Currently Reading:
The Heart of Meditation
by Swami Durgananda



Accidental Advice:
I was off-handedly told something today that was more insightful then the person who said it may have realized. "You know, if you opened your mouth 1/4 as much as you do now, you would be the kind of person that when you spoke, others would stop what they were doing and quietly listen."

At first my reaction was something like, "Yeah, and f*ck you too," through some giggling.


Be Cool:
Later I got to thinking about it, and wondered, "Why all the nervous conversation that leads to me saying asinine things?" I wasn't cool. What is cool, but a practice of acceptance.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Shakyamuni Buddha

"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music." - George Carlin

Currently Reading:
The Heart of Meditation
by Swami Durgananda



Cause of Suffering?:
I have pretty much always taken it for granted that sadness caused suffering.

The beginning of this week was very sad for me. While I was very sad and generally upset, I noticed something very peculiar; I wasn't suffering. There was no suffering in my sadness at all. They may appear together at times, but one does not necessitate the other.

This begs the question ...


Koan:
If there is no suffering in sadness, then what is "sadness"?


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Shakyamuni Buddha

"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music." - George Carlin

Currently Reading:
Mind Lines
Translated by L. Michael Hall & Bobby G. Bodenhamer



Culture and Aversion:
In America, we'll do whatever it takes to keep from being bored. We'll do ANYTHING to keep from being bored. We'll spend ALL of our money to avoid being bored. We'll destroy ourselves to keep from being bored.

We buy expensive vacations that have "lots of exciting things to do". We buy the biggest and most expensive state-of-the-art entertainment systems, and then stuff our cabinets full of movies we're tired of seeing, but continue to watch at full blast volume. TV commercials and movies are louder and flashier then ever.

Some people drink, simply to drown out the internal noise. Some drink far too much, simply to drown out the internal noise. Some die from drinking far too much, simply to drown out the internal noise.


The Only Thing We Have to Fear:
Why do we go to such extreme lengths to avoid boredom?

When we're bored, we're able to hear our minds. When it's quiet, you can't stop the flood of thoughts. What are these thoughts? What do they say to us?

When it's quiet, our personal demons come out and to eat us alive. All of our past failures and regrets come out to torment us. It's o.k. though, it's just an illusion. If you look around, you're fine. You're still there, whole and unharmed, just a little scared.

It's o.k.

When you wash dirty clothes, do you get angry at the water because it becomes clouded with dirt?


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
The Way of Chuang Tzu
Translated by Thomas Merton



Definition:
Aversion is that which you avoid. Things that make us bored, things we hate, things we are afraid of are all aversions we have.


The Challenge:
We avoid that which makes us uncomfortable, and that "comfort zone" we create is what murders our ambition. The only thing keeping us from realizing our full potential are our aversions. If you have an aversion to dancing, then that is precisely the reason that you MUST go dancing, and you must DO IT NOW. If you hesitate, then you have been murdered by your aversions, again. Each time you die, you are reborn a little bit weaker, until you are a timid shell of the person you once were.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
Tao Te Ching
Translated by D. Lau



Naivety and Cynicism:
Those are some who see the dark side in others, but ignore the good. They are called "cynics". Those that are cynics convince many of us that looking for the dark side in others is foolish, because we are afraid that we might become cynics.

There are some who see the good in others, but ignore the dark side. They are called "naive". Those that are naive convince many of us that looking for the good in others is foolish, because such we are afraid that we might become naive.


Beyond Naivety and Cynicism:
If we ignore the dark side in others, we can be taken advantage of.

If we ignore the good in others, we lose a part of our humanity.

Each person has both a dark side and a good side, it's simply a question of how much is there and what forms it takes. If we actively look for both sides, without judging, we can see deeply into another person. We can have human compassion, but we don't have to be naive.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
Man's Search For Meaning
by Viktor Frankl



Mike Meyers Revisited:
As I've quoted before, actor Mike Meyers (Austin Powers, Wayne's World) once said, "The secret to improvisational acting is saying 'yes' to everything that comes to you." An improv actor can only improvise if he accepts what's around him fully, and then reacts. I've already discussed how this teaching has become invaluable to my daily interactions, but now I want to take it to another level.


Bad Thoughts:
How often do we have a thought, and then think something like, "That's such a terribly bad thought, I shouldn't be thinking about such things." So you push against it, and yet seems to stay firmly planted in place. We're essentially telling that thought "no", but in order to work with it, we need to tell it "yes". Like it or not, that thought is not only yours, but it's you. To deny it is to deny yourself.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy
by John M. Koller, and Patricia Koller



What Gives You Energy?:
Do you get energized from giving someone a gift, watching TV, arguing?

That which gives you energy, tells you about what it is that you seek out.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy
by John M. Koller, and Patricia Koller



Being Mindful of What and Why:
Every one of us has something that we want to improve upon. One of my biggest things is that I tend to push people away; friends, family, lovers, pets, anyone and everyone. This was something I came to realize a few years ago, and have come to know as my single greatest fault. I've always known that I wasn't especially good with inter-personal relationships, but I could never put my finger on why until I realized that I was pushing people away from me. Sometimes it is a passive detachment, and sometimes it is a forceful push, but they are different degrees of pushing people away from me. Just coming to know and admit this was no small feat(thinly veiled ego stroke), but what good is that?


Just Noticing:
I finally asked my teacher the other day how I can stop pushing people away from me. He said that when you do that, it's preceded by a thought. When you feel yourself have that feeling of pushing away, take a moment and observe that thought. Don't push it away, don't grab onto it, don't try to change it, don't try to toy with it, don't do anything to it, just notice it.

In Buddhism, our inner demons that we wrestle with (self doubt, greed, fear, etc) are personified as Mara. Mara is that part of us that tries to distract us from what we should be doing with what we shouldn't be doing. Mara is that part of us that would rather make out with our girlfriends (or boyfriends) when we should be studying.

Even after Buddha's enlightenment, Mara still tried to come to him to tempt him away from his life of teaching. The Buddha would see Mara about to try a trick, and he would say, "I see you Mara," and Mara would run away. Buddha didn't try to stop Mara, talk to Mara, fight Mara, all he did was notice him. Mara needs to be sneaky. He needs you to think that his voice is your voice, so that you will think that whatever he is telling you is what you ought to be doing. But if we notice Mara when he does such things, we aren't fooled, and it is easy to avoid the things he tries to get us to do.

Again, Mara is a metaphor, a Jungian archetype for an innate part of us. No magic, or woo-woo explanations, just every day things that we live with in every minute.


Catching a Thought:
I had never noticed that pushing someone away was a thought. The reaction is so fast and so instantaneous that it doesn't seem like there is a thought all, but rather a knee-jerk reaction. But in order to have a psychological reaction, there must be a thought. It has been a couple of days, and I have begun to almost catch a glimpse of that thought, but not quite.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha

Currently Reading:
A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy
by John M. Koller, and Patricia Koller



A "Cheap" Word:
"Love" is a cheaply used word in the English language. Not because it's frivolously used, but because there are many different kinds of love. Many languages use different words for these different kinds of love, but English only has one word. Love of a favorite kind of food, love of a family member, romantic love, etc. If you say that you love eating lobster, that is an accurate statement, because you do love eating lobster. However, you don't "love" eating that lobster in the same way that you "love" your parents.

While it is a cheaply used word, it is still powerful in meaning and implication


How to "Love":
The best definition of "love" that I've heard is: Taking delight in the happiness of others. When we are instructed by our teachers and parents to love our fellow man, how would we be if we were to actually follow that instruction?


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha