Keith108

Beautiful early summer day today! Oops, it's still winter....  

Morning (6 am start)

108 Bows

Sangha practice (Normal Sunday practice is 3 30's)

Evening

Solo sit with a stick of incense.

Didn't do any moving qi gong, but was busy around the house today. 

_/|\_

1 hour ago, Unota said:

Oh my god. Nope. I went driving again, and she threw me into 55 mph interstate traffic. I have been in the driver's seat...What...Three? Times? So far? Three. I have barely just been shown where the turning signal switch is. You can't do that to me. It is one thing, to tell me that I am 'good' at it. She says I did 'good.' But some idiot, pulled out in front of me. Someone was tailgating me and nearly slammed into the back of me. I had to pull through busy intersections after only just learning how to turn. It is one thing to be able to do that. It is another thing, dealing with the fact that we are going 55, surrounded by other idiots, that are constantly trying to kill me. I lost a close friend years ago. I heard it happen live, on the scanner. Her entire family died. She was at an intersection, and the top half of her car got shaved off. They were all decapitated. And I listened as the first responders described it on scene. Do you have any idea how hard this already is for me. I am terrified. I don't care that I am 'good' at it. I don't care that I DID good. You can't do that. At least give me a hot minute, to get used to driving in the country.

I can't do anything else today. My hands are still shaking. Somebody pulled out in front of me. My knees hurt. No practice journal  today. I'm going back to bed.  Fuck. You are lucky. You're lucky I'm good at staying calm. But if you keep pushing that, and I lose my nerve, we are going to get into an accident. Just because I could jump into a busy interstate after only a couple of times out does not mean you should. My parents were given an entire semester to learn this kind of crap. Not! Three! Days!

Someday, you will look back and laugh about all this. It’s like riding a bike, terrifying at first, then it becomes second nature. Keep the faith, and don’t forget to breathe!

"win the morning and you win the day!"

Yesterday, I got up and sat with my zoom group, but put off bowing until later in the day. Of course, the day ended being a very hectic one, and I never got them done, or did any evening practice. It was a nice day with family, though. 

Today

Morning (6 am start)

!08 Bows, Chanting, and Sitting with a zoom group in Kansas

Evening

Ba Duan Jin (10 reps)

Sitting with an incense stick by candlelight. It's raining again here, and it made for sleepy sitting. 

_/|\_

Out in the desert

Knots on a monks prayer rope

Moved in solitude

I would start with someone claiming enlightenment as an easy red flag. The best way I think though, is to observe the community around the master, and trust your intuition. 
 

🙏

Kind of a meh day...low energy, just chilled today.

Morning:

108 bows

Chanting

Sitting

That's it for today. 

Reading some Zhuang Zi. I love the sense of lightness.

🙏

1 hour ago, Unota said:

They do love their guns...I still have a bullet hole in one of my windows from one of my neighbors. It turns out our home insurance doesn't cover 'living near idiots.' Still don't know who it was, though.

No, “they” don’t all love their guns. I hate guns. Guns are a cancer of society. Before anyone @‘s me, I am a former US Army Infantry Sergeant, and an expert marksmen, and have used all kinds of weapons. 
 

45 minutes ago, Cobie said:

 

 cold! 
 

https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/55597-practice-mirror-1/?do=findComment&comment=1026924 

 

 

 

There was guy from Florida at the retreat. It was single digits the first couple of days. I am in the habit of walking out on the deck that surrounds the Dharma room after bows, to cool off. Florida guy sticks his head out, and his face said it all. A big nope! Later in the week it was warmer and there was a scene like in the pic. It's a silent retreat, but he couldn't help but exclaim "wow!" when he walked outside. It was truly magical...like being in a snow globe. 

Stormy day, feeling energized. My system is reacting very strongly to the nei gong stuff. Sometimes a bit weird, but mostly positive.

Morning practice:

Sitting with my usual zoom group

Evening practice:

108 bows

Ba Duan Jin (10 reps)

Sitting with a stick of incense. Windows wide open, letting in some cool, fresh air.

Now, off to take shower and hit the rack.

_/|\_

42 minutes ago, Unota said:

"Plants tell their stories not by what they say, but by what they do."

People too. Sitting and just drinking tea is good practice!

Enjoyed your meanderings... 

10 hours ago, Unota said:

...Oops. Really? It was quite stormy today here, too, and I was out quite a bit, doing the same old same old. My favorite kind of weather. I kept exclaiming how beautiful it was outside, despite it looking like a horror movie, hahaha.

It’s just something I read here the other day, then it popped up in some reading I was doing. 
 

It’s a grey, gloomy morning here. Very peaceful, but I guess we have some significant winds coming through later. It’s interesting to experience nature’s fury. Hope we don’t lose power though. 🙂

Raining as I write this... I love sitting when it's raining. I guess you are not supposed to do energy work during weather disturbances. What I am doing isn't intensive in any way, so I think I am good. 

Morning (5:45 start)

Sitting with my zoom group

Joined practice on zoom with another group (108 bows, chanting and.sitting)

Evening:

Ba Duan Jin (8 reps)

Sitting with a stick of incense

🙏

1 hour ago, thelerner said:

This blog reminds me of Dainin's-  a very accomplished individual here.  Another less talk, more practice one.

A trait I greatly admire but often don't emulate. 

That's kind of you to say, but not much in the way of accomplishments over here!

I do prefer practice over talking though. I feel blessed to have found the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. 

_/|\_

23 minutes ago, Apech said:

 

 

where is this?

 

Diamond Hill Monastery in Cumberland, RI USA. I sit 7 days of retreat there in the winter. The retreat is still ongoing (it lasts for 3 months), but you can sit it in 7 day chunks.

🙏

One more… 

A test of my ability to upload a pic here. I am flanked by my teacher and son. ❤️🙏 (I had more hair back then, and my son is a good 3 inches taller than me now.)

5 hours ago, Apech said:

emailing yourself is the first sign of internet madness 

Uh-oh… 🤪

Nice day today…typical New England. Started out 16F, sleeted for a bit later in the morning, changed to rain, then climbed up to the 50’s and sunny. 🤪

Morning (5:45 wake up):

Sitting with zoom group

108 bows

Evening:

Ba Duan Jin (4 reps)

Sitting with a different zoom group.

🙏

Just morning practice today. Spent a nice evening with the fam, watching a movie by the fireplace.

Morning:
108 bows

Sangha practice (3x30 sitting, some chanting, and tea after practice)

🙏

Poets do inspire.

A frog jumps in old pond, plop!

Basho waking up.

Morning (5 Am wake up)

Ba Duan Jin (8 reps)

Sangha Practice on the zoom (108 bows, chanting, sitting)

Evening:

Sitting

_/|\_

Is there life on Mars?  

Or, maybe even the Moon

Look! Ryokan's window.

6 minutes ago, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:

I swear there’s many videos of him practicing right next to a swimming pool

I had the same though!

Already appeared. ❤️🙏

Decent day today…kind of a drizzly gloomy winter day. That’s my spirit weather. 😎

I can feel we are just about to the full moon today. I tend to get very restless sleep. I do love the light of the moon, though. Too bad it is cloudy this evening.

Morning practice:

sitting

evening practice 

108 bows

ba duan jin, 8 reps, focused on keeping the breath very quiet and smooth

sitting

Sitting for me is usually at least 30 minutes, but it varies.