Incidents, Intention and New Years

On the easel

Time with it's minutes and years is a  completely human construct. Like countries, where no line marks the passing from one to another, so it is with years. Did you see a curtain being drawn on the old year last night, a door closing, a trap door opening? Me neither and yet I love the idea of a new year. It gives us humans the opportunity to contemplate what has passed and in that light, set intentions for the part of our lives that lies ahead. It's kind of a gathering and sorting phase. We look back before we move forward and in some way reflect on what worked and didn't and set our intentions for the future. It's like a magical, internal decluttering process. "Let me give this part of my life to the thrift shop. I'll hang that idea in the back closet. And I'll put that practice in the top drawer."

In a way it really is all about taking time in a larger way to think about our intentions and then see how we might really act on them. Lately I have been working a lot with specific meditations that encourage me to see myself and the world in new ways, to trust in the greater intelligence that we are all part of.

Walking The Fields

As we step into this new year I wanted to share two things that seem important to me right now.  The first one is this quote from Joseph Campbell that a friend sent to me. It seems like such a good, overarching attitude to life:

“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’ Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there. Any disaster that you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow.

"Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”

From "A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living"

Path To The Sky

The other piece that seems important to me as I look forward is that whatever wonderful thoughts and inspiring quotes we read, to make any real, positive changes in ourselves (and that's the only place we can effect change) we must "practice" whatever it is. It might be meditation or a gratitude practice but we must "do it" and we need to do it over a period of time for it to change us into who we want to become, whatever that is; kinder, more peaceful, more compassionate, happier, less anxious. So here's a lovely little interview between Rick Hanson and his son that offers us the encouragement to do something that contributes to our own well being.

https://fwb.rickhanson.net/RckIntvw-FrGf

Wishing you all a 2016 filled with lots of creative adventures, good health, and the practices that will fill your hearts with joy and peace. One of the things that has come up on my radar a lot in the last few days is gratitude practice. I plan to start and attempt to sustain 3 notes of gratitude each day.

The Four Immeasurables - Holiday Baking Without Cups

On Thursday night I went to hear a talk by a Tibetan teacher. It was part of a series of 4 talks on "Trans- forming Suffering". It was easily accessible and I was curious to hear the Dharma from a Tibetan point of view, as the direct teachings I am most familiar with come from a Soto Zen perspective.

The talk was on the 4 Immeasurables which are Love or Lovingkindness, Joy or Sympathetic Joy, Compassion and Equanimity. It was interesting to me that he started his talks here, rather than the 4 Noble Truths (life is suffering, attachment is the cause of suffering, there is an end to suffering, and the 8 fold path is the way to this end.)

If you're not familiar with Buddhism, you will probably twig onto the fact that (as the joke goes) Buddhism is a religion of lists. I always think this is because Buddhism is so logical and things are organized in a way for people to examine and study the ideas that form it's basis. So if you're a list maker, this may be the practice for you!

In my understanding of Zen, you do your practice and these qualities arise. They are not cultivated, per se. At least there were no practices associated with these states of mind in the Sangha in which I practiced. This belief is based on the fact that you can't make these things happen. They take time to develop. They arise naturally as a result of practice. Let me say that I am by far no expert on the subject, this is just my understanding of it. And also, I am not offering criticism but exploring the path. Allan Wallace, in a book called "Buddhism With An Attitude" says: "The treasure is really within your own mind and heart. Teachers, traditions, techniques, all have the single purpose of helping unveil that which is already within you." This is the spirit of my exploration here.

The 4 Immeasurables are based on the fact that we are all connected and the Buddhist belief that in past and future lives we have been and will be closely connected with those who now seem to be our enemies or those to whom we are indifferent. And even if this is an idea you need to put on the back burner or reject completely, it is easy to understand that embracing feelings of love, joy, equanimity and compassion in this life are indeed more pleasant and generally helpful to the world than their opposites.

The love that forms part of the 4 immeasurables is not our traditional idea of romantic love, but the type of love or loving kindness you might feel to your child or someone dear to you. The aim is to extend this outward to others. This is done through a loving kindness meditation in which you first generate love toward yourself and as you become more skilled you radiate it out into the world, working from friends and family, to neutral people and then toward people we have difficulty with, and finally to all beings.

