thelerner

Happy 4rth. It it wasn't for our Founding Father's we'd be.. we'd be.. Canada!? which, imo, wouldn't be so bad. i was just hanging out in Vancouver, nice city. Chicago-ish but cleaner.

I heard Tommy's story, as a Zen fable, where it wasn't the Buddha but a samurai who came upon the monks meditating and gave them the can't polish a rock into a mirror analogy. The book explained the samurai was wrong. Meditation is part of enlightenment but he was correct that it's not the only part. You shouldn't stink of Zen, it's a living practice not a sitting one, though sitting is a part of it. If you don't bring the practice into your life, sitting will not bring enlightenment. But sit daily and bring the insights and practice into everything you do. I forget his name, he was the founder of Aikido's nephew(or was it uncle?) also was of a mystical bend, never famous but an amazing martial artist. After giving a dharma talk a listener asked 'So we should strive for emptiness?' The man surprised the asker and audience by stating emphatically 'NO, not emptiness, you want Fullness. Awareness of everything and understand that emptiness is a part of the Fullness.' <I believe its from the book Pre-World War II Aikido Masters.> After like, ten years in Ki-Aikido being told 'keep One Point' ie a focus on the Hara, one is finally taught- When you're aware of everything you are also keeping One Point. A defused focus, clear mind, the ears- see, the feet-listen, the senses spread.. is a higher level of One Point, then a clear mind focused on one's center. Certainly more useful in a martial sense. It's also a whole world harder. Just keeping a quiet mind all day is very hard. Meditation has lots of benefits but achieving a quiet mind is much easier when you're just sitting (or just walking). From there you can focus on Hara or breath, and finally get the focus on the Fullness around you- the one that has your thoughts flowing like a river, your body sensations and the swirl of the 5 elements happening all around you. Rawn Clark has a fun but difficult guided meditation- Center of Stillness Meditation where you put your 7 senses (he includes thought & emotion as senses) into separate orbits around you. Not too far from Taoist practice of Sealing the Senses. It has you sitting in emptiness, like a planet aware of your senses orbiting, aware of the other peoples orbits and has you focus on the web of life connecting all. Worthwhile but not easy and even to bring into 'normal' life.