With palms together,
Good Morning All,
Its a nice Sunday morning and the air is wonderfully cool. Summer is clearly coming to a close. The passing seasons can be gentle reminders of the changing nature of things. Change is rarely sudden, though sometimes it can seem so. More often than not, change simply happens in small increments, detectable only when we pay attention.
Zazen teaches us to pay attention. When we practice zazen we choose to keep our attention focused, our body and mind join together in this focus, and soon, there is nothing but attention.
In this attention resides our True Nature. What is this Nature? Attention itself.
As the sun dims, the flower falls away. The earth receives the petals and the seeds of spring lay in wait. Life is like that. Breathing in, I receive the universe; breathing out, I release myself to the universe. Close attention to these processes reveals everything changes, yet everything is the same.
Then again, sometimes cool air is just cool air.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Saturday, September 9, 2006
The Real World
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
To the untrained student, spiritual practice and practical practice seem to be two different things. Spiritual practice makes us feel good, relaxed, special, closer to the Infinite, whatever; Practical practice encounters the real world and considers its dangers, as well as its needs and benefits. While this may sometime seems to be so, it is not always so, and in the final analysis, is never so.
When we practice this way, we think we must go to a special place to practice, dress in a special way, take on a special attitude and posture, and so on, in order to be spiritual. Then when we leave that place we can take on the attitude and posture of the real world, thus justifying our need to be unjust, cruel, and self-centered.
Zen does not differentiate between these two worlds. The Master walks in both at the same time, recognizing what needs to be done and doing it, does so with mind like water, thus revealing the truth, that there is only one world.
Buddhist values are practical values. Generosity ends suffering; morality ends harm; patience encourages success; diligence increases endurance; meditation creates receptivity; and wisdom manifests the whole. It is only when we understand what we are doing through the narrow eyes of the self, that these seem impractical.
When a stone is tossed into the water, the water embraces it.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
To the untrained student, spiritual practice and practical practice seem to be two different things. Spiritual practice makes us feel good, relaxed, special, closer to the Infinite, whatever; Practical practice encounters the real world and considers its dangers, as well as its needs and benefits. While this may sometime seems to be so, it is not always so, and in the final analysis, is never so.
When we practice this way, we think we must go to a special place to practice, dress in a special way, take on a special attitude and posture, and so on, in order to be spiritual. Then when we leave that place we can take on the attitude and posture of the real world, thus justifying our need to be unjust, cruel, and self-centered.
Zen does not differentiate between these two worlds. The Master walks in both at the same time, recognizing what needs to be done and doing it, does so with mind like water, thus revealing the truth, that there is only one world.
Buddhist values are practical values. Generosity ends suffering; morality ends harm; patience encourages success; diligence increases endurance; meditation creates receptivity; and wisdom manifests the whole. It is only when we understand what we are doing through the narrow eyes of the self, that these seem impractical.
When a stone is tossed into the water, the water embraces it.
Be well.
Friday, September 8, 2006
Zazen
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
Zazen this morning was a quiet affair. I sat alone in the Ino's seat chanting and ringing the bells. Then silence in the upright posture. Zazen is a silent and deeply quieting practice, through the practice periods themselves can be riotous. In the end, just as the breath finds its own rhythm so do our minds.
I read a piece in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind a short while ago that caught my attention. Suzuki suggested that talking about the philosophy of Zen was a little blasphemous. He pointed out that talking about what you do not realize is wrong headed. I suggest it is a little like putting the cart before the horse, or curtainly like mistaking a picture for a thing.
So, what is Buddhism? Sit zazen.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
Zazen this morning was a quiet affair. I sat alone in the Ino's seat chanting and ringing the bells. Then silence in the upright posture. Zazen is a silent and deeply quieting practice, through the practice periods themselves can be riotous. In the end, just as the breath finds its own rhythm so do our minds.
I read a piece in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind a short while ago that caught my attention. Suzuki suggested that talking about the philosophy of Zen was a little blasphemous. He pointed out that talking about what you do not realize is wrong headed. I suggest it is a little like putting the cart before the horse, or curtainly like mistaking a picture for a thing.
So, what is Buddhism? Sit zazen.
Be well.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Value
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
What is a value? Over the years I have spent being a therapist and now a priest, I have often wondered. My early academic interests were in the areas of philosophy and religion, then social work, which I saw as applied ethics. Core to any 'spiritual' or religious path, is an exploration of values.
A value is a quality we invest with meaning, perhaps. Or perhaps our values are nothing more or less that the named meanings of our lives.
In any event, like all things, value have meaning only when lived, not when thought.
Values that are only thoughtful expressions are window dressing, spiritual candy, or worse: chimera. By thoughtful expressions I mean things we've named and mistaken the name for the thing. For example, when we value peace and do not live peacefully, we are not living authentically. Peace and living peace must be one and manifest in our lives to be a value.
All of our values seem to flow from something, that is they seem to be dependent upon something. In my case, they flow from a single core value: life. So, what supports and nurtures life is good, what doesn't is bad.
In this sense, then, war is a last option, not a first or pre-emptive one. If someone wishes to cause me harm, my resistance to their effort must be measured and only enough to prevent them from harming me. But even before physical resistance, I must emotionally and psychologically resist and attempt to find non-aggressive ways to avoid the conflict in the first place.
Our willingness to do this is a measure of our value.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
What is a value? Over the years I have spent being a therapist and now a priest, I have often wondered. My early academic interests were in the areas of philosophy and religion, then social work, which I saw as applied ethics. Core to any 'spiritual' or religious path, is an exploration of values.
A value is a quality we invest with meaning, perhaps. Or perhaps our values are nothing more or less that the named meanings of our lives.
In any event, like all things, value have meaning only when lived, not when thought.
Values that are only thoughtful expressions are window dressing, spiritual candy, or worse: chimera. By thoughtful expressions I mean things we've named and mistaken the name for the thing. For example, when we value peace and do not live peacefully, we are not living authentically. Peace and living peace must be one and manifest in our lives to be a value.
All of our values seem to flow from something, that is they seem to be dependent upon something. In my case, they flow from a single core value: life. So, what supports and nurtures life is good, what doesn't is bad.
In this sense, then, war is a last option, not a first or pre-emptive one. If someone wishes to cause me harm, my resistance to their effort must be measured and only enough to prevent them from harming me. But even before physical resistance, I must emotionally and psychologically resist and attempt to find non-aggressive ways to avoid the conflict in the first place.
Our willingness to do this is a measure of our value.
Be well.
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Notes
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
This morning we went out early to have our blood drawn at a laboratory as part of our annual physicals. Overnight fasting meant nothing to eat or drink this morning: no tea, no coffee, no breakfast, no morning pills. Zero, nada, goodness.
The nurse at the lab was a very cheerful woman who had been an Army Medic. She was impressed with the scar on my head. War stories. One never has to go to far to hear them. The thing is, these days they are often about what happens after discharge and how our country fails its veterans. We shared easily together.
Then home for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs with mushrooms and peas, yogurt and whole wheat toast, and of course a cup of coffee. Tripper enjoyed waiting eagerly for anything that would come his way in the preparation. I thought of all the hands and lives that went into bring this food to us as I shared with both Tripper and Pepper.
My Little Honey ate quickly and went off to knit with the ladies of the Stitch & Bitch group. Knitting is her Zen practice, and a good one it is, too. I am here with Tripper, Pepper, and Pete. I think its time for a walk, but first the dishes.
The clouds are dark, but not looking all that much as though they will open up on us. At least not just yet. We are recovering from these rains in small steps. The Zen Center's ceiling has to dry out. We will do our sesshin in Cloudcroft at my Teacher's Zendo.
But just now a small cup of hot white tea and do the dishes.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
This morning we went out early to have our blood drawn at a laboratory as part of our annual physicals. Overnight fasting meant nothing to eat or drink this morning: no tea, no coffee, no breakfast, no morning pills. Zero, nada, goodness.
