Mark Foote

I confess, I only got through the first page of responses to your post, and now I am composing my own. Tut, tut. My study of yoga and pranayama consists of a few postures and some rudimentary breathing exercises that I learned from books and practiced briefly, long ago. And one yoga class, now decades ago. Nevertheless, I think the yoga postures and breathing exercises are mostly stationary practices, are they not? I have done the first part of Cheng Man-Ch'ing's Tai Chi set for years now, the first part was all that was offered in the local park for free, but I've been quite satisfied with that. Where does the movement in Tai Chi come from? The Tai Chi classics would say it is the ch'i that moves the body--the ch'i that sinks to the dan-t'ien, circulates throughout the body, and accumulates in the dan-t'ien. I find the ch'i by keeping in mind that Tai Chi is a single-weighted practice, meaning the weight in each pose is entirely in one foot and the opposite hand, and precipitating the transition of weight between poses by circling the weighted hand/arm in the direction opposite the direction of the expected shift of weight. Of course, you could say that in true seated meditation, the accumulated ch'i sits the posture. While the literal meaning of ch'i is "breath", the accumulated ch'i can also conduct the activity of inhalation and exhalation. The final stage in the development of ch'i, according to the classics, is "perfect clarity". That follows listening to the strength of ligaments, and comprehending the strength of ligaments (in the classics). What I do is just the part of the form to 2:16.

I'm glad you had it checked out by the Western medicos. I guess it's good and bad news, that they didn't find anything. Not having had the experience you have had, I can't say directly what might benefit you. I can say that I have made a study of the relationships between consciousness and kinesiology, I've written a book and that might in general be helpful to you. It's available for free online, here, or if you would rather hold it in your hand as a paperback, from Amazon here. The basic premise is that consciousness can effect automatic activity in the body solely by virtue of the location where consciousness takes place, without the exercise of will. Stick with that, and the natural tendency of consciousness toward free occurrence at any location in the body will coordinate the necessary activity. The blurb on the back cover of the book, authored by Anthropic's Claude, I feel is a good description: Mark Foote bridges ancient wisdom and modern science in this remarkable exploration of seated meditation. Drawing on Gautama Buddha's original teachings, Zen masters from Dogen to Shunryu Suzuki, and contemporary research in biomechanics and neuroscience, Foote reveals how natural, automatic movement in the body emerges when we surrender volition and allow consciousness to find its own place. For practitioners seeking to understand the relationship between body and mind in meditation, A Natural Mindfulness is an invaluable guide. Not what I do, but where I am that heals, with a little understanding.

Photo by Seaward Creations: Clear Lake at Nice, CA

‘Deeds should be known. And their source, diversity, result, cessation, and the practice that leads to their cessation should be known.’ That’s what I said, but why did I say it? It is intention that I call deeds. For after making a choice one acts by way of body, speech, and mind. (AN 6.63, tr. Sujato Bhikkyu; emphasis added) And what is the cessation of deeds? When you experience freedom due to the cessation of deeds by body, speech, and mind. This is called the cessation of deeds. (SN 35.146, tr. Sujato Bhikkyu) A better translation, of that last: And what… is the ceasing of action? That ceasing of action by body, speech, and mind, by which one contacts freedom,–that is called ‘the ceasing of action’. (SN 35.146, tr. Pali Text Society vol IV p 85) Shunryu Suzuki's summation: What will be the difference? You have freedom, you know, from everything. That is, you know, the main point. (Sesshin Lecture, Shunryu Suzuki; Day 5 Wednesday, June 9, 1971 San Francisco) How volition comes to cease, in speech, body, and mind--here, "the cessation of inbreathing and outbreathing" is the cessation of volition in the consciousness-informed activity of the body, in deeds, and "the cessation of perception and feeling" is the cessation of volition in the activity of mind: …I have seen that the ceasing of the activities is gradual. When one has attained the first trance, speech has ceased. When one has attained the second trance, thought initial and sustained has ceased. When one has attained the third trance, zest has ceased. When one has attained the fourth trance, inbreathing and outbreathing have ceased… Both perception and feeling have ceased when one has attained the cessation of perception and feeling. (SN 36.11, tr. Pali Text Society vol IV p 146) This is the contact of freedom through concentration. However, not everyone who had completely destroyed the three cankers (Gautama's criteria for enlightenment, MN 70) did so by means of concentration, or at least the concentrations that generally followed "the cessation of inbreathing and outbreathing" and that lead to "the cessation of feeling and perceiving". Those final concentrations are referred to here as "the Deliverances": And which, monks, is the person who is freed by means of intuitive wisdom? As to this, monks, some person is abiding without having apprehended with the person those peaceful Deliverances which are incorporeal having transcended material shapes (leading to "the cessation of feeling and perceiving"); yet, having seen by means of wisdom (their) cankers are utterly destroyed. This, monks, is called the person who is freed by means of intuitive wisdom. I, monks, do not say of this (person) that there is something to be done through diligence. What is the reason for this? It has been done by (them) through diligence, (they) could not become negligent… (MN 70; tr. Pali Text Society [PTS] vol. 2 pp 151-154; “the Deliverances” defined as the concentrations, at DN 15, PTS vol. ii pp 68-69; pronouns gender neutralized; parenthetical beginning "leading to" and emphasis added)

