What is the Attitude in Your Mind Right Now?

When Joseph Goldstein was in DC this summer he shared an inquiry he's found quite helpful in his meditation practice.   I've noticed it helpful as well and have been sharing this when I guide meditation. "What is the attitude in your mind right now?"  Is there striving?  Aversion?  Grasping?

Somehow this question can help to 'reset' my awareness from being consumed by a reaction to what's happening to an attitude of softening, noticing and being more present to whatever is there.

In class this week I mentioned the retreats led by Sayadaw U Tejaniya, who emphasizes focusing not as much on technique as on being intimately aware of the attitude in each moment - the relationship to this play of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations.

Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Tricycle Magazine recently featured an interview with U Tejaniya where he goes deeper into the practice of 'mindfulness in everyday life."  He also has a few interesting things to say about his experience of depression and the practice of 'noting,' which I mentioned in class this week.

I hope you enjoy it.

Buddha on the Beach

Relax, open the senses and hang out here long enough and something happens.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

- Lao Tzu

I'm back from a daylong retreat we called "Buddha on the Beach:  Meditation in Nature".

We alternated between gathering together in our room at the Biden Environmental Center and wandering on our own in the woods, dunes and beaches of Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware exploring the two fundamentals of meditation:  Deep Relaxation and Paying Attention.

Retreats are for me a sacred balance of 'being alone together.'  At the end of the day we sat in meditation then shared an insight from the day.  As we went around the circle I was touched at how an environment of caring community and natural beauty  fosters such inner balance and joy.

The Insight Meditation Community of Lewes is a wonderful little sangha by the sea.  When you're in town and would like to connect with wonderful folks, look them up.

Thank you all for your wonderful hospitality.

Come to Paw Paw

You may not know that it's Paw Paw harvest time, a season which lasts between three and five minutes.  Paw Paw trees line much of the Potomac River and the fruit shifts from being ripe to being rotten right in front of your eyes.  That's why, if you've ever tasted this local banana/mango tasting fruit, it's probably been in a jelly or jam. I didn't know there were 'tropical' type fruits in this region.  If you'd like to learn more than you'd ever really want to know, you can check out this link on Wikipedia.

Incredibly sweet. Nice fruit, too.

Emptiness ... and Form

This is mind-blowing.  Scientists pointed the Hubble telescope at 'nothing' and ....found something amazing.  My English major brain has trouble taking in this data. This reminds me of Sri Nisargadata's famous statement:

Wisdom tells me I am nothing.

Compassion tells me I am everything.

Between these two my life flows.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAVjF_7ensg&feature=player_embedded]

(Thanks, Mark.)

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The Founder of MBSR on Meditation

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Jon Kabat-Zin has been one of the most influential people in the west when it comes to bringing meditation to the mainstream.  Way back when meditation was seen as an exotic and weird practice, working through the University of Massachusetts, he was looking at how it would be quantified as being of benefit.  Below you'll see Jon on Mindfulness. [youtube]3nwwKbM_vJc[/youtube]

(Thanks, John!)

The Dynamic Meditation Experience

The first time I did Dynamic Meditation was in 1983.  I was 25 and I'd just moved into the Kripalu ashram and was living in a tent for the summer and fall.  In the tent next to me was a Vietnam vet and former Osho disciple who'd spent a lot of time in the ashram in Poona.  He asked me if I'd like to do dynamic meditation.  I loved meditation so if it was dynamic, I thought, so much the better. He pulled out a boom box and we sauntered over to a corner of the campground near the woods.  He hit 'play' and the we were enveloped in a soundtrack with drumming and synthesizer.  He started dancing, shaking, hooting and snorting.   I was painfully self-conscious, but thought, "What the heck," and threw myself into what were progressive phases of cathartic movement, free flow and sitting meditation.  The transition from intense activity to stillness settled my mind quite dramatically.  Since then I've led a seven-phase version of this countless times.

In response to questions, I thought I'd offer a little A/V description of the retreat in 'talking head' style:

[youtube]-3MulH5jl4U[/youtube]

For more on the daylong and an application, you can click here.

To register online, you can click here.

By the way, while this can be dramatic, I consider this a very safe and profound practice.  In the first phase (more energetic movement) there is no pressure to move in any particular way, but to listen deeply to your body and respond in a way that feels right for you.

We're scheduled for September 26th and the retreat will be at the Bethesda Elementary school.  Metro accessible!

It's Been a Year

Four faces

Wow.  A one year old blog.  I started this last August as a way to get some creative juices flowing.  It's been fun!   I've tried to post something at least once a week whether it be a "Happy for No Reason video," a thought sparked from a dharma talk, some photos I'd recently taken or a reference I thought might be interesting.

I've been delighted at the 'following' that's developed and am tickled when someone tells me how much they enjoy it.

Feel free to send along a resource you think others might enjoy, as well as any suggestions and / or feedback.

Thanks for your attention!

Down the River

Sunday I did a solo kayak trip from Algonkian Park in Sterling, VA to River Bend Park, right near our house. It was 3+ hours of pretty consistent paddling. I don't have a waterproof camera and only yanked out my little Canon A640 a few times, but wanted to share just a few of the images on the trip.

Part of what makes this trip interesting is navigating through the  Seneca Breaks, a mile and a half long section of class I and II rapids.  After all the rain this last week, the Potomac was a riled up muddy mess, but it made for some fun scooting through the fast sections.

When you put in at Algonkian, at least on a Sunday, you'll find yourself sharing the river with party boats, speedboats, bass boats, jetskis, canoes and kayaks.  The further down river you go the more remote it becomes and below the rapids I had a few hours all to myself.

As the humans thinned out the wildlife became more bold.  I saw white egrets, quite a few bald eagles, hawks, herons, jumping fish, a fox drinking on the bank, turtles and heard hidden, chattering songbirds.

At first I thought this was a giant insect.

Taking a break in Seneca Breaks.

eagles at seneca breaks

Moments

This piece from Radio Lab is an exploration of a collection of moments.  When I feel sadness or regret I've come to notice that it is often when I recognize how much of my life I wasn't there for - all the moments I missed because I was someone on my way somewhere else. [youtube]jNVPalNZD_I[/youtube]

First Signs

It's coming.  The Fall.  I love this coming season and I find myself already missing the summer, which is kind of ridiculous, as it's gorgeous out right now.  The quote below says it all when it comes to all the seasons we live through. The first leaves in transition.

"What is the secret to your serenity?," asks the student.

"Wholehearted cooperation with the inevitable," said the Master.

- Anthony De Mello

Dreading and Loving Your Meditation Retreat

Robert Wright has been on the airwaves of late promoting his new book, The Evolution of God.  I heard him interviewed on NPR as I was driving up to New England earlier this summer.  I was tickled that when pressed about his own spirituality and mystical experiences, he spoke of his time at a rural meditation retreat center in Western, MA. Not too much sleuthing revealed that place as The Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and his meditation retreat as Vipassana.

This piece from the New York Times speaks so well to our love/dread affair with all things meditation.

(Thanks, Holly!)

Happy For Reason: Tunak Tunak Tun

Words fail to express what exactly this video is.  I can only summarize it as yet another one of the 10,000 expression of being happy for absolutely no reason. And I  might add that this video fills me with giddiness at how creativity and joy pervade all cultures. I'd like to hang out with this guy!

Best to turn up the volume and let it flow.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bAN7Ts0xBo]

(Thanks, Nar!)