still sitting

in a moment of light
I saw my true self, my teacher, my path
when darkness fell
I remembered - the image still, sitting in my gaze.

I dedicate the merit of that thought
that all sentient beings may be free from suffering,
from the darkness
may they remember their true nature.

still, sitting in their gaze.

Wish Fulfilling Jewel

Reason for hope, in an age of dis-pair-ity

There are many signs of greed in this year. The fruits of this greed are being felt by us all as we watch our savings, our home values, our job security, our confidence being shaken. There are also signs of hope and benevolence. Within the fabric of our society, locally and worldwide, there are people working for justice and the benefit of all. These people are working selflessly and persistently toward the greater good. We catch glimpses of them in our local newspaper, on the street and on the rare national stories we read or hear. Sometimes we have to listen carefully for these positive signs. Our preoccupation with personal matters and the disparity of bad news over good can drown out these messages. It isn't easy to balance the demands of our busy lives and the most available news is not generally the most in depth or uplifting. Sometimes it appears easier and/or more prudent to be cynical, to build a mantel around our family and our self.

We are in the 12 days of Christmas when gifts are given to us in a grand parade. I would like to suggest that we all gives ourselves a gift this Holiday Season, whether we are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Jain. Give yourself peace, contentment, thanks, love and acceptance. Just as the leaders of these religions would suggest, go to a silent place inside yourself - settle your mind and meditate upon this - very - moment. Breathe in, breathe out. Smile at the wonder of your precious human birth. From this place remember the love that you have received from childhood until this day; the love that raised you, that sustains you each and every day. From that recognition, picture the face of humanity; your family, friends acquaintances, strangers and the rest of humanity. Send them your love and a wish for their peace. Return to your breath, your smile. Effortlessly, simply recognize the peace you can cultivate in a moment.

The wish fulfilling jewel is a wish for the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings. Through this wish we practice peace for our own benefit as we practice peace for the benefit of all. Idealistic - yes, practical - certainly. Does it work? Try it and see.

Working the Unconscious

Last night my family and I returned from a 5 day visit to Missouri where my Mom, Brothers and their families live. I can't remember the last time that I was there for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful visit as I had a chance to spend time with each of my brothers and hang out with my mom quite a bit. It was rushed as you might imagine. It took us almost all of Monday to get there and all of yesterday - Friday - to get back (around 11 or 12 hours). 6 of that is time driving to and from Kansas City-Columbia and Denver-Glenwood Springs.

While I was in Missouri I kept my work instincts under wraps for the most part. I took some time to answer some email messages but didn't get into my project list. I took time to hang out with people, sleep until 8:00, shop, and eat. That's about it.

There was a time when I would be busy thinking or performing work related tasks no matter how far I was from Colorado. If I wasn't answering email, I would be working on a project in my head or on paper. Sometimes I find that working on a project from far away allows me some freedom to be relaxed and think out of the box. The relaxed part is the most important. Sometimes I feel that the distance helps me to be more creative, to look at things from a different angle. With the decreased pressure of a time line, I can loosen my grip on plowing through, step back and see the whole picture.

This vacation was different in that I chose to do nothing. But the question is, is doing "nothing" really doing nothing or are there unconscious forces at work no matter where a person is. And, do these unconscious forces continue to work even when we don't "work". I have been listening to the "Brain Science Podcast" by Ginger Campbell lately. In one of her interviews she talks with Robert Burton this phenomena. They discuss the writer's process wherein a person has an aha! experience and "discovers" the perfect ending to a story after working on a story for some time. The writer might attribute the aha! moment to some mystical experience wherein the "solution" is delivered to them. Burton and Campbell point out that there are all sorts of processes being performed on an unconscious level - some of them physiological (like regulating our heart beat) and some mental (paying attention to movement in our visual space). While we don't attribute these events to divine intervention, we have a hard time believing that there is background activity in our brain that can bring ideas together over time.

What significance does this have for me on my vacation? It means that while I am doing "nothing", yet exposing myself to new people and places, there may be unconscious connections being made. I may be working in the background without having to put a pen to paper. Obviously this doesn't mean that learning and creation can be automatic, but it does mean that there is a important role for letting go and not holding tightly onto the goal of our latest endeavor. It gives us permission to back away from our drive to produce and find new ways to stimulate our creativity.

Of course there must be a balance between work and play. What I am wondering is, what is the consequence of too much push and not enough letting go. Is there value in meditation or play for solving problems? Do these activities allow the associative aspects of our brains to make connections and find a better solution to problems.