Be Dead

Imagine for a moment you are on your death bed. Death is imminent...soon your body will be a corpse.

Will your mind be full of 'how to become wealthy?' or 'who am I?' or 'I am going to get revenge on so and so?' or 'Tomorrow I am going to go on a diet?' or so on and so on?

Allow your mind to take the composure of a dead man or woman. You recognize the uselessness of struggle.

Now live your life from this point and see what happens.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The Brilliancy of Death

As I was driving to work today I got the opportunity to drive under a canopy of autumn colors. It was amazing to notice how brilliant the leaves are in their dying. Oh, to be so bright and colorful upon my own death!

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Train like you mean it...for life.

What the ???

In my last post I discussed martial art training and the necessity to train hard, pay attention and give it your best effort. Training like you are on the street prepares you mentally and physically for a street attack/defense situation than being too lax and just srewing around.

But what about basic living?  How do you train for your everyday activities? Do you give it your best or do you do it half-assed?  But what are the basics? How do you train for everyday?  Well, pay attention to what you are doing first of all.

What is the most basic aspect of daily life that we must train?  Hmmm...I am going to say Breathing. Yes, breathing. Without it you're considered dead. Do you practice any formal breathing exercises, rituals or mindful activities that connects you with your breathe? In the martial arts, if I an take your breathe...I have your mind...I have you.  We study how the body moves during relaxed breathing and anxious breathing...what your body looks like exhaling and inhaling. Did you know you are weak when you inhale? This is when I can attack you. Studying my breathing and others breathing gives me insights into the mind of myself and another.

Just the basics. What other basics of life are you not training? Think about it. Eating is a big one. Not to be too crass, but pissing and shitting is another. Are you managing these areas of your life well? If not, your health is gonna stink!

I suggest you make a list of what you consider basics of life...pay attention to them and take some time to train in them like you mean it....after all...your life could depend on it. Just some thoughts. I gotta go pee..so,
Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Death is our Guide

Did you know death can be very inspiring? In fact, death can be your guide to leading a very peaceful life here and now. In previous posts I wrote about a death meditation that I practice. In this post I am going to briefly show you how to use this death experience to manifest a life that is full of peacefulness, calmness and equanimity.

My death meditation is a simple one. For myself, the best death is to be sitting in zazen on an ocean beach. The sun shining, waves lapping on the shore, seagulls swirling and talking.  I am in between the ages of 85 -95 and then see my 'spirit' leaving my body...feeling peaceful, smiling, all is good. My life's journey is complete and all is well. Nothing left to do. One big 'aaahh' of relief and tranquility takes over.

That's my meditation.

Now, using what is called the Law of Attraction, I use this to co-create my life experiences to be able to experience this form of death. This peaceful death experience is my emotional GPS in going about my daily business. I simply enter into this meditative state and allow it to be with me throughout the day. I also can anchor this experience with a touch of my thumb and ring finger together along with a key word of 'aah'.  As I go about my day, when this 'aah' has left or my calmness/tranquility has left, I simply thank the uncomfortable experience and re-trigger my death experience. It brings me back to now and 'aahh'.

As I practice this meditation, the Law of Attraction will begin to make this death meditation a reality.  Having faith this is my end...and beginning...it makes this life, this moment, more peaceful and okay.  The struggle ceases. This is the faith of zen.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The Chickadee

This last Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to Ken Purdy Sensei. He is 75 years old and has been a practicing Aikido-ka for over 50 years. I have been told he earned his black belt from O'Sensei in Japan.  Purdy Sensei is a remarkable man. I have seen him in action, both as an observer and receiver of his technique. Awesome.

Well, he was telling me how his mother passed away last week and was still grieving a bit. Our conversation wandered into our fathers, their passing and our spiritual connections via spirit or timeless selves.  Purdy Sensei relayed his story about his grandfather, who was an avid hunter and loved chickadees.

After his grandfather's death, Purdy Sensei's father went hunting. While in the woods waiting, chickadees came to visit him and one even sat on the bill of his cap.  And for years, a chickadee would always accompany him on his hunting trips.  Cool story.

We are all connected, even when we leave this body, we can still communicate with loved ones on so many different levels. All things are possible.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Bring Out Your Dead!

Remember in Monty Python's 'Search for the Holy Grail' the scene of 'Bring out your Dead'? Damn hilarious. First time I saw it I laughed so hard my ribs ached.

The scene also reminds me of the old Zen koan of "Who is it that is dragging this corpse?" This koan has stuck in my head for decades...and cause I associate it with Monty Python I laugh when I hear it swirling in my head.

So, Who is it that is really animating us? Who is this 'I' we say moves this corpse? Who is dragging this bag of bones and flesh around?

