Hello Again

Hello, and long time no posts from me. I have finally gotten a break from the hectic-ness of trying to keep my small business a float in this stressful times. The situation isn't dire and I am always just focused on what I can do for this moment. Talk about downsizing, ha ha ha well business has almost dried up in my marketplace. That stated, I am close to closing a few deals that may bring some relief to the urgency that exists right now. Being a software developer is interesting as it requires a great deal of up front work and the results if we can call them that come later.

Our small Zen Group continues to grow and to flower, it is of this that stirs my passion. How may help you...... this is the essence of Zen. The minute we think its about us, or about a particular way or style we lose it. So, my sanity exists in working and interacting, first and foremost with teacher, James Ford Roshi, he is like an anchor to 'not knowing mind.' I think we all need to have a teacher, even if we are a teacher. This is an important point, to maintain our humility and not lose touch with that beginners mind that Shunryu Suzuki Roshi wrote about almost 40 years ago. We are all beginners on this path and that is the joy of the path, it is always new and alive and refreshing. We really have no where to get to, there is no arrival point and there is no beginning or end to our practice. When our practice is constant, then we are blessed with this path that unfolds out into eternity, it is only when we think we arrived somewhere and that we are know going to show this arrival that we fall into hell.

For us in the West, this season is our time of family and introspection. It is the Western Hemisphere's end of a cycle, which marks the beginning of a new cycle. The cycle itself isn't new as it is constantly repeating, so the rotation comes around again and we think about the short term life around us. The flowers and insects that have shorter life spans and are more dependant on the seasonal flux. But the earth has its cycles and lifespans, much larger than we can really imagine, so where do that leave us? Well it leaves us right here, black letters on a white background, perhaps the hum of a computer exhaust fan humming quietly near.

May we all find peace, love and harmony in the ever expanding presence of our own lives. Merry Christmas and thanks for reading, I will try to find more balance following this break period.

MEET THE NATIVES: USA

I don't normally recommend Television Shows but I have been watching it on the Travel Channel and there are some very interesting insights that come from these natives from the South Pacific.

They are traditional hunters and farmers, wearing grass skirts and penis sheaths. They have no electricity or TV, and a very limited idea of the world beyond their tiny island until now.

It's time to MEET THE NATIVES: USA. Insightful, entertaining and unforgettable, the extraordinary journey of 5 men from the remote Pacific island of Tanna across the USA will force us to look at ourselves through brand-new eyes.

Why are we so obsessed with money and possessions? Why do we treat our pets better than some of our fellow citizens? What does "family" mean to us? What do we do with our elderly? How come we make all our important decisions in bars? And what's the point of ironing a shirt?

While watching an Orange County, California couple receive Botox injections the tribesmen discuss that they may look younger on the outside but it does nothing for their insides. The tribal chief states that the sun rises and sets, and you can't stop the sun from setting. If it's 3 pm you can't make it 9 am even if you want it to be. You can fix the skin outside, but the blood knows what time it is. There is a simple honesty in their observations that may wake up some of us from our dream.

The Tanna tribe dances their way into America's hearts as they crisscross the country from high society Manhattan to the big sky of Montana. Whether it's mud baths and roller coasters in Orange County, CA, sharing a Thanksgiving feast in America's heartland, or touching snow for the first time, these tribesman spread their wisdom and kindness on their mission to meet the natives of the USA.

Śakyamuni Buddha (Sogamoni bul, in Korean)

The Buddha Śakyamuni is the main statue in most Korean temples and represent the historical Buddha, the Sambhogakaya. Having been born in a royal family, Prince Siddhartha Gautama lived in northeastern India during the fifth century BCE.
Korean Temples frequently have paintings of various episodes from the Buddha’s life on the exterior of the Main Hall. Occasionally these pictures are presented separately and are sometimes found in the back of the Main Hall such as at Haein–sa in South Korea. The paintings often follow Siddhartha through the process that brought him to annutara samyak sambodhi or complete unexcelled awakening. In these life vignettes his mother, Queen Maya, is pictured as having the auspicious dream of a white elephant; his birth in the Lumbini Garden; his childhood bath in the fire of nine dragons; his meditation in the Himalayas; his struggle with desires; his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree; scenes of him teaching, and eventually final nirvana.
The mudra or hand position in the paintings and statues, are depicted with the “earth witness mudra” which is most often associated with the Buddha Śakyamuni and it recalls a story about the Buddha (which can be found in the Sokkuram statue in Kyongju). Following his enlightenment, Buddha was challenged as to his right to sit on the small piece of ground that he was occupying. He called the earth to witness his many good deeds of past lives and so justified his seat in that place. The figure is of a seated Buddha, the right hand hanging over the knee, palm inward, sometimes pointing with one finger, usually with the whole hand, towards the earth.