“Buddhism does not advocate faith in the sense of believing something because it is written in a book, attributed to a prophet, or taught to you by some authority figure. The meaning of faith here is closer to confidence. It is knowing that something is true because you have seen it work, because you have observed that very thing within yourself. In the same way, morality is not a ritualistic obedience to a code of behavior imposed by an external authority. It is rather a healthy habit pattern that you have consciously and voluntarily chosen to impose upon yourself because you recognize its superiority to your present behavior.”
– Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante Gunaratana
FALL 2018 – LEAVES ARE CHANGING IN FORT COLLINS!!
Well it has been a good week. Again, I really cannot complain. Life is good. It is not perfect, but what is? Everything is changing and nothing is static for long. Change is the only constant.
LAST CORD OF A 4 CORD TOTAL!!
I have continued this week to put up firewood for the winter. Four cords total. Good to get it done early and to be ready when the snow and cold temperatures come.
JULY 26TH
AUGUST 13TH
SEPTEMBER 3RD
OCTOBER 5TH
Finished the deck above the garage, but still working on the structure above the garage deck. This has taken me some time. As you can see by the dates and the above photos. But when it is done I think it will be worth the effort. I will show some photos when it is finally finished. Trying to get it done before Thanksgiving. Lol.
I have started to reread a book this year called: MINDFULNESS in PLAIN ENGLISH, by Bhante Gunaratana. This will be the fourth time I have read it. It is an excellent book on Meditation and Mindfulness. This is one of those books that rereading it at least once a year is something you want to make a habit of. It is that good. Truly if you want to be able to enjoy life more, no matter what your circumstances are or what is going on in the world, this could be the single most important book you could read this year. The book is a very readable down to earth look at what meditation is and is not. A nuts and bolts book that “Westerners” can understand.
The book itself is about 196 pages not counting the Index. Every time I have read this book I come across something new or more likely, “understand” better what the author is talking about. I am not a religious or spiritual person. In fact, I am an Atheist. And that is what drew me to Buddhism. I know that might sound funny to some but I see Buddhism as a form of philosophy that has been tried and tested over millennia with no “Divine Authority Needed.” The purpose of meditation is personal transformation. The person that goes into “meditation” so to speak is not the same person that comes out. You can use these same techniques in meditation no matter what religion you are. Or you don’t even have to have a religion like me. It will work for anyone if they give it thoughtful consideration. Just to be clear I am talking about vipassana meditation.
From the book: “In vipassana meditation we cultivate this special way of seeing life. We train ourselves to see reality exactly as it is, and we call this special mode of perception mindfulness. This process of mindfulness is really quite different from what we usually do. We usually do not look into what is actually there in front of us. We see life through a screen of thoughts and concepts, and we mistake those mental objects for reality. We get so caught up in this endless thought-stream that reality flows by unnoticed. We spend our time engrossed in activity, caught up in eternal pursuit of pleasure and gratification and eternal flight from pain and unpleasantness. We spend all of our energies trying to make ourselves feel better, trying to bury our fears, endlessly seeking security. Meanwhile, the world of real experience flows by untouched and untasted. In vipassana meditation we train ourselves to ignore the constant impulses to be more comfortable, and we dive into reality instead. The irony of it is that real peace comes only when you stop chasing it.”
I think of the above as “turning in” to what is happening around you. Not to try and run from unpleasant situations or thoughts but turning in towards them. This is not a doctrine you need to drill into yourself, but an observable reality that with practice you can see for yourself. The idea is to make the “mindfulness” so common place that you do it without really thinking about it, no matter the situation. This part of mindfulness that has taken me a long time to master and I am still working on it. The idea of: “Don’t confuse Training Conditions with Real World Situations/Actions.” When the proverbial “Shit hits the fan” conditions occur in my life – I still fall back into old habit patterns and forget all about mindfulness practice.
From the Book: “One of the most difficult things to learn is that mindfulness is not dependent on any emotional or mental state. We have certain images of meditation. Meditation is something done in quiet caves by tranquil people who move slowly. Those are training conditions. They are set up to foster concentration and to learn the skill of mindfulness. Once you have learned that skill, however, you can dispense with the training restrictions, and you should. You don’t need to move at a snail’s pace to be mindful. You don’t even need to be calm. You can be mindful while solving problems in intensive calculus. You can be mindful in the middle of a football scrimmage. You can even be mindful in the midst of a raging fury. Mental and physical activities are no bar to mindfulness. If you find your mind extremely active, then simply observe the nature and degree of that activity. It is just a part of the passing show within.”
You can download the book as PDF off the web. Yes, it is free. (my first time to read it) I found that it was so good, I went ahead and bought a copy from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Plain-English-Revised-Expanded/dp/0861713214/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0/145-7252461-2444901?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=68396RBSG0293KGXVV6C
Well that is about it for me this week. But one last thing. The most recent heart picture is coming along. Slowly but surely.
SEPTEMBER 20TH
OCTOBER 5TH
Take care my friends and I hope see you out there on the trails!!