A View From the Bridge

From Aphrodite In Jeans: Adventure Tales About Men, Midlife, and Motherhood by Katherine Shirek Doughtie (Nolan).

This summer I stood on a small bridge overlooking a stream in Vermont. and I had an interesting thought: If I were a leaf floating on that stream, what I'd be most aware of, in fear of, and consumed by would be the rocks. 

The rocks would always be in my way, forcing me to go one way or the other, making me crazy to avoid them, but they would appear in front of me again and again. If I were a leaf, my life would be all about the rocks.

When viewed from above, however, the thing that's most interesting about the stream is its direction and flow. It's obvious from the bridge that the rocks have nothing to do with anything. They add beauty. They add texture. but the do nothing to impede the leaf's journey. That leaf is traveling downstream, whether it wants to or not.

The obstacles simply do not matter. Even the destination does not matter. The movement, the flow, the act of navigating the waters - that's what it's all about.

Asking yourself - without fear or ambition - if a direction is a path with heart tells you if you're poised on the edge of the river bank. The call to adventure is the invitation to jump into the river and find out what's going to happen next.

Blessings,
Roger

A Family Is Like a Garden

A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.

~ The Buddha ~

Invite and Allow

One of the hallmarks of vipassana meditation practice is the concept of "inviting and allowing." We invite anything that is present to be known. Then, when it is known we acknowledge that it is present, and then allow it to continue.

In this way, anything that happens during our practice can bring us insight. An itch on the nose can become an insightful experience as we note and allow the itch to continue. Then, in turn, we acknowledge and allow all the aversive thoughts that accompany the itch to be known. If we had simply reached up and scratched, we would never had been given the opportunity to gain insight about the habitual workings of the mind.

Blessings,
Roger

The Dharma of Sesame Street

For those of you with children, you no doubt are familiar with "Sesame Street." In this morning's New York Times is the obituary for Dr. Gerald S. Lesser, a Harvard psychology professor, and chief adviser to the the long-running PBS series. Dr. Lesser helped create one of the most popular characters on that show: Oscar the Grouch. 

Oscar lives in a trash can. He helps show children that perspectives can exist in the world that may be radically different from their own. Whereas most people don't like a lot of loud noise, Oscar loves it. Most people think trash is yukky, but Oscar thrives in it. For me, one of the most memorable songs from the show was Oscar's magnum opus, "I Love Trash." 

The mind tends to put up preferences and judgments about things based on our personal perspectives. We can see these perspectives quite clearly in vipassana meditation practice. If I am meditating and a loud car goes by outside, I will probably have a thought something like, "I hate those guys with their loud cars who are always bothering my meditation!" However, if I was a big NASCAR fan, I might find the sound of a loud car to be a pleasant experience, evoking fond memories of some experience I had at the track.

When we note our preferences and judgments in meditation practice, or in daily life, we can take a moment to remember that they are habits of mind brought on by our perspective on the world. When we hold these experiences in this way, with a more open hand instead of clinging to some way we wish it were, or instead of trying to push the experience away out of aversion, we can be more relaxed and easy-going.

In his own way, Dr. Lesser has helped generations of young people to be more understanding of the perspectives of others. The hope being that, when they grow up, these kids will be more tolerant and compassionate toward those with different cultures, beliefs, and traditions. Because of his work, there is a little less suffering in the world.

To see Oscar singing "I Love Trash," click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SiSUrvUnk

Blessings,
Roger

When Conditions Aren't Perfect

There was a time in my meditation practice when I couldn't do it unless I had everything in my environment just right. I had to be in the right place with the right sitting cushion. The temperature had to be just right. There couldn't be much noise around me or other distractions.

When I began teaching, I would find myself getting upset if I was leading a meditation and there was any kind of noise from outside. Because of my need to have everything perfect, I was projecting that need onto my students, fearing that the noise was upsetting them as well.

Now, when I am practicing by myself, or when I am leading a practice, I welcome the imperfect in all its many forms. I have grown quite fond of meditating in the noisiest places I can find. Airport or airplanes are particular favorites. These days, when the Athens Disposal Company truck arrives in the alley behind the yoga studio where we meditate on Thursday mornings, I welcome the sound. I know that it will give me and my students an object toward which to turn in order to see clearly the way we habitually greet these kinds of experiences. This insight can serve us later when faced with daily life situations and we have the opportunity to experience these reactive states in real time. It may mean the difference between reacting mindlessly, and responding skillfully.

Blessings,
Roger

Surrender

In today's meditation sangha, one of the participants shared with us a great definition of "surrender:"

"Letting go of resistance to the way things are."

Blessings,
Roger

Watch The Thought

The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit; and habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings.

~ The Buddha