vagabond mind

The vagabond mind

George Clark, Oct 2004

 

The vagabond poet Wm. Henry Davies penned the famous lines "What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare"[i].

Time to stand and stare has been thought desirable since Biblical times. The fourth of the ten commandments goes as follows:

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But (on) the seventh day thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. (Exodus Chapter 20)

Such periods of rest allow you to cease striving and to be still and know. Know what? "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)

From another spiritual tradition Dogen Zenji's main recommendation[ii] was to 'Just sit'. Everything else will follow. In reflecting on everyday Zen Tim Burnett[iii] notes –

"Dogen says "have no designs on becoming a Buddha" and he also says we are "already actualized Buddhas who go on actualizing Buddhas." So we do need to practice to express our Buddhahood. But true practice is beyond the realm of desire. It happens daily in our lives whether we like it or dislike that particular day. But it's not something we do to get anywhere or get anything, either. When you sit. Just sit. Really. That's all there is".

So you make time to stand and stare, you just sit and become still – then you will know. Know what? You will know how to be true to your Self ie to the God within. And so? Shakespeare[iv] caught the essential long term moral point:

"This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man" [v].

But there is a short term more psychological point which Swami Krishnananda[vi] recognises. He identifies the need "to search for one's True Self through an acute analysis of the variety of psychological involvements in which the essential Selfhood of Being seems to be enmeshed." His suggested means to this end are hard line and very practical:

"Stay for a while, for a month at least, in a place where you are unknown to people and you have no connection with anybody. You have plenty of time for yourself; nobody will disturb you. When you have your little breakfast or lunch, etc., sit and cogitate about what is happening with your mind. The first thought will be that you have lost something. You may have pain in the body or feel that you are not fit for this, that your desires are not being satisfied, something looks odd, not quite all right ..."

So it is not an easy process. An anonymous writer in nineteenth century rural Russia[vii] had a clear view of the situation:

"The trouble is that we live far from ourselves and have but little wish to get any nearer to ourselves. Indeed we are running away all the time to avoid coming face to face with our real selves, and we barter the truth for trifles."

So can we, should we, be otherwise. Hear from three English speaking quotables:

"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts." (Samuel Johnson) 

" When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal " (Bob Dylan)

"No time to stand beneath the boughs, And stare as long as sheep or cows". (W H Davies)

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[i] Full poem online at http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Leisure.htm

[ii] Abbess Zenkei Blanche Hartman outlines Dogen's thinking with enthusiasm and compassion http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/Dogen/Dogen_Zen_papers/Hartman.html

[iii] Tim Burnet – everyday Zen - warts and all - http://www.everydayzen.org/teachings/tim_homepractice.asp

[iv] For the context of the quote see  http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/713 

[v] (Hamlet II 78-80) William Shakespeare  (English playwright and poet. 1564-1616)

[vi] "To Thine Own Self Be True" an online book by  Swami Krishnananda http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/true/true_pre.html

[vii] The quote was taken from an Owen O'Sullivan article which gives an interesting modern perspective on our present theme http://www.carlow-nationalist.ie/news/story.asp?j=21351

 

How to start your day

George Clark, 04 September 2007

 

Most individual self improvement programmes recommend a schedule of early to bed and early to rise. The details of this will, however, depend on how your life is organised. Living with a spouse and kids is different from living alone; and both of these are different from institutional settings such as boarding school, military barracks or spiritual cloisters[1]. Ideally you should get up just before dawn as this is a time of new beginnings and therefore conducive to self improvement. Be flexible.

There are many self improvement options but here we look briefly at three which deal in turn with improving the body, mind and spirit.

The body

A programmed session of physical exercises (aerobics/ callisthenics) are a good way to wake up the body and to move it towards increased fitness, strength and stamina. This need not involve a lot of equipment and fashion accessories. The main thing is to be regular and not to take short cuts[2]. Those who would be healthy in mind need a healthy body.

 

For those who prefer something more gentle there is the Yoga option with an interplay between body and mind aimed at stretching, suppleness and balance[3].

The mind

For those who feel the need to develop their creative writing muscle there is the option of producing 'morning pages'. This involves allowing a flow of consciousness to become written notes for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. Get going before the censor wakens. Just keep writing – quality does not matter. This process deepens with practice and amazing insights appear[4].

The spirit

The spirit is best refreshed through stillness. Sit up straight in a dignified way and let go of all thoughts that stray into the past and the future. Do this for 5 to 20 minutes at a time. It is useful to rest attention lightly on the breathing as a focal point which is neutral and ever present. When attention moves away, as it will, then gently pull it back[5]. A delightful calmness results and this is a solid foundation for your new day.

 

You may find it impractical to engage in all three activities every day. But you could establish a schedule with alternate activities on alternate days. You might then find it useful in the evening to keep a journal to record the effects of starting your day with the different activities. 

Why should you bother with any of the activities? Because otherwise you will most likely become physically,  intellectually and spiritually wasted!

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[1] in institutional settings you might have to use flat-backed options ie do your own thing in your own way between waking and rising.

[2] There are many useful websites giving free instruction. Over the years I have found this book to be really useful and inspiring – Laurence E Morehouse & Leonard Cross ( 1975) Total Fitness in 30 minutes a week; Guild Publishing, London. Copies are available second hand from Amazon.

[3] Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good source of a basic schedule – get his Mindfulness Meditation Practice CDs (Series 1)  from www.mindfulnesstapes.com

[4] The basic scheme comes from Dorothea Brande (1934) Becoming a Writer; ISBN 0333653777 and it is revitalised in Julia Cameron (1998) The Right to Write; ISBN 0333782038

[5] There are many useful websites. Those who prefer to avoid 'eastern exotica' might like to investigate the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).