The Three Pillars

In living the life of practice I feel that there are three basic necessities, often referred to in Zen practice as "The Three Pillars." They, in my perception include study, the Sangha,or community and practice itself.

The first of these, study, includes the consistent habit of reading materials that are focused in meditation, stress reduction, or inspiration. It can also include at times biographies or anything that inspires you. It is important to occasionally return to elements that focus on mediation and stress reduction technique, but do not discount the power of that which inspires. My experience has indicated that it is far more likely to go from an inspired mind to a calm one. A little consistently is more important than a lot occasionally. Even a sentence a day can make a great difference.

The Sangha, or spiritual community is also of prime importance. By this I mean a group or even an individual you meet with on a weekly or biweekly basis. Combining with others and doing practice as well as discussing its effects is crucial. Even if this occurs at a distance it is very impactful. Your companions on this path will help to keep you connected, and you will help them. The combined energy of this group is more powerful than the sum of the individuals.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly is the life of practice itself. There is no substitute for putting the time in. Again, this does not have to be a great investment of time. Like study, a little consistently is more important than gorging yourself with practice once in a while. Even taking two minutes a day to pay attention to all that you can will change your life.

Activate the three pillars, and step into the magic of your life!

The End of Fall

Here we are in the process of another fall. It is such a beautiful time to watch the change of seasons, recognizing the winter quickly approaching. We can so easily miss joy of change caught in the foreboding of winter. However if we take the time to inhabit our lives, to actually see what is in front of us, this can be the best season of all. In the process we also feel passing of time and being truly present to it we also experience the call to action, the realization that we do not have forever, and that now is the time to act.

The strange thing is that in order to train ourselves to be present, we must step into self discipline. You know what to do, now is the time to activate; to apply your life experience and find the edge that means being truly awake. This is the time of your life. Be here for it.

The World Needs You Now

As within so be without. The world is in an inflamed state. Polarization seems to be the rule of the day. So often the dialogue is very white and black with very little ability and sometimes with very little desire to find the bridge between. We become trapped in the world of good and evil.

This is not just in the world of politics and world affairs. Even in the home we become at odds. The people who hurt us the most are not strangers, but family, friends, lovers. We become so familiar that we know our resentments are justified. Those resentments can even burn so deeply as to become a low level hatred. There is a fine line between love and hate.

So we learn that we are most likely to come to contempt with those we know best. Sometimes it is a contempt that we cannot even admit to ourselves even exists. It operates and and affects our decisions and actions without us sometimes being aware of the puppet master at all. We dress our bias up in disguise even with ourselves.

We come into contempt with that which we are most familiar. No longer truly respecting and looking with fresh eyes at a subject we assume we know so well. This is never so true as we when we are the subject. We are faced with a deep resentment that we feel toward our self. it too operates at submerged levels and creates the disease of self and other. We become split, one part vilified, one part the avenging god.

The world is inflamed, but the place to create peace is from within and then out. Learning to be more kind to ourselves, outward toward a more temperate relationship with our families and gradually in concentric circles around you. You can bring peace to this world, by choosing to direct your attention to what builds rather than what tears apart.

THE TWO PERCENT
Often we do not understand what to do. Some looming crisis stands at the edge of our imagination and we not only feel stuck, but at the brink of a creeping terror.
However when we take the time to look at the situation we find that we do know something we can do.
We may not be able to understand 98 percent of our situation, but if we focus in the two percent that we do know we can step into the self that is empowered, strong enough to face any challenge.
Think about it, a small opening can create the space for a deluge of water, enough to fill a space vastly larger. This is the power of on the two percent we understand. Soon we find we understand far more.
We do not have to remain blocked. Even if we can get no purchase on the central issue, if we focus on other areas we find a new power, a new confidence that translates.
Do not let yourself be blocked! This life wants your success. If you hang in, and step into power rather than weakness you can live the life you have dreamed. Your power comes from inside out.
Step into your strength!

Intention is all important. If the intention behind the giving of a gift is not the good of the recipient, then what is received is not truly a gift. Intention is all important.

It is likewise important to know the intention of your Yoga practice. Why are you doing Yoga? If the intention is found in wanting to be sexy, or competitive or to fulfill some goal the gift has ulterior motives and as such loses much of it’s power. The gift of Yoga should be found in truly wanting the body to thrive today. To see what it is capable of today.

As a result we experience another level of communication with the body, and a mutual respect. We find new levels of vitality and the experience of a true moment.

We find the discovery of true intention.

Touching The Edge

The edge is our current edge of limitation. To touch the edge is to find what we are capable of. It requires radical self-honesty. Often we must do less rather than more. It is a subtle experience. You will find it easy, not hard to do. However, as with so many easy things, we will often convince ourselves of it's difficulty.

Truly, the edge is a subtle, fragile place. It is like listening to a whisper. As with anyone that whispers, the secret must be honored. When you do not honor a whisper, there is a loss of trust, You are no longer trusted as safe. If you break this trust it takes a long time to be trusted again. However, if you do prove yourself worthy you become a confidant. More secrets will be told. In learning to "touch the edge without bursting through it" your body begins to open up; slowly at first, but later in bursts.

The outcome is not the central goal. In experiencing the joy of efficient physical expression we find the gentle edge. We become the very embodiment of vitality.