite.
When we are not separate from the Infinite, both Self and Non-Self are understood in their proper relationship. They are the same stuff, but operationalized differently. Riding the bike is being one with the bike, whilst simultaneously riding the bike, enjoying the scenery, the effort, and all other aspects of the activity. Its this simultaneity that is key.
Be well..
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Renewal
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Waking up in the morning, I am aware of just how precious a new day is: it should not be taken for granted.
We can chose to just get through it, doing what we do to take care of ourselves. We can chose to do something for the world, to make it a better place . We can chose to live as if each moment were a blessing in itself.
So, what will I do with this day? What will you do with this day?
Often, the thing that renews the world renews you. Maybe that's a good place to start.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Waking up in the morning, I am aware of just how precious a new day is: it should not be taken for granted.
We can chose to just get through it, doing what we do to take care of ourselves. We can chose to do something for the world, to make it a better place . We can chose to live as if each moment were a blessing in itself.
So, what will I do with this day? What will you do with this day?
Often, the thing that renews the world renews you. Maybe that's a good place to start.
Be well.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Get the Ball Rolling!
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning I plan to go for a run of sorts with my friend, Katie. It will be a desert trail run and I'm looking forward to it. I have not been training as hard as I should of late, so maybe today I'll be able to kick it a bit. Maybe a few hill repeats are in order.
Consistency is vital. Habit energy is the strongest sort of human energy, I think. Like the proverbial ball rolling is hard to stop, so too, its hard to get rolling again. Best to just roll, because once "on a roll" its easy to continue to do so.
I've noticed our chief enemy to consistency is our Small Mind. It wishes to take us away from the Big Mind "roll". We might say to ourselves, "Aw, I don't feel like it" or "I just can't get myself out there today...my ______________ hurts."
Just Small Mind at work. Kick it. Get into that Big Mind space, expansive, open, inclusive. positive.
We should do this with everything: physical training, zazen, prayer, compassion, relationship building and relationship maintenance. Everything.
Another way of saying this is to let the self fall away to be enlightened by the myriad things.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning I plan to go for a run of sorts with my friend, Katie. It will be a desert trail run and I'm looking forward to it. I have not been training as hard as I should of late, so maybe today I'll be able to kick it a bit. Maybe a few hill repeats are in order.
Consistency is vital. Habit energy is the strongest sort of human energy, I think. Like the proverbial ball rolling is hard to stop, so too, its hard to get rolling again. Best to just roll, because once "on a roll" its easy to continue to do so.
I've noticed our chief enemy to consistency is our Small Mind. It wishes to take us away from the Big Mind "roll". We might say to ourselves, "Aw, I don't feel like it" or "I just can't get myself out there today...my ______________ hurts."
Just Small Mind at work. Kick it. Get into that Big Mind space, expansive, open, inclusive. positive.
We should do this with everything: physical training, zazen, prayer, compassion, relationship building and relationship maintenance. Everything.
Another way of saying this is to let the self fall away to be enlightened by the myriad things.
Be well.
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