When you get a minute have a look and one night while making dinner or an afternoon with some down time at work click on the link for Goenke to stream through your speakers...
Returning from a super long season in the southern hemisphere there are plenty of stories to share! A few medical emergencies on the ship: Sutures, syncope and an evacuation! A rollover car accident on barren, desolate Route 40 in Patagonia. Excelling the Spanish and cultivating skills to rival any Argentinian's Asado, almost... we'll have those talks over a frosty cold beer in the future!
Today, gusty winds are wrestling branches, the sun is prying through the clouds, everywhere the chilling buzz of spring is alive, and inside the mind remains calm and peaceful. Could be from the precious moment of right now, a warm cup of tea, writing to many of those dear to me sending love and compassion their way... could be caused by the "Extreme Time-Out" I experienced until yesterday morning... who's to say?
Between Seattle and Portland the Latest Installment of Life has lead me to a very useful, very old technique of meditation called Vipassana this is something to climb the treetops and start screamin' about! This practice is known for teaching the Art of Living by seeing things as they really are, it sounds easy but takes a lifetime! Think about it, dropping all distractions and putting aside obligations *(when possible of course) to get to the core of the mind...why not try? As I tell you about it I'm trying not to sound like a crazed lunatic that's fallen off the deep end and been named ringleader of a hip new cult... but it might...
In order to re frame our minds we take an exploratory journey of ourselves to the root of mind by observing our thoughts and sensations on the body resulting in dissolve of mental impurity, and eventually, a balanced mind. Basically, we get into all those "down and dirty" nooks and crannies to explore qualities, frustrations, cravings and aversions to realize and understand why we are the way we are...
The Art of Living is taught over a 10 day silent meditation course taking a vow of noble silence - silence of speech, body, and mind - this is the goal... to stop interactions and focus on your breathing leaving only one minor distraction, an uncontrollable eruption of thoughts and conversations, images from dreams and waking life, as the thoughts and outside world penetrate your concentration... to concentrate during this is a feat for mastery!
Instead of me trying to explain, when you get a minute check out the website, (http://www.dhamma.org/) nothing fancy, but give Goenke a go and his explanation is found here... http://www.pariyatti.org/ResourcesProjects/Podcasts/tabid/58/Default.aspx... click on any previously recorded talk and enjoy!
If you're wondering how my experience went, well... I feel like each day is a gift, my thoughts and actions are clearer, and I am smiling bright again. My mind is inspired knowing there are tools to keep on truckin' putting your best foot forward, not that we don't try to do this every day, but to go beyond the surface level of yourself and smilingly feel from your core... to react from the depths of the mind, is an enlightening experience...
To put it plainly, when your car is running rough it gets a tune up, when the body is in rough shape we hit the gym or practice yoga, when the mind is frustrated we, I dunno, go for a walk, read a book, see a film, catch a show... all these things we do for enjoyment is a process of distracting the mind from
what it really is that is getting to us... why not take it for a tune up, give it some exercise, learn to really love ourselves...
Okay, okay, I'm done ranting and raving... traveling this summer with a brighter smile than the day before, I hope to be in your neck of the woods sometime soon. When I am, know there's a massive Moose size hug coming for you, it may even hunt you down!!!
For the remainder of May and part of June I'm going to be on a farm learning more about small scale food production, then into Portland for a few weeks to participate in the Natural Building Convergence ( http://cityrepair.org/events/vbc/ ) and soon after that heading north to Alaska and some Freedom in the Hills!!! Beyond that is a contract voyaging through the Northwest Passage... shaping up to be a playful summer...
To close this one out, many of you were in my dreams, my thoughts, my energy over the Vipassana course... I laughed, I cried, I sat through immense pain and handled my sorrow... I love you all, and thank you for being in my life...
Returning from a super long season in the southern hemisphere there are plenty of stories to share! A few medical emergencies on the ship: Sutures, syncope and an evacuation! A rollover car accident on barren, desolate Route 40 in Patagonia. Excelling the Spanish and cultivating skills to rival any Argentinian's Asado, almost... we'll have those talks over a frosty cold beer in the future!
Today, gusty winds are wrestling branches, the sun is prying through the clouds, everywhere the chilling buzz of spring is alive, and inside the mind remains calm and peaceful. Could be from the precious moment of right now, a warm cup of tea, writing to many of those dear to me sending love and compassion their way... could be caused by the "Extreme Time-Out" I experienced until yesterday morning... who's to say?
Between Seattle and Portland the Latest Installment of Life has lead me to a very useful, very old technique of meditation called Vipassana this is something to climb the treetops and start screamin' about! This practice is known for teaching the Art of Living by seeing things as they really are, it sounds easy but takes a lifetime! Think about it, dropping all distractions and putting aside obligations *(when possible of course) to get to the core of the mind...why not try? As I tell you about it I'm trying not to sound like a crazed lunatic that's fallen off the deep end and been named ringleader of a hip new cult... but it might...
In order to re frame our minds we take an exploratory journey of ourselves to the root of mind by observing our thoughts and sensations on the body resulting in dissolve of mental impurity, and eventually, a balanced mind. Basically, we get into all those "down and dirty" nooks and crannies to explore qualities, frustrations, cravings and aversions to realize and understand why we are the way we are...
The Art of Living is taught over a 10 day silent meditation course taking a vow of noble silence - silence of speech, body, and mind - this is the goal... to stop interactions and focus on your breathing leaving only one minor distraction, an uncontrollable eruption of thoughts and conversations, images from dreams and waking life, as the thoughts and outside world penetrate your concentration... to concentrate during this is a feat for mastery!
Instead of me trying to explain, when you get a minute check out the website, (http://www.dhamma.org/) nothing fancy, but give Goenke a go and his explanation is found here... http://www.pariyatti.org/ResourcesProjects/Podcasts/tabid/58/Default.aspx... click on any previously recorded talk and enjoy!
If you're wondering how my experience went, well... I feel like each day is a gift, my thoughts and actions are clearer, and I am smiling bright again. My mind is inspired knowing there are tools to keep on truckin' putting your best foot forward, not that we don't try to do this every day, but to go beyond the surface level of yourself and smilingly feel from your core... to react from the depths of the mind, is an enlightening experience...
To put it plainly, when your car is running rough it gets a tune up, when the body is in rough shape we hit the gym or practice yoga, when the mind is frustrated we, I dunno, go for a walk, read a book, see a film, catch a show... all these things we do for enjoyment is a process of distracting the mind from
what it really is that is getting to us... why not take it for a tune up, give it some exercise, learn to really love ourselves...
Okay, okay, I'm done ranting and raving... traveling this summer with a brighter smile than the day before, I hope to be in your neck of the woods sometime soon. When I am, know there's a massive Moose size hug coming for you, it may even hunt you down!!!
For the remainder of May and part of June I'm going to be on a farm learning more about small scale food production, then into Portland for a few weeks to participate in the Natural Building Convergence ( http://cityrepair.org/events/vbc/ ) and soon after that heading north to Alaska and some Freedom in the Hills!!! Beyond that is a contract voyaging through the Northwest Passage... shaping up to be a playful summer...
To close this one out, many of you were in my dreams, my thoughts, my energy over the Vipassana course... I laughed, I cried, I sat through immense pain and handled my sorrow... I love you all, and thank you for being in my life...
