Right Speech starts here

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. Most people listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey

One or Two Eyes?

The parable below is really key for me right now, bringing me back to the moment...

There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master, "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen? The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years . ." "¨The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast -- How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" "¨Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

Opinions

Opinions are kind of like acne. They color your personality for a limited time and then go away until the next irritant invades. Though people may identify you with the discoloration it is merely an outward manifestation of some internal heat toxin and eventually it will clear. There is no need to attach any value to them, if you do the discomfort and unpleasantness will last that much longer.

alan watts re visited

alan watts on southpark

It's Raining!

Yay for the rain, and stormlight. We visited Ginger today and saw her boat, and it rained!

a message from the Maharishi

Our friend Peggy sent this heads up - the live stream happens tomorrow Sunday at noon EST.

"Maharishi founded the TM (Transcendental Meditation) movement back in the '80s and George and her "wasband"  and many of their friends were Maharishi's (M) first students and eventually teachers. George and her "wasband"  still meditate but have moved away from the TM org many many years ago. George was a key person for M and last January Maharishi visited and had a "conversation" with George about all of this and asked George to make all the arrangements to get this info from their conversation out to the public, around the world, for free.

The first 15% of this live stream will be more directed to the people formerly and currently related to the TM Org, but the other 85% will relate to the world at large. George has told no one the details of what he will say. He is an excellent speaker and a very down-to-earth person."

Power

So much in media today making it look like violence and racism are escalating, back to do not trust the news, better yet do not watch the news, do not look for news outside your own experience, but then be out there on the street in the community and pay attention to the people and beings you meet, be present and aware of others so that the urge to take part has somewhere to go, something to do.

This need to watch the news, to keep up with what is supposedly happening in Missouri or Los Angeles or Afghanistan  - what is that all about? Since the inception of Television we were trained to watch helplessly as others suffered. This created passive sheep dependent on the government to act.  Makes it nice for them. How can we turn this around? Not thru fearfulness, by being present now in the community we live in. Reaching out to greet and speak with people on the street, in the neighborhood, at work or at school.

Why are cops becoming "Other" in media? Commercial media makes money and fame, the two big balls of Greed. Police officers are people in power and the risk they take is not so much that they will be killed or injured in the course of duty but that they will become cynical and detached if not already. We are all at risk for this. That kills the soul rather than the body, creating a living zombie. All of us are finely balanced between resistance to becoming a zombie and being too vulnerable. We choose professions or relationships that push the edge to cause breaks in our armor, a continuous back and forth between open presence and closed numbness.

The Eightfold Path gives us a framework, a work out routine for the spirit that improves our efficiency, agility and endurance in running the maze of life. This is real power. Not power over but true power from within. Let us be Noble Friends to each other, workout buddies in fact. This is the game of life and the finish line is bound to be a surprise.