Good morning, everyone! I just did my morning bows (27 full prostrations, 81 standing bows) and will sit & chant this afternoon, after I get back from teaching.
Amen to what Beth said yesterday: just as everyone should "practice as you can, not as you can't," the same applies to commenting. There's no "right" way to comment, and there's no level of articulation or insight you have to attain. (Heavens, if there was such a yardstick, y'all would have shut me up long ago!)
Amen, too, to what cyclingdave said about Ruth's weekend. Vegetable-chopping & other kitchen work is definitely a meditative practice: I've spent many a meditative hour on retreat helping in the kitchen. In Zen Centers, the role of Kitchen Master is a highly respected one partly because the job is so important & partly because it is so grounded in the tactile experiences that make for good practice.
Good day to everyone, and traveling mercies to Jean, wherever she may be...
I'm astonished to have reached day 7, and to find myself sitting every day, as if that were a normal thing. :)
This is turning out to be a very good thing.
Lorianne, thanks for the reminder about "practice as you can, not as you can't." I should write that as one of my affirmations, as a reminder not to beat myself up for bad choices.
I'll join in today. 100 days, huh? I'm an off again, on again meditator...Today I'm creating that with the support of this blog community, I am on again for the next 100 days...thank you for being here...
meditation is such a gift to ourselves and those around us. it is nice to have this community and the goal of stringing 100 days together.
hello to goobermonkey, congrats elsie on seven days! i admire your prostrations lorianne. they are something i should try to incorporate more of. that kind of 'physical meditation' would be, i suspect, a great way to begin one's day.
Oh, Beth, those bows aren't as hard as they sound! The full prostrations work your thigh muscles, which is why I'm easing back into the practice of doing a full 108: if I did 108 full prostrations without getting in shape first, I'd definitely be sore the next day. But the 81 standing bows aren't bad: just enough movement to wake you up. :-)
Welcome to goobermonkey: what a great screen-name! And congrats to Elsie & everyone for sticking in there (in here?) for these past 7 days.
I just sat for 15 minutes followed by 2 chants. This weekend at the Providence Zen Center, I bought myself a real moktok (Korean percussive instrument used for chanting) which is louder than the teeny-tiny 'tok I'd been using here in my apartment. The larger (but still small!) moktok is easier to hold, but I have to be super-careful not to get too carried away & wake the whole neighborhood with my moktok-knocking. :-)
7 Comments:
Good morning, everyone! I just did my morning bows (27 full prostrations, 81 standing bows) and will sit & chant this afternoon, after I get back from teaching.
Amen to what Beth said yesterday: just as everyone should "practice as you can, not as you can't," the same applies to commenting. There's no "right" way to comment, and there's no level of articulation or insight you have to attain. (Heavens, if there was such a yardstick, y'all would have shut me up long ago!)
Amen, too, to what cyclingdave said about Ruth's weekend. Vegetable-chopping & other kitchen work is definitely a meditative practice: I've spent many a meditative hour on retreat helping in the kitchen. In Zen Centers, the role of Kitchen Master is a highly respected one partly because the job is so important & partly because it is so grounded in the tactile experiences that make for good practice.
Good day to everyone, and traveling mercies to Jean, wherever she may be...
I'm astonished to have reached day 7, and to find myself sitting every day, as if that were a normal thing. :)
This is turning out to be a very good thing.
Lorianne, thanks for the reminder about "practice as you can, not as you can't." I should write that as one of my affirmations, as a reminder not to beat myself up for bad choices.
I'll join in today. 100 days, huh? I'm an off again, on again meditator...Today I'm creating that with the support of this blog community, I am on again for the next 100 days...thank you for being here...
meditation is such a gift to ourselves and those around us. it is nice to have this community and the goal of stringing 100 days together.
hello to goobermonkey, congrats elsie on seven days! i admire your prostrations lorianne. they are something i should try to incorporate more of. that kind of 'physical meditation' would be, i suspect, a great way to begin one's day.
If veg chopping counts then I'm definitely up to date :)
I'm still coming up for air after last week, but finding myself slowing and focussing on just breathing often during the day and it's really helping.
Bon voyage Jean, and wow, 108 bows sounds like a lot of bending :)
Lx
Dale, I'm feeling grateful for your suggestion. Sitting before commenting is working for me - a true carrot in front of this overly-verbal nose!!
Wow - more newcomers joining us! Welcome! and congrats to those who have just completed the first week.
Lorianne - I woudn't be able to get up the next mornign if I did all those bows. Good for you.
Oh, Beth, those bows aren't as hard as they sound! The full prostrations work your thigh muscles, which is why I'm easing back into the practice of doing a full 108: if I did 108 full prostrations without getting in shape first, I'd definitely be sore the next day. But the 81 standing bows aren't bad: just enough movement to wake you up. :-)
Welcome to goobermonkey: what a great screen-name! And congrats to Elsie & everyone for sticking in there (in here?) for these past 7 days.
I just sat for 15 minutes followed by 2 chants. This weekend at the Providence Zen Center, I bought myself a real moktok (Korean percussive instrument used for chanting) which is louder than the teeny-tiny 'tok I'd been using here in my apartment. The larger (but still small!) moktok is easier to hold, but I have to be super-careful not to get too carried away & wake the whole neighborhood with my moktok-knocking. :-)
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