Hi Ruth, no me neither. I've tried again just now and the template still isn't there. A Blogger blip I guess, and I'm not sure what to do about it. When I'm at work I won't be able to post the date anyway - but I've rather enjoyed doing it up till now!
Anyway, sat this morning for 10 minutes. Really glad to do it once I'd settled into it. Although I have a lot of stuff going on it softened as I let the anxiety just be.
OK - done some further investigating. The list of former posts has indeed vanished from my Dashboard, but the template seems to be still available. Will maybe try again tomorrow! :-)
Hi Mary, no idea what is going on there. Is anyone else having trouble?
jean, softening into those things, even if just a little, is surely why we're all here?
I sat both days for 15, though met a Zen Buddhist at a party who said it wasn't worth sitting for less that 40 really which upset me a little! today just trying to observe thoughts - where they originate and whose they are. Observed 'I love you', and in that moment the 'you' (J was struggling with a new fax machine) was just a series of beeps and curses, a few steps and a little humming, whilst 'I' was just a body breathing, listening...quite wierd, like we are all made up of little pixels of eachother's perception...it was somehow cleansing.
Dale, it was nice to have you peep in. I miss you when you're not around.
I'm not having difficulty viewing previous posts. I wonder, Mary, have you tried refreshing your cache or clearing the history? I'm thinking perhaps your computer or browser has cached the erroneous page and is popping it back up for you each time instead of going to get the actual current page? Just a thought.
I suppose someone other than me might find it not worthwhile to sit less than 40 minutes. But I can say that I usually sit for quite a bit less than 40 and it definitely makes a difference - for me.
Ruth, I changed my name because, having thought about it a while, I felt ready to use my real name. If you feel more comfortable continuing to address me as moose, that's fine. (I really hope you don't have to wait 3 years to feel better!)
Little pixels of perception are about all we come down to anyway, eh? I mean at any given moment, it's only our memory, assumptions, and emotions that stitch together the individual fragments of perception and experience - of ourselves or others? Which, in my mind, makes the whole sum tremendously vulnerable and suspect, and when I can think of it that way it's very easy to be generous about my own or others' inaccuracies of perception (or conclusion). Does that make sense?
Going to sit now. Sometimes this blog is helpful in getting me going.
Yes, it makes lots of sense, mb. (You never seemed moose-like to me at all, so I welcome the new name!)
Thanks for enquiring, Jean. Having a hellish holiday, which I'm just trying to survive.
A downside of Zen's austerity and simplicity and one-size-fits-all approach is that some of them -- a quite small (but vocal) minority, in my experience -- come to think that their own approach is the only one that has any value, since they don't get exposure to anything else. The upside, of course, is that they don't have to spend a lot of time, energy, or distraction on whether they're doing the right thing in the right way. There is only one thing to do, and one way to do it.
Which reminds me, tangentially, you asked whether it's important to stick with a single image, Ruth, a day or two ago... my only opinion there is that it works better for me not to improvise in the midst of meditation -- improvisation necessarily entails lots of evaluation (is this working? is it time to try something else?) and speculation (maybe that would work better? Or that other thing?) So if I were going to work with multiple images, I'd lay it out for myself ahead of time.
Ruth - about that arrogant acquaintance you met recently, I say, PSHAW. Eido Roshi said that to me when I was taking myself or my practice too seriously. "Pshaw", she would say, and I'd collapse into a fit of giggling.
The Seventh of the Ten Grave Precepts is "Not praising yourself while abusing others." Arrogance announces to the world that we don't feel at ease with ourselves and must summon up self praise.
Periods of sitting vary in length from center to center. the Soto Zen tradition traditionally sits for 40 minutes, while in the Rinzai Zen tradition the sitting period is typically 25 minutes. My teacher (Robert Aitken Roshi) says, "Sitting for long periods without moving can cause you to become stale, sometimes without knowing it. If you wish to sit for a long time, break after twenty-five minutes, rise and stretch, wash your face, or just look at the sky, and then return to your seat. You will find yourself refreshed."
He devotes a section entitled "Carry your Practice Lightly" in his book Encouraging Words.
'snuff said ... I'm going now to sit for precisely 7-1/2 minutes.
{{Dale}} I'm sorry to hear your holiday is going hellishly. Much warmth to you and wishes for the hellish aspects to smooth out soon as possible. And you are right, the name mostly didn't fit me, which is, perversely, why I chose it. If I'm going to have a pseudonym, a name that's not mine, doesn't it make sense to choose one that's not like me? (That said, it is like me in certain small ways that I won't go into here.) But truthfully, it was a name chosen mostly in jest.
Interesting to hear the variety in teachings, Janice. (Snowdrops and rhodies - I'm still marveling.)
Yes, I've been taking a vacation this week too, and will miss it next week when I have to become productive again.
My sitting today took place on the subway platform, but in spite of all that potential distraction, it was pretty good. I hope to be getting back to regular sitting, too!
Hi all, I'm looking forward to starting up the official new 100 days. I sat a bit before my family visit over the holidays, but not during. I sat yesterday morning distractedly for 15 minutes and then this morning a bit less distractedly 15 minutes. I found a feeling of woundedness come up and I sat with that, like with a child who's hurt but there's nothing more you can do but just sit quietly beside her so she knows you're there. It felt good.
Happy New Year, everyone. Safe travels if you're out tonight.
12 Comments:
mary, I posted today with no problem. Not sure what's going on your end.
Hi Ruth, no me neither. I've tried again just now and the template still isn't there. A Blogger blip I guess, and I'm not sure what to do about it. When I'm at work I won't be able to post the date anyway - but I've rather enjoyed doing it up till now!