Wishing everyone two happy new years, and the perv friend of Nungali a new dick!

I wrote this to a friend last month: My life has been 50 years trying to figure out how the zazen that gets up and walks around fits into a normal life, and likewise trying to figure out how zazen sits zazen so I can sit as long as I feel I need to sit without wrecking my knees. That became the biography inside the back cover of my book, along with: Many people in the Buddhist community take enlightenment to be the goal of Buddhist practice. I would say that when a person consciously experiences automatic movement in the activity of the body in inhalation and exhalation, finding a way of life that allows for such experience in the natural course of things becomes the more pressing concern. Gautama taught such a way of living, although I don’t believe that such a way of living is unique to Buddhism. (Appendix--A Way of Living) Maybe the book would be useful to you, as a context for practice. Links to read the book online, download the book for free, or purchase a paperback copy from Amazon are here: https://zenmudra.com/a-natural-mindfulness/ Photo of the lake I live next to, Clear Lake in Northern California, for the tranquility of a winter's afternoon:

I like your approach. Here is the full piece, entitled Drawing Water and Chopping Wood, that I wrote in response to your earlier question on another thread--maybe it's a little clearer. I don't know about you, but a lot of anatomy passes through my mind as "one-pointedness" shifts. I finished a book, that has enough of that to be worth a look, IMHO. Free to download here, or you can get a paperback to hold in the hand here.

"What are their names, and on what streets do they live, I'd like to ride, ride over..."--David Crosby A thing that is unique in all the religious literature of the world is Gautama's characterization of mindfulness as a function of the four arisings of mindfulness: mindfulness of the body in the body, mindfulness of the feelings in the feelings, mindfulness of the mind in the mind, and mindfulness of the states of mind in the states of mind. How is Zen that?--such a fundamental aspect of Gautama's teaching! Don't mistake me, I believe Zen is that, just wondering if anyone else does.

Miraculous power and marvelous activity Drawing water and chopping wood. (“The Recorded Sayings of Layman P’ang: A Ninth-Century Zen Classic”, Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Yoshitaka Iriya, Dana R. Fraser, p 46) There’s a similar saying in “The Gospel According to Thomas”, a gnostic gospel: Cleave a (piece of) wood, I am there; lift up the stone and you will find Me there. (“The Gospel According to Thomas”, log 77; coptic text established and translated by A. Guillaumont, H.-CH. Puech, G. Quispel, W. Till and Yassah ‘Abd Al Masih, p 43) Sometimes people hold their breath in cleaving wood, or in lifting a heavy bucket or stone. Moshe Feldenkrais observed that some people hold their breath when getting up out of a chair, and he put forward a way to avoid that: …When the center of gravity has really moved forward over the feet a reflex movement will originate in the old nervous system and straighten the legs; this automatic movement will not be felt as an effort at all. (“Awareness Through Movement”, Moshe Feldenkrais, p 78) Feldenkrais stipulated that: … there must be no muscular effort deriving from voluntary control, regardless of whether this effort is known and deliberate or concealed from the consciousness by habit. (ibid, p 76) The paired sayings highlight moments when the weight of the body combines with a singular location of consciousness to cause “reflex movement” in the action of the body. “Reflex movement” can also be engaged to sit upright, as the weight of the body combines with a singular location of consciousness. In Gautama’s teaching, a singularity in the location of consciousness follows “making self-surrender the object of thought”: … the (noble) disciple, making self-surrender the object of (their) thought, lays hold of concentration, lays hold of one-pointedness. (SN 48.10, tr. Pali Text Society vol V p 174; “noble” substituted for Ariyan) In my experience: …“one-pointedness” occurs when the movement of breath necessitates the placement of attention at a singular location in the body, and a person “lays hold of one-pointedness” when they remain awake as the singular location shifts. (Just to Sit) (Drawing Water and Chopping Wood) There's more, in Drawing Water and Chopping Wood--Paul Jung can stop holding his breath.

