10.01.11-Residual Essence
It has been two weeks since the last time I made an entry. It quickly became apparent that in order to have the time and privacy to write a blog entry while staying at my wife’s parent’s house I would have to make a concerted effort to insulate myself on a daily basis from certain […]
25.12.10-My Business
“Business!” cried the Ghost [of Marley], wringing his hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” -Charles Dicken, A Christmas Carol Goodnight, Kikta
24.12.10-Grasp of Life
“Thus phrased, in the extremest terms, the problem may sound remote from the affairs of the normal human creatures. Nevertheless, every failure to cope with a life situation must be laid in the end to a restriction of consciousness. Wars and temper tantrums are the makeshifts of ignorance; regrets are illuminations come too late. The […]
23.12.10-A better way to live
Staying as guests at my in laws house is always a great time, but never conducive to meditation or yoga practice. I have not yet completed my practice today. For me however, the entire experience of being in Iceland is a spiritual one. I know I can find an opportunity to Practice in any situation […]
22.12.10-Reflected in a new way
My family and I woke up at 4:00 AM this morning in order to make the long day’s journey to visit my wife’s family’s home for Christmas. We flew into Reykjavic in time to watch the last rays of the sun go down over an austere and strikingly beautiful landscape. Needless to say, I was […]
20.12.10-A sense of Aloneness
The Practice continues. I felt psychologically good for most of the day today in spite of the fact that I am feeling a bit off physically. I sensed a bit of a sore throat this morning, but forgot about it until this evening when I began getting frustrated with my wife at dinner. I realized […]
19.12.10-Less Judgement
I have allowed the preparations for our Christmas vacation combined with the busy social calendar of the holiday season to prevent me from meditating for the past two days. I have nevertheless felt very balanced and clear, but I am looking forward to getting up for Practice tomorrow morning. I have never felt as emotionally […]
17.12.10-Your Eternal Birthright
There will be suffering, some wont make it home. There will be tears, that children will cry. There will be cold, that will strike to the marrow. There will be loneliness, and the unbearable pain of separation. There will be oppression and the injustice of tyranny. All this will come to pass, but rest assured, […]
16.12.10- “It” dances
`You worry yourself unnecessarily,´ the Master comforted me. `Put the thought of hitting the target right out of your mind!´ You can be a Master even if every shot does not hit. The hits on the target are only the outward proof and confirmation of your purposelessness at its highest, of your egolesness, your self-abandonment, […]
15.12.10-Filters of Attachment
I had to meet with a client extremely early this morning, and have been occupied all day, so I have not yet had time for my practice. Im planning on getting in at least a brief meditation before bed. Its amazing how for such a large part of my life my judgements prevented me from […]
14.12.10-Fascinatingly Ordinary
This morning the energy flow in my body returned to normal during my meditation. I am happy about this- not because I was concerned about getting it back, but simply because it feels good. As with everything in life, if one wants to attain a high degree of proficiency at the skill meditation, it is […]
12.12.10-An interesting twist
The Practice continues… since the first day of my fast last week, and even after having begun to eat again, I have noticed that I have been generating significantly less chi energy in my body during meditation. I do not necessarily believe that this is a measure of the quality of the meditations tha I […]
11.12.10-The value of pure practice
Practice continues… “The cause of conflict is some fixed idea, or one-sided idea. When everyone knows the value of pure practice, we will have little conflict in our world.” – Shunryu Suzuki Goodnight, Kikta
10.12.10-No narrator
Many voices but no one speaking Many stories but no narrator Silence absorbs all sounds. Goodnight, Kikta
09.12.10-The Emptiness of Potentiality
My wife and I finally broke our fast today and are slowly beginning to eat again- Halleluja! The past week has been quite a ride. As my body went through the changes brought on by the absence of food, I had the opportunity to observe my mind as it went on a roller coaster ride. […]
08.12.11-Infinite depth
The last day of the fast… a gentle yoga session in the morning and meditation in the evening. Its interesting to note how I am concerned with subjects like Spirituality, Awakenment, and Consciousness so long as I am not too hungry. After one day of very limited calorie intake followed by 5 days of water […]
07.12.11-A stern but effective teacher
I did a half hour of yoga this morning, but over the past couple of days my practice has been compromised by the detox symptoms of the fast that I am going through. My physical and mental states have been oscillating back and forth between clear supplness and opaque lethargy. Both yesterday and today, at […]
04.12.10-It is I
We braved a snow storm and bad road conditions to arrive at our secluded snowy enclave yesterday afternoon and will be staying here for 9 days. The place where we are staying is an old renovated farmhouse with no visible neighbors. The entire landscape is covered in a thick blanket of powdery snow, making for […]
02.12.10-Our next stop…
Practice this morning was Pure… My little family and I are leaving tomorrow to go to the country side. Some friends of ours own a very secluded country house and are letting us stay there for 10 days. I am blessed with Gratitude. My wife and I have planned a 9 day fast during the […]
1.12.10-Tonight
I completed a particularly satisfying session of Practice this morning with a very pure meditation. Yesterday in my post, I wished for something to help me deal with emotional states that often bumped me out of Lucidity. Today a close friend of mine who has been doing rigorous Byron Katie work invited me over for […]
30.11.10-Observe the Madness
My daughter has another cold and kept us awake for most of the night last night. Sadly, my state of mind reflected this throughout most of last night and this morning. It is humbling to realize how precariously balanced my state of Awakenment sits atop a tower of supportive circumstances. Although from time to time […]
29.11.10-The Arrow of Awakenment
I was extremely tired this morning when the alarm went off, but forced myself to complete my Practice anyways. When I am that tired it can be a real challenge to maintain my focus and reach a true state of stillness while meditating. In these instances, and particularly if I am planning on a long […]
28.11.10-Pure Practice
The practice continues… It seems that there is a paradox that accompanies any journeyer on the Spiritual path. On the one had, there is the initial realization that there are certain patterns of thought and behavior that keep me from seeing the reality of life. They lead me further in the direction of illusion and […]
26.11.10-Right Now, everything is effortless
When I feel like I do tonight, I often wonder why I ever even pursue any sort of spiritual path. Its just so much easier to just be happy and allow life- there is no need to do anything really. Be here and love everything you can while you have the chance. The moments are […]