Leap Day Koan

Why do we say Happy Leap Day?

Choices We Make

I was driving down to Columbus today when, twenty miles into the trip, I turned around. Without getting into details that are unimportant anyway what was clear was that I got in touch with having a choice and that each choice had consequences, the karma of that choice.

Being in touch with the karma of our choices is good practice. We cannot see what will happen but we can bring awareness to our actions.

Less judgement, more awareness. Wise.

Late February Fire

Building this fire in this my stolen time,
does give me satisfaction; as I shall tend
the flame, shall add more wood and move it so
as just to burn a way allowing rhyme.

Late in February my mind’s toward Spring;
talk of gardening both afternoon and eve.
Yet snow fell lightly down just Thursday night
and sunshine’s melt’s left to imagining.

So much more the joy this fire excites
in me as winter wanes yet warmth now lacks.
So I shall tend and call upon the flames
for every need illumined in her light.

What needs? The sight for temporary times;
A heart to burn away all fears; a voice
for calling in the Spring; and, whispering,
faith in the flames when fears freeze heart and mind.

A Love Supreme

Find our costumes
for the day, the month, this moon;
for now we play as him, towards her,
not forever, certainly not.
Sadly we half-hide the costume which
half-hides the change creating our yearning.
Let's wear these costumes with pride
and a love supreme may blow.

It's Spatial Stupid

Yesterday on the radio I heard a blind scientist talking about a new system of maps that he's created based on braile. Streets on the maps are raised and use notations to indicate names and directions, etc.

What a simple idea but not successfully used before. The scientist said, "People think of maps as visual but they are not, they are spatial", and blind people also have spatial relationships to the physical world.

What a great example of how what we already know often gets in the way of other knowing - or more often, of relating to others and how they might know the same thing differently, thus enriching our own knowing.

Just stop fighting

To stop fighting was is
we cannot turn to fight what is not -
just stop fighting.

Becoming Fetchable

Joan Sutherland in the current issue of Buddhadharma magazine writes about how koan practice grew out of 8th century China during a period of deep troubles. I highly recommend the article.

She writes, "Practice is about making us fetchable. It helps us to recognize what gets in the way of our being fetched, and then gives us a method to deconstruct the obstacle."

What a great, beautiful and challenging goal - to become fetchable. Being open to being fetched by all around us, without judgements, concepts, fears, hopes, etc. Go for it.

The Earth is Cold Today

How strange - to be some warm yesterday then so cold today. It is in single digits this afternoon. So hard to connect to the same earth.

I read a Wendel Berry poem again that talks of being estranged from the dance of the earth in the city. In Song (3), he writes:
"I knew that circle broken, the steps awry,
stone and iron humming in the air.

But I thought even there, among the straying
steps, of the dance that circles life around,
its shadows moving on the ground, in rhyme
of flesh with flesh, time with time, our bliss,
the earthly song that heavenly is."

How wonderfully put - that connection is always available. I brought firewood inside today and have had a fire on and off all day in the living room. Thanking the earth and nature. Amen.

Buffy a boddhisatva?

I've been watching a lot of Buffy lately. Yes, that's correct, I'm 50 and also a BTVS fan, bigtime. What of it Seth?

Here's part of why I love the show: Buffy and crew usually don't know how they are going to deal with their challenges; hell, they don't even know how to deal with day to day life. To meet life and their challenges they:
- Are honest with themselves, although not necessarily always with each other.
- Practice every day; Buffy with her kick and punch and stake routine, Willow with her magics and meditation, etc.
- Rely on each other - so even when they are not honest with each other as a routine, when the hard times come, as they do every day in the form of external demons, they ask for help, they communicate from the heart.
- They have a big hairy audacious goal always in the forefront: Save the world.

Boddhisatvas for sure.

Super bore

Tell you what. Let's do the show without the football and without the commercials. Just quiet, relaxing nothing. What'ya say?

Calling to speak

I joined with other officers in my company today to review our mission and values as part of developing a new five year strategic plan. There were almost fifty of us.

The conversation was so rich and resulted in some remarkable changes. I wonder why? Everyone in the room is very smart in one way or another. Everyone is very committed to the organization and to our social change mission. But I've been in meetings with the group before and the level of creativity and collaboration did not reach today's achievements.

I think it was because everyone in the room was committed to everyone else having a voice. That respect was clear and it called out to folks to contribute. Without being trite I can say that it was an honor to be part of the event with this group.