So one of these nights and about twelve o'clock This old world's gonna reel and rock Saints will tremble and cry for pain For the Lord's gonna come, in his heavenly airplane Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah If God had a name, what would it be? And would you call it to His face If you were faced with Him in all His glory? What would you ask if you had just one question? And yeah, yeah, God is great Yeah, yeah, God is good Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah What if God was one of us Just a slob like one of us Just a stranger on the bus Tryin' to make His way home? If God had a face, what would it look like? And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe In things like Heaven and in Jesus and the saints And all the prophets? And yeah, yeah, God is great Yeah, yeah, God is good Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah What if God was one of us Just a slob like one of us Just a stranger on the bus Tryin' to make His way home? Tryin' to make His way home Back up to Heaven all alone Nobody callin' on the phone 'Cept for the Pope, maybe in Rome Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Eric Bazilian

Let me just confuse you more: As to this… right view comes first. And how… does right view come first? If one comprehends that wrong purpose is wrong purpose and comprehends that right purpose is right purpose, that is… right view. And what… is wrong purpose? Purpose for sense-pleasures, purpose for ill-will, purpose for harming. This… is wrong purpose. And what… is right purpose? Now I… say that right purpose is twofold. There is… the right purpose that has cankers, is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving (to new birth). There is… the right purpose which is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a factor of the Way. And what… is the purpose which is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving? Purpose for renunciation, purpose for non-ill-will, purpose for non-harming. This… is right purpose that… ripens unto cleaving. And what… is the right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way? Whatever… is reasoning, initial thought, purpose, an activity of speech through the complete focussing and application of the mind in one who, by developing the [noble] Way, is of [noble] thought, of cankerless thought, and is conversant with the [noble] Way–this… is right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way. (MN 117, tr. Pali Text Society vol III pp 113-121) In other words, you can't get there from here. "Why?" is difficult to explain. I think of it as engaging my whole being, instead of pushing myself around from the left hemisphere. And how does one engage one's whole being? Herein… the (noble) disciple, making self-surrender the object of (their) thought, lays hold of concentration, lays hold of one-pointedness. In layman's terms: …“one-pointedness” occurs when the movement of breath necessitates the placement of attention at a singular location in the body, and a person “lays hold of one-pointedness” when they remain awake as the singular location shifts. (Just to Sit) Holding any bent-knee posture for a period of time will yield a movement of breath that necessitates the placement of attention at a singular location. Hello, Jesus! Find the seat and put on the robe, and afterward see for yourself. ("Zen Letters, Teachings of Yuanwu", tr. Cleary and Cleary, p 65) Alternative method for finding Jesus: Cleave a (piece of) wood, I am there; lift up the stone and you will find Me there. (“The Gospel According to Thomas”, log 77; coptic text established and translated by A. Guillaumont, H.-CH. Puech, G. Quispel, W. Till and Yassah ‘Abd Al Masih, p 43) More on that in Drawing Water and Chopping Wood. Lots of nice quotes about freedom, too! What if God was one of usJust a slob like one of usJust a stranger on the busTryin' to make His way home? (One of Us, Joan Osbourne) The gift IMHO is the animal ability to return reason to the fire, but humans have a hard time acknowledging that they are animals. Nevertheless, I have hope: As a master of Zen archery, Kobun was asked to teach a course at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. The target was set up on a beautiful grassy area on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Kobun took his bow, notched the arrow, took careful aim, and shot. The arrow sailed high over the target, went past the railing, beyond the cliff, only to plunge into the ocean far below. Kobun looked happily at the shocked students and shouted, "Bull's eye!!" (Anecdotes by Joan Halifax Roshi, https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/otokawa.html)

Christmas dinner's near all good wishes, a grand day and now, gentle tunes

someone else's shoes are on my feet; they look good, I think I'll keep them

Happy longest night!