The nurse at the lab was a very cheerful woman who had been an Army Medic. She was impressed with the scar on my head. War stories. One never has to go to far to hear them. The thing is, these days they are often about what happens after discharge and how our country fails its veterans. We shared easily together.
Then home for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs with mushrooms and peas, yogurt and whole wheat toast, and of course a cup of coffee. Tripper enjoyed waiting eagerly for anything that would come his way in the preparation. I thought of all the hands and lives that went into bring this food to us as I shared with both Tripper and Pepper.
My Little Honey ate quickly and went off to knit with the ladies of the Stitch & Bitch group. Knitting is her Zen practice, and a good one it is, too. I am here with Tripper, Pepper, and Pete. I think its time for a walk, but first the dishes.
The clouds are dark, but not looking all that much as though they will open up on us. At least not just yet. We are recovering from these rains in small steps. The Zen Center's ceiling has to dry out. We will do our sesshin in Cloudcroft at my Teacher's Zendo.
But just now a small cup of hot white tea and do the dishes.
Be well.
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Friday, September 1, 2006
Labor Day
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
With this weekend comes an opportunity to consider our work. Labor Day weekend has long been a "sale" weekend, a "party" weekend, and a last "family picnic" weekend of the summer. In truth though, most of our holidays are remembrance days. During their passage we should spend some time reflecting on their meaning.
We know that meaning can exist in two ways at least: personal meaning and communal meaning. In each case it is human beings, however, who make the meaning. The communal meaning of Labor Day is often geographic and socioeconomic. If we were living in a heavily unionized city, Labor Day takes on a decidedly different flavor and meaning than say in Miami, Florida where much of the city is devoted to play.
Still, some holidays should have a base line meaning and this meaning becomes a personal; one. The baseline meaning of a holiday is derived from its reason for being established in the first place. Then it is particularized individually and communally.
Labor Day is a day we reflect on the labor it takes to make our lives what they are. For some us us, labor is used as a tool to earn money, for others it is used as a tool to create. Labor involves effort. Labor involves deliberation. Labor involves patience.
Whatever our labor is we should remember it is our labor. To keep it ours we must do it with mindfulness. When we labor mindlessly it loses its value. When we labor for others sake only, labor becomes an enemy. When we labor only for the money we are paid, money itself becomes an enemy.
Considering labor is important then. A consideration of our labor can enrich our lives by helping us see our relationship to it and to those who do it.
Keeping this relationship a relationship of mindfulness and compassion is a very meaningful thing to do.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
With this weekend comes an opportunity to consider our work. Labor Day weekend has long been a "sale" weekend, a "party" weekend, and a last "family picnic" weekend of the summer. In truth though, most of our holidays are remembrance days. During their passage we should spend some time reflecting on their meaning.
We know that meaning can exist in two ways at least: personal meaning and communal meaning. In each case it is human beings, however, who make the meaning. The communal meaning of Labor Day is often geographic and socioeconomic. If we were living in a heavily unionized city, Labor Day takes on a decidedly different flavor and meaning than say in Miami, Florida where much of the city is devoted to play.
Still, some holidays should have a base line meaning and this meaning becomes a personal; one. The baseline meaning of a holiday is derived from its reason for being established in the first place. Then it is particularized individually and communally.
Labor Day is a day we reflect on the labor it takes to make our lives what they are. For some us us, labor is used as a tool to earn money, for others it is used as a tool to create. Labor involves effort. Labor involves deliberation. Labor involves patience.
Whatever our labor is we should remember it is our labor. To keep it ours we must do it with mindfulness. When we labor mindlessly it loses its value. When we labor for others sake only, labor becomes an enemy. When we labor only for the money we are paid, money itself becomes an enemy.
Considering labor is important then. A consideration of our labor can enrich our lives by helping us see our relationship to it and to those who do it.
Keeping this relationship a relationship of mindfulness and compassion is a very meaningful thing to do.
Be well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)