It is well documented that the the Samurai studied Zen to examine death. They feared death like most people. There are many stories of Samurai being referred to the local Zen priest to face this subject. So, as good warriors, let's do a Death Meditation....and maybe we can find out who is behind this dragging corpse stuff.

For some, when I speak of doing a death meditation, begin to think I am morbid. There is nothing morbid about it. In fact, it is most liberating and eye-opening when approached in the proper manner. *

So give this a go...

Get yourself relaxed, either sitting in a meditative pose or slightly reclined. (You can lie down, but you could drift off to sleep.) Once you feel relaxed imagine yourself in your final moments of life...whatever age you desire...imagine a peaceful death where you have said all of your goodbyes, perhaps even written a death poem capsulizing your life or current level of liberation.

Now, feeeeeel (extra e's intentional) the feelings of letting go and of peace, especially as you see your spirit or soul or consciousness rise above your body. It is important to feel the release and to feel the love and joy of this moment as you merge into oneness with the original source of creation...

Now, anchor this feeling with a physical gesture, ie, touching your thumb and middle finger together on your right hand. Continue to feel the liberation and love as you rediscover your original self. Hold this imagery and emotionalizing for a few moments, then open your eyes and give thanks.

This meditation is to help see how 'death' is not to be feared but to be accepted as an opportunity for liberation and 'knowing' who is dragging this corpse around. Now, the key behind this is to be able to recall the feelings of liberation during your normal waking state...to feeeeel the calmness and joy of being free. This can be done by simpling squeezing your thumb and middle finger together. It should trigger the feelings you desire through the training and association. Just think Pavlov's dogs.

As you do this form of meditation your life begins to unfold in a more peaceful manner as you begin to flow and harmonize more and more with the bouyant and creative force that lives within you. Your life will begin to feel lighter and above all, more joyous. You might even see yourself and the world differently. Your problems might even seem trivial and a smile might begin to radiate from deep within. Who knows.

So, bring out your dead. Perhaps you might even find out who is dragging this corpse around.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen





*my psychological/medical disclaimer...if you are experiencing severe depression with suicidal thoughts, please refrain from this meditation and seek professional help...this blog is for educational purposes only.

Death is a Hunter!

One more teaching from don Juan, the Yaqui Sorcerer (Warrior).

Again, for those who are students of Zen and the Way of the Samurai you will find similar teachings. This is one lesson that inspired my ongoing practice of Budo when I was a younger man.

Here don Juan is talking to Carlos Castaneda after totally screwing up a task he was assigned:

"If you really want to learn, you have to remodel most of your behavior. You take yourself too seriously. You are too damn important in your own mind. That must be changed!

You are so goddamn important that you feel justified to be annoyed with everything. You're so damn important that you can afford to leave if things don't go your way. I suppose you think that shows you have character. That's nonsense! You're weak, and conceited! In the course of your life you have not ever finished anything because of that sense of disproportionate importance that you attach to yourself.

Self-importance is another thing that must be dropped, just like personal history. The world around us is very mysterious. It doesn't yield its secrets easily. Now we are concerned with losing self-importance. As long as you feel that you are the most important thing in the world you cannot really appreciate the world around you. You are like a horse with blinders, all you see is yourself apart from everything else.

To help you lose self-importance talk to little plants. It doesn't matter what you say to a plant, what's important is the feeling of liking it, and treating it as an equal. A man who gathers plants must apologize every time for taking them and must assure them that someday his own body will serve as food for them. So, all in all, the plants and ourselves are even. Neither we nor they are more or less important. From now on talk to the little plants, talk until you lose all sense of importance. Talk to them until you can do it in front of others. You must talk to them in a loud and clear voice if you want them to answer you.

The world around us is a mystery, and men are no better than anything else. If a little plant is generous with us we must thank her, or perhaps she will not let us go. You have to be aware of the uselessness of your self-importance and of your personal history.

Your death can give you a little warning, it always comes as a chill. Death is our eternal companion, it is always to our left, at an arm's length. How can anyone feel so important when we know that death is stalking us. The thing to do when you're impatient is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death. An immense amount of pettiness is dropped if your death makes a gesture to you, or if you catch a glimpse of it, or if you just have the feeling that your companion is there watching you.

The issue of our death is never pressed far enough. Death is the only wise adviser that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Your death will tell you, "I haven't touched you yet."

One of us here has to change, and fast. One of us here has to learn again that death is the hunter, and that it is always to one's left. One of us here has to ask deaths advice and drop the cursed pettiness that belongs to men that live their lives as if death will never tap them. Think of your death now. It is at arm's length. It may tap you any moment, so really you have no time for crappy thoughts and moods. None of us have time for that. The only thing that counts is action, acting instead of talking."

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen