Observations and Renderings

Yes, I'm wordy today. Having blogged some of the weeks' commutes and then finding more articles about more crap I don't need but nonetheless admire, I find myself here with my monkey mind going in other directions not necessarily related to 2 wheels, round balls or the hometown berg. As they are in all of your lives, things around here have been stressful, complicated, blissful and chaotic. As a means of dealing with the chaos, stress, and occasional extreme satisfaction I've turned back to ruminating about the Buddha. things- all things- have been swirling like bats in the belfry. hell, we had 2 bats in the hallway at school the other day. that made for quite a sight, students giggling and ducking while 'E' and 'R' fumbled about, net in hand and smiles on their faces at their own ineptitude in the face of 2 small flying mice getting the better of them. yes, bats flying in the belfry to and fro, never quite landing on their perch.

i read a good article in Shambhala Sun, which i picked up during the boys' soccer practice today. i had to go to competitor Border's, but it was close. within 4 pages, the article posited nothing more than the Pause. in the midst of bats, freeways of random thoughts, scattered droplets of rain falling not on crops but on windows and fresh laundry, one just needs to Pause. 3 breaths of awareness and mindfulness can bring those 3 instances, those 3 moments to a relaxed halt, to the moment of not scattered thoughts, not intense grief, stress, brooding. to Pause is to take 3 breaths and realize that the mind is working against itself, against your non-self, against your inflated notion of self. just to take 3 breaths, "cleansing" "mindful" "aware", whatever the hell you want to call them , and just realize that to be alive and aware of that life and promise is more important than any task or any thought or any emotion that is shrouding the mind at that moment.

as a westerner, Kentuckian raised in a Southern Baptist Church (barf!), i find difficulty in giving in to the "message", to images and notions and prophesies first espoused by small little black-haired Asian people living thousands of miles away thousands of years ago. But i do know that 3 quick breaths can tell me that i'm alright, and that being there is more important than what i will accomplish, might accomplish, want to accomplish.

i have returned to listening to Podcasts. 2 that i can always return to and derive great satisfaction from are Reverend Kusula and his UrbanDharma and Gil Fronsdal from AudioDharma and Zencast. i enjoy Kusula for his big heart and matter-of-fact truths that he seems to get to. he's a guy from the Midwest who seems to hold no pretense. Fronsdal is more the yogi, the Yoda, and I say that in a good way. he is kind, generous, thoughtful in his speech and i can trust that his intentions are good, or that his practice is intentional, Right Action as it were. Skillful. i have not of late b/c the books are still boxed up downstairs- that's a longer story that is worth telling- but Tich Hat Nan holds a place for me, or that i hold a place for him. i claim absolutely zero expertise, but his notion of loving kindness and mindfulness provides me the strength of possibility. in the days to come i will branch out to read other authors, but i will read those that are non-dogmatic or too terribly provincial, no, territorial in their view.

it's about stopping to smell the roses and nothing more, and nothing less. i bet your can do that on your bike ride better than in your car, or in front of your TV. peace and have a great weekend.