This practice is repeated for the cultivation of compassion in which we generate the wish that beings be free from suffering. Joy or sympathetic joy, which I think is more descriptive, (I have also heard it called appreciative joy) is taking pleasure or finding joy in the good fortune and success of others. It is an extending out of feelings of happiness when things go well for others. It helps in loosening the grip of our habitually self centred feelings. In my mind it expresses the true sentiment of generosity of spirit.

And the last of the 4 immeasurables is equanimity which I think we all long for. Equanimity in my mind is that steady feeling of everything is fine just the way it is, right now. We are neither pushing away what we don't want or chasing after what we desire. We are not overly excited or discouraged. It expresses true peace with what is.

I know that amongst old Zen friends the question would sometimes come up, well if these things don't arise or don't arise for a long time, wouldn't it be good to cultivate them in some way? For me, right now I feel that I would like to spend some time cultivating the weedy parts of my mind, that I would like to explore working with habitual mind sets that don't lean naturally toward joy, love, compassion and equanimity. Maybe you'll have to give me a little poke and see how I'm doing with it.

Zen Vacation

I am thinking about stress.  It is on my mind for a couple of reasons: one I am watching myself getting ready for two upcoming art shows.  On the good days I can say everything will get done and I can work away patiently doing what needs to be done.  On other days I notice the impatience and sense of hurry that I impose on myself.  It is definitely good training to watch me and adjust my course when I am blown against the rocks of fretting and rushing.  

The other thing that got me thinking about stress was a spot on the TV news the other night.  I'm not a big TV news watcher but happened to see a piece where a tour company declared bankruptcy, leaving travelers stranded.  The mother of a young woman commented that her daughter had taken a holiday to Mexico to get away from stress and now the holiday was causing stress.  

It got me thinking.  It's the old story of looking outside of ourselves for the solution to our problems.  And there in her statement of the problem was the answer.  Studying the Dharma we learn that the  solutions to any problems aren't out there.  Don't get me wrong I am not saying bah, humbug, holidays are bad, stay in your cave and eat rice.  Sometimes a change of scenery can offer us the space we need to see more clearly.  And doing something fun and spending time in beautiful places is good for the soul.  But where are we coming from when we do that?  What is our intention?  I love the title of Jon Kabat-Zin's book "Wherever you go, there you are" which kind of sums it up for me.  If I go on vacation to "escape" my problems, to "escape"myself or my "situation" the fix is either temporary or illusive. 

Dealing with stress is about changing the landscape allright.  It does require some travel but we're talking about the internal landscape now, the hills and valleys of habitual tendencies, the patterns of behaviour that have carved the mountains and gullys of our stress.  To really deal with our stress we need to look at what causes it and how we respond to our perceived stressors.  Is it the boss, is it my financial situation, my too busy schedule, the noisy neighbours?  Whatever it is I need to look at it and evaluate.  The old AA  serenity prayer, "God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the ones I can and the wisdom to know the difference."  That's a good starting place.  Is there action we need to take or reaction we need to desist from?  Are there things we just need to let go of?   I am reminded of the story of the man who is listing his troubles to the Zen master.  And the master just continues to say, "it isn't important," to each thing on the list.   How much of what stresses us is really important?  Now the tricky part here is to know that this doesn't stand against taking appropriate action when necessary.   We don't just say "it isn't important to everything as another form of escape.  Always after well considered contemplation and moving from that place in our heart, that says "this is good to do".  There are things in this world that are "good" to do.  They may be bringing up a difficult situation with a loved one, quitting a job, leaving a relationship.  You have all the answers somewhere inside you.

So by all means have a delightful vacation, now or in the summer or whenever, but don't mistake it as something that will alleviate "stress".   That work is best done from the inside out.  That will make your vacation even more joyful!    So take a vacation from stress by training in the Dharma, by reading some inspiring Dharma books, by sitting regularly in meditation, by contemplating the details of your life, by making changes in the small things you do that no longer work for you.  Start your holiday today.  Your life will thank you for it!    A bow and a bon voyage to you!

Happiness, what is it, how do I get me some?

