puddle drunk

“The ordinary person is like a drunkard lying in a mud puddle. Someone arouses him and says, “This puddle is no place to be lying down in.” The drunkard glares angrily and says, “I have never drunk alcohol - why do you slander me?” These days the whole world suffers from the drunkard’s illness. How can I find one who isn’t drunk to talk with?” (Zibo (1543-1604))

discourse

Post-modern discourse - utterances need hyperlinks that lead to other utterances that need hyperlinks … and so on - till silence takes over.

Language and Freeedom: Meaning in Zen - Book Review by John Crook

Language and Freeedom: Meaning in Zen - Book Review by John Crook: "

What is the place of Zen in contemporary thought, the relation of Buddhist metaphysics to philosophy and the value of ancient texts to thinking people today? These and related questions form the subject matter of this intelligent, subtle and provoking book. Dale S. Wright, Professor of Religious Studies, Occidental College, Los Angeles, provides a thought provoking read especially for those of us concerned with problems of representing Buddhism, and Zen in particular, within Western culture today."

The Sound Of Stillness

The Sound Of Stillness: "The Sound Of Stillness -
Exploring darkness and light at an eight-day silent retreat"

dharma gravity

Gravity is present for all people in all places - whether or not there is an articulated law. The same is true of the dharma. Thus there might well be ordinary western people who are enlightened in the Buddhist sense although they know nothing about Buddhism.

idleness good

"I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work.

First of all: what is work? Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. The second kind is capable of indefinite extension: there are not only those who give orders, but those who give advice as to what orders should be given. Usually two opposite kinds of advice are given simultaneously by two organized bodies of men; this is called politics. The skill required for this kind of work is not knowledge of the subjects as to which advice is given, but knowledge of the art of persuasive speaking and writing, i.e. of advertising ...The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

Bertrand Russell (1932) 'In Praise of Idleness' http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html

flow - challenges and skills

in flow

How does it feel to be in flow?

http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html 

1. Completely involved in what we are doing - focused, concentrated
2. A sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality
3. Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done, and how well we are doing
4. Knowing that the activity is doable - that our skills are adequate to the task
5. A sense of serenity - no worries about oneself, and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego
6. Timelessness - thoroughly focussed on the present, hours seem to pass by in minutes
7. Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces flow becomes its own reward

inward journey

"The longest journey is the journey inward" Dag Hammarskjold (Swedish diplomat (1905 - 1961)

wise talk

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" Plato (427-347 BC)