Into the Abyss
The quest for happiness is an essential driving force for each one of us, yet few of us take the time to really consider what happiness is and how to best create it. It’s astonishing how many of us think, if only I were wealthier, more beautiful, more respected in our field, had more friends, had more time, had the perfect mate, yadda yadda yadda, then we’d be happy-all evidence to the contrary. We try to find our way into happiness through relationships, adventures and beautiful things. Although our attempts may bring some temporary satisfaction, we are not on solid ground. It seems reasonable to take some time to reflect on the question, what is happiness? Where is its source and how it is created?
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PERSEVERANCE
As Juneteenth becomes a national holiday Americans have the opportunity each year to celebrate those courageous citizens who put their lives on the line for freedom, and to follow their lead. My culture also celebrates freedom from slavery each year at Passover. Fighting for freedom is intrinsic to the Jewish culture. During Passover we remember the struggle of our ancestors who freed us from slavery thousands of years ago.
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Walking
To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life. – John Burroughs
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Zen Peacemakers International
Awakening at Home is happy to announce that it has just become an affiliate of Zen Peacemakers International https://zenpeacemakers.org/ ZPI was founded in 1994 by Roshi Bernie Glassman, a dharma heir of the Soto Zen Master Taizan Maezumi Roshi of the White Plum Flower lineage, his wife and friends. ZPI emanated from Roshi Glassman’s question, “How can I best serve?” This is a question that is primary to me so this form of Buddhism is a good fit.
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Returning to the World
It’s a year into the COVID 19 lock down, there is a new president and the vaccine distribution is starting to enable us to cautiously re-enter the world beyond necessity. The first stirrings of spring and the opening up of our communities are inspiring reflections on the past year for some of us. The stories of this past year’s experiences vary widely. For some it has been hell, for some not so much. As we tell our stories we honor one another’s experience. Each story has value and each story is as real as any other.
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Simple Life
Fortunate is the person who can live simply in the midst of whatever life they find themselves in, who takes each moment, one by one-the heartache, the smile from a loved one, the illness or the bird at the window. The heartache leaves its patina on our soul, the bird at the window delights us. Delight at the bird in the window sustains us, how we integrate our heartaches make the patinas on our life either confused and bitter or deep, warm and inclusive.
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After the Celebration, what?
Many of us were shocked into awareness these last four years by the rapid decline of decency and break down of the rule of law. The day was saved-but just barely. We were awakened to the realization that democracy must be carefully cultivated. We now know this in our bones.
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Gathas
We all have some experience of this depth of wisdom. It’s who we are. A gatha is designed to remind us of who we are and tap into that depth, as we are all prone to forget, over and over. Both beginners and seasoned practitioners need to be reminded of the bigger picture many times a day, regardless of how long we’ve been at this spiritual awakening journey. A gatha can aid in the realization of this purpose.
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Like Clouds Moving Through the Sky
When we meditate in the ancient Chinese form of silent illumination we provide a wide-open field of acceptance for our thoughts and feelings. Rather than judge some thoughts as good and others as bad we look without judgement at our thoughts, feelings and sensations. We watch them like watching clouds move through the sky.
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Homage to my Mother and Father on the eve of 2021
We’re all many things. We were all shaped by our early years. Painful and happy, it can all be recycled into a gift of service. It is useful to periodically look back with a more mature eye and with a sense of gratitude for the forces that shaped us into the powers that make us who we are today. None of us got here on our own. As we navigate the last year of this mandatory retreat COVID 19 has offered, it is my greatest wish that you embrace the unique beauty and miracle that you are today-all of you. And that you take a moment, as the new year approaches, to remember who shaped you.
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Season of Gratitude and Generosity
The darkness of impending winter can be beautiful and comforting. It is a time of pregnant hibernation and creative ferment. The slow, warm days of summer don’t ask much of us-the cold requires our attention. This, in the midst of so many stressors, can either be terrible or magical. We need change, and change comes out of the dark womb.
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FORGED IN THE FURNACE OF HELL
I thought I could only find hope during this time of darkness in ancient Buddhist tomes. Yet anything, including a fashion magazine, can lift the weary out of visions of Armageddon by displaying the beauty of the human spirit as it rises from the ashes.
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Practice under the big tent
There is poetic beauty in both disciplines of wire walking and meditation. Their simplicity makes them open to all who are willing to put in the effort. They both test the resolve of an individual’s mental focus. They both have us moving through space and time one foot after the other. They both develop gracefulness and confidence.
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The Delight of Furry and Feathered Things
The emotion of delight has been delegated to the young and the simple minded-or it has been dependent on very specific circumstances, such as a vacation or falling in love. But we human’s hunger for delight. Advertisers are well aware of this hunger and use it to sell us cars, underarm deodorants, kitchen gadgets and loads of other things we don’t really need. They are offering up magic beans, and since we’re hungry for delight we buy the beans.
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Bare Zen
In this time of tumultuous change we are all called upon to wake up and tend to the mess we humans have made. Like Hui Neng, we do not need to be scholars, and like the person on the road who meets the Buddha we do not need to turn ourselves inside out and follow some culturally uncomfortable path to awakening. We can learn from Hui Neng and know Zen right where we are-right now. Then we can bring that Zen out into the world where it is sorely needed.
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Cooking with not knowing
We can bemoan what we no longer have or we can make a life out of whatever we have on hand. Everyone has different ingredients in their pantry, everyone is subject to different circumstances and those circumstances are always changing.
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Happiness in the time of Corona
We are now in boot camp. Those of you who are new to sheltering in place, welcome to my world. Here are some things I’ve learned about being happy with life as it is:
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Come Meditate with Us
Hello from my shelter in place abode to yours. We are now entering our second month of sheltering in place and I imagine the you have gone through many different emotions and states of mind, as have I. I hope that you have found activities that are sustaining you and friends to connect with. It’s so important to find creative ways to share ourselves with others at this time.
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Shelter in place
Those of us who have been on meditation retreats before may feel a familiar sensation as more and more distractions are taken away from us. We can see this as a time for retreat and reflection. It is also a time to be kind to those who are not used to silence and help those less fortunate then we are, in any way that presents itself. But mostly we are called to turn within, let go of distractions and remember our own resourcefulness. It is a time to paint, to dance, to meditate, to cook and to share stories with friends and loved ones, both present and virtual.
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Be soft in your practice
Be soft in your practice, says Sheng-yen. Change, in ourselves and in society, is messy and does not always happen suddenly or dramatically like a raging waterfall. Sometimes it appears that change isn’t happening at all. But if we are slow and persistent, an undercurrent of change slowly erodes the banks of our human greed and hubris. We can count on impermanence.
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