Anyway, sat this morning for 10 minutes. Really glad to do it once I'd settled into it. Although I have a lot of stuff going on it softened as I let the anxiety just be.
Word verif: goutgo (!)
OK - done some further investigating. The list of former posts has indeed vanished from my Dashboard, but the template seems to be still available. Will maybe try again tomorrow! :-)
Hi Mary, no idea what is going on there. Is anyone else having trouble?
jean, softening into those things, even if just a little, is surely why we're all here?
I sat both days for 15, though met a Zen Buddhist at a party who said it wasn't worth sitting for less that 40 really which upset me a little! today just trying to observe thoughts - where they originate and whose they are. Observed 'I love you', and in that moment the 'you' (J was struggling with a new fax machine) was just a series of beeps and curses, a few steps and a little humming, whilst 'I' was just a body breathing, listening...quite wierd, like we are all made up of little pixels of eachother's perception...it was somehow cleansing.
Dale, it was nice to have you peep in. I miss you when you're not around.
moose why did you change your name?
I'm not having difficulty viewing previous posts. I wonder, Mary, have you tried refreshing your cache or clearing the history? I'm thinking perhaps your computer or browser has cached the erroneous page and is popping it back up for you each time instead of going to get the actual current page? Just a thought.
I suppose someone other than me might find it not worthwhile to sit less than 40 minutes. But I can say that I usually sit for quite a bit less than 40 and it definitely makes a difference - for me.
Ruth, I changed my name because, having thought about it a while, I felt ready to use my real name. If you feel more comfortable continuing to address me as moose, that's fine. (I really hope you don't have to wait 3 years to feel better!)
Little pixels of perception are about all we come down to anyway, eh? I mean at any given moment, it's only our memory, assumptions, and emotions that stitch together the individual fragments of perception and experience - of ourselves or others? Which, in my mind, makes the whole sum tremendously vulnerable and suspect, and when I can think of it that way it's very easy to be generous about my own or others' inaccuracies of perception (or conclusion). Does that make sense?
Going to sit now. Sometimes this blog is helpful in getting me going.
Yes, it makes lots of sense, mb. (You never seemed moose-like to me at all, so I welcome the new name!)
Thanks for enquiring, Jean. Having a hellish holiday, which I'm just trying to survive.
A downside of Zen's austerity and simplicity and one-size-fits-all approach is that some of them -- a quite small (but vocal) minority, in my experience -- come to think that their own approach is the only one that has any value, since they don't get exposure to anything else. The upside, of course, is that they don't have to spend a lot of time, energy, or distraction on whether they're doing the right thing in the right way. There is only one thing to do, and one way to do it.
Which reminds me, tangentially, you asked whether it's important to stick with a single image, Ruth, a day or two ago... my only opinion there is that it works better for me not to improvise in the midst of meditation -- improvisation necessarily entails lots of evaluation (is this working? is it time to try something else?) and speculation (maybe that would work better? Or that other thing?) So if I were going to work with multiple images, I'd lay it out for myself ahead of time.
morning dale xxxxxxx
Ruth - about that arrogant acquaintance you met recently, I say, PSHAW. Eido Roshi said that to me when I was taking myself or my practice too seriously. "Pshaw", she would say, and I'd collapse into a fit of giggling.
The Seventh of the Ten Grave Precepts is "Not praising yourself while abusing others." Arrogance announces to the world that we don't feel at ease with ourselves and must summon up self praise.
Periods of sitting vary in length from center to center. the Soto Zen tradition traditionally sits for 40 minutes, while in the Rinzai Zen tradition the sitting period is typically 25 minutes. My teacher (Robert Aitken Roshi) says, "Sitting for long periods without moving can cause you to become stale, sometimes without knowing it. If you wish to sit for a long time, break after twenty-five minutes, rise and stretch, wash your face, or just look at the sky, and then return to your seat. You will find yourself refreshed."
He devotes a section entitled "Carry your Practice Lightly" in his book Encouraging Words.
'snuff said ... I'm going now to sit for precisely 7-1/2 minutes.
{{Dale}} I'm sorry to hear your holiday is going hellishly. Much warmth to you and wishes for the hellish aspects to smooth out soon as possible. And you are right, the name mostly didn't fit me, which is, perversely, why I chose it. If I'm going to have a pseudonym, a name that's not mine, doesn't it make sense to choose one that's not like me? (That said, it is like me in certain small ways that I won't go into here.) But truthfully, it was a name chosen mostly in jest.
Interesting to hear the variety in teachings, Janice. (Snowdrops and rhodies - I'm still marveling.)
Sat 20 minutes.
Dale, so sorry you're having hellish holidays. Lots of love.
Mary, I checked and I don't have any problem either with dashboard/templates, so maybe MB is right.
Oh, next week I shall miss the luxury of getting up late and sitting for as long as I feel like...
{{dale}}
Yes, I've been taking a vacation this week too, and will miss it next week when I have to become productive again.
My sitting today took place on the subway platform, but in spite of all that potential distraction, it was pretty good. I hope to be getting back to regular sitting, too!
Hi all, I'm looking forward to starting up the official new 100 days. I sat a bit before my family visit over the holidays, but not during. I sat yesterday morning distractedly for 15 minutes and then this morning a bit less distractedly 15 minutes. I found a feeling of woundedness come up and I sat with that, like with a child who's hurt but there's nothing more you can do but just sit quietly beside her so she knows you're there. It felt good.
Happy New Year, everyone. Safe travels if you're out tonight.
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