Be here now...reflecting on my ride to Tiburon this AM

If it's winter, one must have a mind of winter- indeed, one must be winter- to be here. That is, not thinking of spring, not longing for summer, for something that doesn't exist now, here. This mind isn't reaching for some other place.

And if it's summer, one must have a mind of summer.

There is no other place. We're forever here.

--Steve Hagen

The above photo is from my bike ride across to Tiburon.

A zen teaching that has become my mantra

"When you do something, you should burn yourself completely."

--Suzuki Roshi

The spiritual path is virtually never what we expect

We all enter the spiritual path as ego-based beings, and as such we have ego-based hopes and fears. Practice is virtually never what we expect. We feel like we’ve got it all wrong, thinking, “The more I meditate, the worse I become.” My teacher, Gendun Rinpoche, always responded to this by saying, “When you see your own shortcomings, it’s the dawn of qualities. If you only see your qualities, there’s a problem.”

--Lama Tsony

Via Tricycle

The mantra, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose", from Friday Night Lights, is a great summary of Zen

The message on my tea bag this morning....

Grace brings trust, appreciation, love and prosperity.

The messy process of forgiving another & myself

Recently, I have been asking myself why did I tolerate such mean and judgmental behavior from someone who I was really close to? Why didn't I end this emotionally-corrosive relationship many months earlier?

These are difficult things that I try to hold and ponder without being harshly critical of myself. But looking back, I stayed in this relationship because I saw the innate goodness in this other person...and I still do. I tried to ignore his fear, which the Course in Miracles says it isn't real in a spiritual sense. I hoped that my love would heal and transform his fear, which I was wrong about and isn't my job.

I am learning to accept other people for exactly who they are right now, not what I would like him or her to be. Also, I need to take better care of my inner little kid, speaking from my heart when someone does something to offend me. Being open and loving AND with clear and appropriate boundaries.

I am living and learning along this messy path of life. I don't mind saying that I was a fool for love (in this past relationship). But I have grown and deepened. As the movie The Tree of Life so wonderfully talks about, I chose "the way of grace:" that difficult but satisfying life approach that emphasizes forgiveness, compassion, and love.

"Laughing at the whole enterprise, even myself..."

The bright moon is now shining down.
Mountains and rivers calm.
Laughing at this whole enterprise, even at myself,
startles heaven and earth!
Ha ha ha ha ha!!

--So Sahn

A photo from my bike ride this morning

Life was glorious this morning, despite having gotten up at 5:15 AM, to do my weekly 22-mile bike ride, with my best friend Lou, over the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon, in Marin County, CA. I took the high-speed ferry back to the Ferry Building in the city.

After 3 days of camping, I understand these words...

Our true is in the present moment.
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment.

--Thich Nhat Hahn

The power of 'not knowing'

Go--not knowing where.
Bring--not knowing what.
The path is long, the way unknown.

--Russian Fairy Tale

Last post of the day: "Always stay in your own movie"

Always stay in your own movie.

--Ken Kesey

My interpretation of this quote, from the author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," is that we need to honor our own lives and not harshly or judgmentally compare ourselves to others. To truly appreciate the beauty of the joys and sorrows of our lives, fully and completely. To feel that we are enough...regardless of our circumstances and those of others.

The fine line in being a LGBT activist...doing what's right but not hating your opponents

In heated moments -- like one we are having now on the marriage equality bill in New York state, I have to keep reminding myself to be strong, with love in my heart, and clearly say no to the forces of fear and ignorance without hating them. As the Buddha taught, "Hatred never ceases through hatred..."

I need to keep seeing their humanity even though they don't see mine. Being a spiritual warrior and social activist isn't the easiest path. But it is the one for me.

In men's meditation group last night, we decided a better name for 'self-love' is 'self-acceptance'...

I spoke about my experience in treating myself with lots of compassion and forgiveness but at the same time holding myself accountable for my behavior and realizing my goals. From a Buddhist perspective, it is helpful for me to remember that I have basic goodness, or 'Buddha nature', that I often forget during moments of fear and delusion. Nurturing acceptance of my self is like taking care of a seven-year-old nephew for a weekend, being encouraging and kind but also setting some strong, healthy boundaries, too.

--Joe

The experience of spirituality depicted in two recent (and wonderful) films: Tree of Life & Of Gods and Men

[B]oth “Of Gods and Men” and “Tree of Life” turn our gaze to small things of great and overlooked beauty: in one film, the waving grass, a reaching tree, a squalling baby; in the other, a monk tending a sick child; another monk pouring wine for his brothers; the communal singing of the psalms. ... “Of Gods and Men” may require some in-depth knowledge of Christianity—the notion of sacrifice, of contemplative prayer and the monastic life itself. (It may be hard to understand why the monks stay if you know nothing about the vow of obedience.) “Tree of Life,” on the other hand, can be seen by anyone who wonders about God.

--James Martin, S.J

Enjoying the moments, not counting the months

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.

--Rbaindranath Tagore

Via Daily Dish

Searching for meaning...the vital path for humans

Towards the end of his life, Jung reflected that many - perhaps most - of the people who came to see him were not, fundamentally, mentally ill. They were, rather, searching for meaning. It is a hard task. "There is no birth of consciousness without pain," he wrote. But it is vital. Without it, human beings lose their way.

--Mark Vernon

Via The Daily Dish

Yesterday, my day along the Oregon coast

Tent fail!: the rain starts & my tent leaks as I go to bed

Here I am on the breath-taking Oregon coast camping or trying to camp. LOL. Last night, after a wonderful time with eating oysters and drinking a microbrew beer with locals, I returned to my comfy tent, in the most ideal oceanside camp site. I was cozy and content, enjoying sounds of the oceanside surf, in my dome tent. Then it started to rain and, for the first time, my heretofore trusty tent failed me. I got packed my belongings, laughed at the situation, and quickly found refuged at a good local hotel. Turns out my tent rainfly lost its water-replenancy over the years and I need new one. I will buy a new fly or tent today. Staying dry in Tillamook, Oregon.

On vacation for the next 10 days in Oregon, I will be posting infrequently

Inner work results in a better outer world

If humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution.

--Eckhart Tolle