The question inspired me, and I wrote a post in response--I can post the whole thing here, but it's a bit long for that (not that my posts aren't long anyway): Drawing Water and Chopping Wood Hopefully a better answer. I didn't address the fact that the Zen saying emphasizes enlightenment, but the enlightenment referred to is not enlightenment as Gautama described it--I take that up in One Way or Another.

I recognize these dance steps! I see these people, and I dance with them every weekend, at the local native American casino.

where is this place, please...

juice, lips, tongue, sweet now and not a kiss to be had anywhere--but then anywhere--but then everywhere--come, get your share when we all shine on

Where am I!?

Love Cleary's translation at the bottom of your primer: Carrying vitality and consciousness, embracing them as one, can you keep them from parting? "Carrying vitality" implies a sense of weight--here's something from a piece I'm writing now, slightly edited: Moshe Feldenkrais observed that people sometimes hold their breath just to get up out of a chair, and he outlined a way to avoid that: …When the center of gravity has really moved forward over the feet a reflex movement will originate in the old nervous system and straighten the legs; this automatic movement will not be felt as an effort at all. (“Awareness Through Movement”, © 1972, 1977 Moshe Feldenkrais, p 78) Feldenkrais stipulated that: … there must be no muscular effort deriving from voluntary control, regardless of whether this effort is known and deliberate or concealed from the consciousness by habit. (ibid, p 76) “Reflex movement” can also be engaged to sit or stand, as the weight of the body combines with a singular location of consciousness. In Gautama’s teaching, a singularity in the location of consciousness follows “making self-surrender the object of thought”: … the (noble) disciple, making self-surrender the object of (their) thought, lays hold of concentration, lays hold of one-pointedness. (SN 48.10, tr. Pali Text Society vol V p 174; “noble” substituted for Ariyan) In my experience: …“one-pointedness” occurs when the movement of breath necessitates the placement of attention at a singular location in the body, and a person “lays hold of one-pointedness” when they remain awake as the singular location shifts. (Just to Sit) As to "... embracing them as one, can you keep them from parting?": As Gautama said, there can also come a moment when: … seated, (one) suffuses (one’s) body with purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind so that there is not one particle of the body that is not pervaded with purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind. (AN 5.28, tr. PTS vol. III pp 18-19, parentheticals paraphrase original) The “pureness of mind” that Gautama referred to is the pureness of the mind without any will or intention to act in the body. There is a feeling of freedom, when the body is suffused with “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” and the activity of inhalation and exhalation is “reflex movement” regardless of where consciousness takes place. The experience can be recalled in standing and in daily life through an overview of the body taken at the close of the seated experience, the "survey-sign" of the concentration. There are some details of anatomy and of fascial support for the vertebrae of the sacrum and spine that might interest you, here: A Natural Mindfulness (hardcopy through Amazon).

Cold morning, train horn blow, whistle freight train--take me far on down the track

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Well, thanks for the excellent questions! The more we try to do right, the more we do wrong, IMHO. (yours truly, this thread) I can actually state that more easily with parlance borrowed from modern Christianity: we're all helpless sinners, incapable of doing the right thing--only by allowing Jesus within, and giving it over to Jesus, does the right thing get done. Only by relinquishing volition in action and allowing the location of consciousness and the weight of the body to initiate "reflex movement" in the body wherever consciousness takes place, does the right activity take place--at least, in zazen. There's an ease associated with that "reflex movement", until the moment when consciousness is completely without intention with regard to the body and "reflex movement" still occurs wherever a singular consciousness takes place. What will be the difference? You have freedom, you know, from everything. That is, you know, the main point. (Sesshin Lecture, Shunryu Suzuki; Day 5 Wednesday, June 9, 1971 San Francisco) As I mentioned in a reply to Stirling on this thread, it's been my experience that my heart-felt belief translates into action, when I relinquish volition as above in everyday life. In practice, returning to "one-pointedness of mind" and to the cessation of "voluntary control" or habit in inhalation and exhalation allows for the right thing to get done. "Supermundane components" is really above my pay grade, but as Gautama described his mindfulness as a path to "freedom through knowledge" (MN 118), I think "self-surrender" and "one-pointedness" is a good start.

