Dogen can really make you stop and think can’t he?

”The activities within the house just move along their way, with only the furnishings of spring, autumn, winter, and summer.”

~ DOGEN

Love this MLK quote:

”I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up.”

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The last sentence especially is a great reminder to practice getting out of myself and put more emphasis on what I can do for the “others” in my life today. How many times has my selfishness hurt those who I consider closest to me? It can happen in just a split second. In the snap of a finger, the choice to satisfy a desire or craving in myself has resulted in the suffering of another human being. And for what? So I could watch another 10 minutes of a sports program on TV? PU - LEEZE! Those selfish habit energies within us can really lead us to do some pretty silly and ridiculous things. When I notice these things coming up more often in my life, I know I need to spend so more time on the cushion cultivating and strengthening my positive habit energies of mindfulness and dana (giving, sharing).

Taking a brief moment out of my busy, goal driven week to share an insight that I find so comforting today.

“Regardless of how long you sit, the Buddha Dharma never appears because it is already here!

Reveal it!
Do not cover it up!”

~ Maezumi Roshi

I like this way of thinking on what we are doing when we sit zazen. It’s so counter to what I do all the time in my every workaday life. I get so caught up in the cycle of attaining things that it’s a welcome relief to sit just to sit and not sit to ‘attain’ enlightenment or some great state of being.

”Where there is great doubt,
there will be great awakening;
small doubt, small awakening,
no doubt, no awakening.”

~ Zen saying

I have my doubts about this quote. ;-)

Sharing an insightful quote:

“Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be attained only by someone who is detached.”

~ Simone Weil

Of my many attachments that I deal with on a daily basis, my attachment to searching for and collecting words of wisdom is one that causes a lot of trouble for me in that I end up spending too much time online; neglecting my off-line responsibilities. Funny how sharing a quote about attachment on my blog triggers me to look deeper at what I am really doing!

Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been enjoying my time-off work (a whole week and a half, wooo hoooo!) so much that I haven’t had much of a chance to get on the computer and post an entry here. Been enjoying spending time with my family (here in PA and up in NY). It’s been good to catch up and reconnect.

It’s been quite challenging at times as well though. Especially driving in a mini-van for six hours with a sick four year old and a sick wife!! We made it through alright!

You know, this time of year always makes me think about re-upping all those new year’s resolutions that I made LAST year. But that seems a little silly this year. Too much to resolve to do (or not do as the case may be), and not enough follow-through.

This year I’m going to do something a little bit different. I’m going to pick only two things to focus on in the coming year. That doesn’t mean that’s all I’ll work on in my life, it’s just that’s all that I’m putting on my new year’s resolutions for this year. They’ll be my top two, and without the pressure of a list 10 items long, I can feel confident that I CAN make progress on the two that I’ve singled out. If I make progress on anything else, well, that’s just icing on the cake.

Soooooo… What are they going to be?

1. Cultivate a more consistent daily zazen practice.
2. Loose 10 pounds before October 2004.

There’s enough “stuff” embedded in those two to keep me plenty busy this year. There’s a lot of transformation work to be done on so many different levels in each one that progress on one will more than likely translate into progress in other areas in my life.