World Beyond

Tao -- Forty-Six

When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.

There is no great illusion than fear,
no greater wron than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

Whoever can see through all fear
will always be safe.

Mind Waves

I’m currently reading a book compiled from the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki, a Japanese Buddhist priest who came to America in the late 1950’s and established two Zen centers in California.  The book is “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”, and is very enjoyable.  I recommend reading the entire book, but one short chapter (entitled "Mind Waves") in particular I found to be quite enlightening.  I quote it below:

"When you are practicing zazen, (zazen refers to a form of meditation…basically sitting in a form of the lotus position and focusing on your breathing) do not try to stop your thinking.  Let it stop by itself.  If something comes into your mind, let it come in, and let it go out.  It will not stay long.  When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it.  Do not be bothered by anything.  It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind, and if you are not bothered by the waves, gradually they will become calmer and calmer.  In five or at most ten minutes, your mind will be completely serene and calm.  At that time your breathing will become quite slow, while your pulse will become a little faster.

            It will take quite a long time before you find your calm, serene mind in your practice.  Many sensations come, many thoughts or images arise, but they are just waves of your own mind.  Nothing comes from outside your mind.  Usually we think of our mind as receiving impressions and experiences from outside, but that is not a true understanding of our mind.  The true understanding is that the mind includes everything; when you think something comes from outside it means only that something appears in your mind.  Nothing outside yourself can cause any trouble.  You yourself make the waves in your mind. If you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm.  This mind is called big mind.

            If your mind is related to something outside itself, that mind is a small mind, a limited mind.  If you mind is not related to anything else, then there is no dualistic understanding in the activity of your mind.  You understand activity as just waves of your mind.  Big mind experiences everything within itself.  Do you understand the difference between the two minds: the mind which includes everything, and the mind which is related to something?  Actually they are the same thing, but the understanding is different and your attitude towards your life will be different according to which understanding you have.

            That everything is included within your mind is the essence of mind.  To experience this is to have religious feeling.  Even though waves arise, the essence of your mind is pure; it is just like clear water with a few waves.  Actually water always has waves.  Waves are the practice of the water.  To speak of waves apart from water or water apart from waves is a delusion.  Water and waves are one.  Big mind and small mind are one.  When you understand your mind in this way, you have some security in your feeling.  As you mind does not expect anything from outside, it is always filled.  A mind with waves in it is not a disturbed mind, but actually an amplified one.  Whatever you experience is an expression of big mind.

            The activity of big mind is to amplify itself through various experiences.  In one sense our experiences coming one by one are always fresh and new, but in another sense they are nothing but a continuous or repeated unfolding of the one big mind.  For instance, if you have something good for breakfast, you will say, “This is good.”  “Good” is supplied as something experienced some time long ago, even though you may not remember when.  With big mind we accept each of our experiences as if recognizing the face we see in a mirror as our own.  For us there is no fear of losing this mind.  There is nowhere to come or to go; there is no fear of death, no suffering from old age or sickness.  Because we enjoy all aspects of life as an unfolding of big mind, we do not care for any excessive joy.  So we have imperturbable composure, and it is with this imperturbable composure of big mind that we practice zazen."

Enjoy!!

Big Mind

Universal mind
connects us all  --  flowing stream
calm your mind and heart
feel power and connection
understanding reality

Victory

I remember my youth and the feeling that I could last forever, outlast the sea, the earth and all men.  --Joseph Conrad

One day, there will be no borders, no boundaries, no flags and no countries, and the only passport will be the heart.  --Tamara Robinson

Talent is always conscious of its own abundance and does not object to sharing.  --Alexander Solzhenitsyn

There are victories of the soul and spirit.  Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.  --Elie Wiesel

A Tanka from the Rodina

Northern latitudes

blue sky, sun’s soft golden light

brings tranquility

wind rustles green leaves and grass

whispering future's promise

Tao -- Forty-Five

True perfection seems imperfect,
yet it is perfectly itself.
True fullness seems empty,
yet it is fully present.

True straightness seems crooked.
True wisdom seems foolish.
True art seems artless.

The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way
and lets the Tao speak for itself.

Helping Others

Each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity.  --Marie Curie

The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns ahose inner qualities that make all men human, and therefore, brothers.  --Martin Luther King Jr.

Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others.  --Elbert Hubbard

Help thy brother's boat across and lo! Thine own has reached the shore.  --Hindu Proverb

Tao -- Forty-Four

Fame or integrity: which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
Success or failure: which is more destructive?

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never be truly fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself.

Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.

Elements of a Great Bike Trip

Yesterday I pulled off a spur of the moment motorcycle trip from my home near DC approximately 250 miles to Pittsburgh and then back to DC.  It was a fantastic journey and on the way home I was contemplating the elements of a great bike trip.  Many of these apply to road-trips in general, as I'm a big fan of hitting the road in any kind of vehicle.  But things are always better from the back of a bike (unless you're in Alaska in January).  So with apologies to Buddha, here's my list:

1. Right Destination  The best trips are to somewhere you've never been before.  I grew up out west, and there are a ton of places back east, in the northeast in particular, that I've never been.  Time to go exploring!  In this instance, Pittsburgh...home of some great professional sports teams.  I departed DC around 2:30pm and arrived in Pittsburgh around 6:30pm.  What a beautiful city, with lots of neighborhoods perched up on the hills overlooking wide rivers.  Very nice.

2. Right Rationale  Any road trip is a good trip in my mind, but they're always better when there's a something to see or do at your destination.  The purpose of this journey?  To watch my beloved St. Louis Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I saw the Cards play three times last year (DC, St. Louis, Milwaukee) on their way to becoming World Series Champs.  Motorcycle races are usually my top rationale, but a baseball game is a close second.

3. Right Path  Great trips require great roads.  In this case, as I was on a tight schedule, I needed to stay on the interstates, which are not generally the optimal path for a motorcycle trip.  In this case, highway's 70 and 76 were quite beautiful, as they passed through the lush green "mountains" (hills if you're from the western part of the US) of Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Generally, I prefer two-lane windy country roads...but interstates can be very useful at times.  As a side note, I've spent a lot of time this past year in Russia and Kazakhstan and I have a newfound appreciation for well-maintained roads.

4. Right Weather  You know, with some good rain-gear I don't mind riding in the wet...but obviously, a sunny, warm day is better.  Yesterday was around 95, probably a little too hot for my taste, but as long as you kept moving, it wasn't bad.  The ride home (from about 10:30pm to 2:30am) was perfect.

5. Right Bike  I've owned a lot of bikes in my life, and enjoyed them all, but I must say the two I have now are my all time favorites.  For sportier roads, a BMW R1100S is my idea of perfection.  For long-distance hauling, a Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.  For this trip on the super-slab, I took the Harley.  You really do feel like the king of the road on that thing...it's smooth as butter, and the riding position promotes a relaxing ride.  For longer trips like this, I use the clear windshield (it pops on and off very easily) that provides a nice pocket of still air behind it.  You can eat up the miles in comfort.  I generally avoid riding at night...but the light bar set up on the Harley provided top-notch illumination for my return trip.  In this case I was also augmented by the nearly full moon overhead on a mostly clear night.  Beautiful!  And when things got a little chilly, I fired up the heated hand-grips...the single best motorcycle accessory ever invented.

6. Right Food  Good road food is always important, but I'm mostly easy to please.  In this case, a cheese steak at the ballpark, accompanied by fresh cut french fried potatoes and one of those giant dill pickles from a jar.  Perfect!

7. Right Companion  For this trip I was flying solo.  I generally don't ride in groups, too much of a hassle coordinating with everyone.  But it's a given that having a special woman riding "bitch" always makes a trip better!!  Last summer, I rode round trip from Virginia Beach to Salt Lake City and back.  Solo on the way west, and with my 12 year-old daughter (not a bitch) on the way back.  Traveling in a pair is great, but I definitely am not adverse to heading out on my own.  I don't mind being alone, as I enjoy my company. 

8. Right Riding  When I take a trip in a car, it's not an official road trip unless you make at least one U-turn.  On a motorcycle, I don't consider a trip official unless you pass someone over a double yellow line.  That rule is definitely easier to follow on the BMW than the Harley.  Since this trip was all freeway, I don't think I even saw a double yellow line.  Other right riding ingredients:  not getting pulled over by "the man"...no speeding tickets for me yesterday!  The other beauty of riding a motorcycle is the enforced silence and solitude...riding allows for some great time for deep thinking.  It also encourages being "in the moment".  I do some nice meditating and generally come up with some good insight while traveling by bike.