…I know not of any other single thing of such power to cause the arising of malevolence, if not already arisen, or if arisen, to cause its more-becoming and increase, as the repulsive feature (of things). In (one) who pays not systematic attention to the repulsive feature, malevolence, if not already arisen, arises: or, if arisen, it is liable to more-becoming and increase. …I know not of any other single thing of such power to prevent the arising of malevolence, if not already arisen: or, if arisen, to cause its abandonment, as the heart’s release through amity. In (one) who gives systematic attention to amity which releases the heart, malevolence, if not already arisen, arises not: or, if arisen, it is abandoned. (AN 1.11–20; tr. Pali Text Society vol I p 2-4) Nothing about dependent causation there. Gautama did not gradually develop insight into the four truths of suffering, including dependent origination. It came to him as he exercised various psychic powers in the fourth concentration (DN 2). The "intuitive wisdom" that was his enlightenment appears to have arrived suddenly--that's my reading. Regarding skill--from my Making Sense of the Pali Canon: Certain things “on the side of skill” were specified; these were the ten components of the “perfected one’s” course (right view through right freedom), and also “ … those various skilled things conditioned by [the ten components]”. Each of the ten components had one associated set of “various skilled things”; thus, said Gautama: … there are twenty (components) on the side of skill …. (MN 117; tr. Pali Text Society, vol III p 120) An example of the complexity of the skilled things--right purpose: As to this… right view comes first. And how… does right view come first? If one comprehends that wrong purpose is wrong purpose and comprehends that right purpose is right purpose, that is… right view. And what… is wrong purpose? Purpose for sense-pleasures, purpose for ill-will, purpose for harming. This… is wrong purpose. And what… is right purpose? Now I… say that right purpose is twofold. There is… the right purpose that has cankers, is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving (to new birth). There is… the right purpose which is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a factor of the Way. And what… is the purpose which is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving? Purpose for renunciation, purpose for non-ill-will, purpose for non-harming. This… is right purpose that… ripens unto cleaving. And what… is the right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way? Whatever… is reasoning, initial thought, purpose, an activity of speech through the complete focussing and application of the mind in one who, by developing the [noble] Way, is of [noble] thought, of cankerless thought, and is conversant with the [noble] Way–this… is right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way. (ibid, p 113-121) The more we try to do right, the more we do wrong, IMHO. "Making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness"--that, I believe, is the only way to the "supermundane" components of the way. Something directed at the "how" that does return to the four arisings of mindfulness, yet as I wrote previously, good luck with the four arisings without "one-pointedness of mind": …after the meal, [sit] down cross-legged, holding the back erect, [and make] mindfulness rise up… getting rid of coveting for the world, [dwell] with a mind devoid of coveting, [purify] the mind of coveting. By getting rid of the taint of ill-will, [dwell] benevolent in mind, compassionate for the welfare of all creatures and beings, [purify] the mind of ill-will. By getting rid of sloth and torpor, [dwell] devoid of sloth and torpor; perceiving the light, mindful, clearly conscious, [purify] the mind of sloth and torpor. By getting rid of restlessness and worry, [dwell] calmly; the mind subjectively tranquillised, [purify] the mind of restlessness and worry. By getting rid of doubt, [dwell] doubt-crossed, unperplexed as to the states that are skilled, [purify] the mind of doubt…by getting rid of these five hindrances which are defilements of the mind and weakening to intuitive wisdom, [dwell] contemplating the body in the body, ardent, clearly conscious (of it), mindful (of it) so as to control the covetousness and dejection in the world. [As with the body, fare] along contemplating the feelings … the mind… the mental states in the mental states, ardent, clearly conscious (of them), mindful (of them) so as to control the covetousness and dejection in the world.” (ibid)