Out of commission
A quick note: I'm sorry I haven't written much here lately. In short, something has gone wrong with my digestive system, and I've now lost 30 pounds in six weeks. Hopefully I'll be better soon, but I don't expect to make any more posts here for a short time.
Unfortunately my meditative skills are no help in isolating the problem, though I have to say, deep relaxation and healing meditations do make me feel a little better.
Until I return, know that I'm rooting for you in your OBE adventures, and/or in your Zen and Yoga practices.
Namaste.
Meditating in the ER
Unfortunately I ended up in the ER today. I'll skip what I was doing there for now, because I'd just like to focus on two emotions I experienced there today.
Just be
"Just be."
That's one of my favorite phrases. I especially like it when I'm about to sit down to a meditation session. What does it mean? Just be. Don't add anything to your existence. Just be. Breathe. Listen. See. Feel.
It's like a cooking recipe, but a very simple and pure one. Just exist, don't add anything to it.
Was that a thought? Shhh ...
Do Zen Masters dream?
I just woke up from a typical dream: I was in a grocery store; saw some high prices; decided to take a picture of the high prices to share with my friends on Facebook; a touchscreen monitor suddenly appeared, already logged into Facebook; I saw a store security camera; I touched the screen, and something went wrong, but it gave me a good idea.
Then I woke up, and immediately wondered, "What would it be like to be a Zen Master, who has no attachments to ideas like these?"
Hard to talk after meditating
I was just reminded that sometimes after meditating, I find it hard to talk to people. I can generally understand what they're saying, but my problem is two-fold. First, I have to work to formulate a sentence, and second, I have to get my mouth to work properly.
I don't know if this is a common occurrence among people that meditate, but as I just ran into this again, I wanted to mention it here.
The Heart Sutra (in English)
Here are the words of The Heart Sutra, in English, as translated by the wonderful people at the Kwan Um School of Zen. (If you have been to one of the Kwan Um Zen Centers, you will know this sutra well.)
The Heart Sutra (in English)
The Maha Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutra
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
when practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita
perceives that all five skandhas are empty
and is saved from all suffering and distress.
Increased meditation time to 45 minutes
As a quick note to self, I increased my meditation time to 45 minutes this morning. I slept in late, then sat in meditation (in a chair) for the usual 12 minutes. When that time ended I didn't feel like stopping, and with nothing else to do today, I just stayed there. My mind is still wandering quite a bit, and the upstairs neighbor was making a ton of noise, but it's good to get my time back up like this.
A nice yoga and meditation rhythm
After getting away from meditating in the mornings, I've finally gotten back into the habit/groove lately. It has taken a little while to get comfortable again, but this morning was the first morning where I had the old feeling that I didn't want to stop. Until today I've been thinking more about things like discomfort, pain, and that I should really get to work, but this morning I finally got back to the peace I'm used to.
Buddha means "aware"
I just read this quote from a terrific book named "The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma":
"Buddha is Sanskrit for 'aware', or 'miraculously aware'."
I really like that, because it refers to something I've talked about with several other people about in regards to Zen meditation.
Life in Relation to Death (book)
Geez, if you're ever interested in Buddhist thought on life and death, the super-small book "Life In Relation To Death
Here are a couple of sample lines from this wonderful little book:
