November 27

November 27, 2019 Will Simpson

A lot of poetry of living takes place in the kitchen.

I had a great discussion over coffee this morning with a fellow Zenist. One of the topics was monitoring the ego.

Ego, where is it when I'm distracted? What is it doing when I'm not looking?

Being unmindful can be defined as thinking without knowing you are thinking. We could say the same of ego. Being unmindful is being run by the ego without knowing your ego is running you.

I've only caught myself about to say or do something egotistic maybe a half a dozen times in the last couple of weeks. (I now have a tracker to track when I catch myself.) This a huge improvement. And a warning that I operate from ego in all those times I didn't catch myself. This sleepwalking with the ego represents 99.9% of the time for me — lots of work to do here.

I'm reading about haiku poetry. I'm thinking about writing. Below are some of the notes I've taken in my reading and thinking.

The Parts Of A Haiku Poem

1,2,3, or 4 lines
Almost always less than 17 syllable's total
kigo or a seasonal reference
Kireji or [[201911201422]] Cutting Word
A comma is used to denote the passage of time. A phenomenon in nature has finished, or to indicate a feeling of admiration.
Onomatopoeia - the sound of a word is an imitation of the thing.
Alliterations - syllable repetition.
Reference to the physical sensation of the poet.
Analogy 'indirect, unconscious, spontaneous.'
[[201911201654]] A Unity And Relatedness Of Senses.
Focus on the poet's observation of a natural event.
[[201911271321]] Image vs. Explanation (Shows vs. Tells)
Sounds and smells and sensations
concrete things and named objects

This post is meant to help me recommit caring for the world and remind me to encourage my future self to be better than before. Where to work on mental fitness and 'adulting.' A reminder to operate in the world with love and compassion and some tips put together in moments of clarity to help when less clear and caught up in stuff I can't control. Continue the conversation anytime: will@kestrelcreek.com.

November 25

November 25, 2019 Will Simpson

I'm thinking about writing. What are the parts of a story and how to make it engaging?

We are sitting in our reading chairs in front of the fireplace. Mary is across from me reading a novel. She is absorbed, looking out of the bottoms of her progressive lens, studying the book. Her bookmark temporarily rests on her chest, awaiting being called back into service. Any minute now, she will rise to tend to the soup she is making. Coconut, Curry, Tomato Soup. A dish we have not ever had before. The sweet fragrance of simmering soup fills the house. Anticipation is growing.

Writing non-fiction is about sharing observations in a story format that leads somewhere.

Begin with the beginning

November 23, 2019 Will Simpson

Lewiston Clarkston Idaho. Really, they are under there somewhere.

Slogan 1

First, your beginnings got you here, and this is where to start. Start from where you are. Just start and see what happens. Be kind to yourself. Connected with the realness you are up against in your everyday life.

Just resolve to begin. When you notice you are off track, come back to the moment and then start again. Over and over, continually.

"Life passes without you noticing. Since this particular life is so precious, you shouldn't waste your time following the whims of your wandering mind. Not knowing how long we will live, we must value the precious time we have right now and not waste it." [^@Rinpoche:2009a]

Secondly, the beginning refers to the first stages of practice. Become familiar with the territory of Mind-Training. Developing motivations, intentions, and aspirations with a clear mind.

Create an environment in which to engage with the practice. At first, you foster a mental climate, and this forms the basis of your beginning. All of your life springs from your mind, what you think colors what you experience.

This beginning is returned to again and again. We usually start a practice or endeavor and then continue on and on, forgetting what it was like to be a beginner. This slogan points out how important the beginning is. Return again and again to the fundamentals, to your original motivations, intentions, and aspirations.

Stabilizing your attention, being mindful of daily behavior, determining to let go of harmful pattern-based activities, and genuinely desire to be of service to others. Slowly create a physical environment that supports your intentions.

Below are four areas to focus on at the beginning. Turn your thoughts to these in turn.

1. The preciousness and rarity of my life.

Realize that your life is the only one you know you'll have. Use this life wisely. Your life is a gift from the universe. The odds of your birth are astronomical. Now that you are here, this opportunity is so precious. The fact of your existence is extraordinary.

2. The inevitability of my death.

We run from the idea of thinking about our death, but it is inevitable. Memento Mori is a Stoic slogan that is meant to remind you of the fact that 'you can never be certain of living long enough to take another breath.' Death is part of the cycle of change. Change is what gives life its animation. Operating from the understanding that death waits for you allows you to be more present in all the moments that matter.

3. The awesome and indelible power of my actions.

What you do has consequences. Your actions mostly are unseen. A butterfly flaps its wings on one side of the world, and a hurricane develops on the other. A warm smile on the street is passed on and on rippling throughout time and space. Being kind barely costs a thing. You'll hardly remember you did it, but the other person may never forget that you did.

4. The inescapability of suffering.

Who doesn't try and avoid pain? Isn't this futile? You will get through the pain. Pain still hurts, and you can let this suffering forge you into a stronger person — no need to be glib about suffering or loss. There's no need to turn away from what is heading toward us. Instead, we can embrace it. All that is dear to you and everything you love, you'll have to give back. It will breakdown and dust.

When on retreat, we chant the "5 Remembrances" every morning with simple bells. Then start the days' meditation cycles. Reciting these is a reminder to begin again and drop the constant internal chatter. Begin at this moment, with commitment, and without hesitation.

**The Buddha's Five Remembrances**

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

       Thich Nhat Hanh

[^@Rinpoche:2009a]: Shamar Rinpoché and Lara Braistein (2009): The path to awakening: a commentary on Ja Chekawa Yeshe Dorje's: seven points of mind training, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers

Lojong practice or Mind Training

November 15, 2019 Will Simpson

Lojong practice is a Tibetan meditative practice where you work with slogans to shape your mind ethically and spiritually. Lojong means Mind Training. This practice has been in use since the 12th century.

There are 59 easy to remember Mind Training slogans. Each slogan looks at a different activity, node, or module of life. Many of the slogans provide encouragement or a perspective that frees you from your usual thinking.

You don't have to be Buddhist or interested in Tibetan culture to find value here. You don't have to be a meditator or even interested in these topics. All you need is a mind. You do have a mind, don't you?

You may resist the idea of training the mind. It can sound like a lot of seriously dull work, but it can be anything but boring. You will get to face ingrained habits, and as you advance with practice, make positive changes in your experience.

Mind training is not about being perfect. Mind training is about incremental advancement, about being better than yesterday, about being a better human, a better partner, parent, friend, neighbor, student, and worker.

The 59 slogans are divide up into 7 points. I've given the headings my twist, my spin.

1. Groundwork
2. The Practices
3. Applying yourself
4. Living and dying
5. Measures of proficiency
6. The 'Don't' Section
7. The 'Do' Section

Next week I'll be looking at the first slogan 'Begin with the beginning' — an opportunity to start where you are.

Being Ordinary Introduction

November 2, 2019 Will Simpson

I am not an authority.

I have no formal or continuous transmission from a Roshi or a Lama or anybody. I am not 'authorized' to teach. I have had no special training or instruction. Just merely reporting on my experiences. Reporting on what I've discovered it takes to be a better self, in the sense of freedom from the the vast number of egotistic behaviors that can be indulged in. These reports arise from sitting Zazen, on a cushion or in a chair, guided or not, structured or not, from feelings and thinking, from reading and studying, from conversation, from sauntering. Surprising how much a long walks clarify the mind stream.

Mistakes where made, and they where made by me.

I'm not so different than you. I'm working to become ordinary. It is a process with ups and downs, successes and failures, and many lessons that point to work to be done. Perfection is not in the cards but it is the stars which when aimed at, maybe the Moon will be hit.

Zen practice and Tibetan practice are different and the same.

Zen and Tibetan practice each put significance on training to live life close to experience and on training to live an ethical life. Zen's focus is on breaking through your illusions and it does this relentlessly. In Tibetan Lojong Practice or Mind Training, the focus is mostly on learning to operate in the world as an ethical being. Sure, both Zen and Tibetan practices have some of both focuses, but these are not usually blended. You can think of them as Zen focusing on underlying theory and Tibetan Practice as primarily being focused on practical applications. One is lost without the other.

Loosey-goosey vs prescriptive

Zen is sometimes seen as loosey-goosey and Tibetan practices are seen as prescriptive. Zen with its long silent meditations and often impenetrable koan stories and Tibetan Lojong Slogans admonishing strict explicit ethical behavior. But this view is wrong. Zen does have codes of conduct, set forth in formal precept study and Tibetan practitioners often go on long silent meditation retreats to free them selfs from their illusions.

This journal is meant to be a platform that helps me recommit, to care for the world around me and as a reminder to encourage my future self. Where I work on my mental fitness and ‘adulting’. A reminder to him to operate in the world with love and compassion and some tips put together in a moment of clarity to help him when he is less clear and caught up in stuff the he can’t control. Continue the conversation anytime: will@kestrelcreek.com.

Floating Ideas Escape

October 19, 2019 Will Simpson

Why should I continue to write?

There is no reason, at some point I started and at some point I'll stop.

Ideas float in the noggin and try to escape. They all want to be made real. To have existence. This seems to be the nexus of writing. Ideas escaping the confines of the brain and neurochemistry and suddenly manifesting. This is not something that can controlled or take any credit for any more than you can predict what the next thought you'll have. Learning to just relax control and fixation with the flow of manifesting. Just be.

Imitate the trees. Learn patience in order to grow. Grow the best you can in the environment you find yourself in. Always be reaching, for light and truth. Be a noble host. Grow with the like minded forming groves. Give back. Back to the source of your nutrition. Let seeds be scattered and make this the goal.

This journal is meant as a reminder to encourage my future self. Where I work on my mental fitness and ‘adulting’. A reminder to him to operate in the world with love and compassion and some tips put together in a moment of clarity to help him when he is less clear and caught up in stuff the he can’t control. Continue the conversation anytime: will@kestrelcreek.com.

Thinking and Doing

October 9, 2019 Will Simpson

First snow of the season.

Delivery. Making real stuff. Been thinking about this a bunch lately. Also thinking about the value of both thinking and doing. Being a thinker and a doer. I'd like to keep a balance of developing my thinking skills and also my maker skills.

Thinking and doing are areas considered "practice". Study, follow exercises, plan skill building routines, and mediation. Consider the ancient Zen admonition - "Practice in secret". What that means in the modern world.

Practice in secret. What does this mean.

don’t aim to be better than anyone else
don’t advertise practice
don’t rush things
don’t seek accolades
seem foolish/dumb/ordinary
be indifferent to the chatter of others
don’t be swayed by circumstances

This is something I’ve aspired to. Being ordinary. Without accouterments. Practice in secret equates to bing ordinary. Secret here is not negative or selfish, just hidden and private. Not hidden for the sake of deception.

Credit: Scott Young Thinkers vs Doers