Happiness has become a big topic.  Last week there was a full page article about it in the local paper.  I recently found "The Happiness Project" on-line and a flurry of books have been published in the last year or two on the subject.  As a culture it seems we are hungry or at least curious about happiness.  As a practicing human I am no exception.  Last January as a result of a health opportunity and some contemplation I decided to take an on-line course called "Awakening Joy" (which I highly recommend).  It has a Buddhist bend to it and is based on a book called "How We Choose To Be Happy."

I have always regarded myself as "a glass half empty" type, inclined toward seeing what is wrong or missing in a situation.  I thought it was "just me" that's how I am.  One piece of info in the course showed me that I was not alone in my position toward life.  Rick Hanson, a brain researcher gave a fabulous talk (wisebrain.org, his website, shares this info freely) that basically said the mind is more attracted to negative information.  We are hard wired for this.  In our former lives as hairless little creatures out on the savannahs it was important to our survival to pay attention to the negative.  So what I had taken as a personal short coming and solidified into "a me" that I didn't much care for was simply a human characteristic. There it is, a curse and blessing all rolled into one!

The next piece of info that seemed important was on the neuroplasticity of the brain.  In Buddhist thought I was familiar with the idea of "habitual tendencies", those behaviours that we repeatedly engage in during this lifetime and if you care to believe, over many life times.  Some of these behaviours are keepers, wholesome or neutral things we do, but others disturb ourselves and others.  In the world of brain research these habitual tendencies are physically manifested as neural pathways that are built and reinforced by repeated behaviour....little dirt roads in the brain where we deepen the ruts each time we drive our beat up old neural pick-up trucks over them.  New brain research shows that we can build new neural pathways by changing our behaviour and weaken the old roads by abandoning them.  This contradicts the former belief that our "set point for happiness" was fixed and reinforced the sentiment that I am just a negative sort so why bother with the hard work of trying to be different.

I have been rambling along here and haven't even approached the question of what is happiness or joy?  What does it mean to me, to you?  If you've read this far maybe you'd like to share your thoughts on the subject.  For me (as in the Matthieu Ricard Youtube video recently posted on fluxlife about happiness) I would separate happiness from pleasure.  There is nothing wrong with a little pleasure, don't get me wrong, but it is not sustaining in any way.  Your spouse leaves you, your child dies, how far does a piece of chocolate cake go?  

At the beginning of my 12 month course on joy I thought of it as something really upbeat or perky, almost manic.  But as time went on I had the opportunity to contemplate and practice what was presented.  I came to see happiness as something quieter, more sedate.  For me I began to notice the bodily sense of relaxation (as opposed to tension and holding) that was associated with a sense of happiness.  It was a sense of relaxing into my life, trying to remember as much as I could that everything is okay in this very moment.  I don't need to get anywhere, rush through this task so I can get on to the next one on my list.  I just need to be here in this moment as much as I can and really experience it, its taste, its texture.  I need to remember that I live in a friendly universe, that no matter what is happening in this moment, that it is all for my good (my Zen teacher would call this faith).  If I can remember to be generous, compassionate and grateful then I am cultivating the habits of mind that bring happiness.  

So while it all seems like a tall order, it also seems to me like one worth working toward.  And because I frequently fall off the top of the tall order and find myself bruised and banged I have learned I need to extend some compassion toward myself.  Now that was a big lesson! Otherwise happiness just becomes another thing I cling to, that I extend my tentacles of desire toward, another subtle form of aggression I use against myself and others.  So let me be off in my bright orange and green neural pick-up truck, on my journey of building new pathways.  There are miles and miles to build before I sleep (Robert Frost said that, right?)  May you be happy!

This painting called "The Three Treasures" looks happy to me, don't you think, in it's brightness and playfulness?  It is a mixed media piece with the three Buddha images cut from different types of paper.  Shades of pink and green acrylics are layered on with some texture and scratching going on.  The three treasures are of course, the Buddha (representing all enlightened ones), the Dharma (the teachings that help us on our path), and the Sangha (like minded practitioners that support us on the path).  This painting is sold but other Buddha paintings can be found at my etsy shop.  (oh, oh, a moment of shameless shilling!)