[Zen] mountains
mountains are pure zen..merle Merle, I like that "where have I been". That sounds promising! My major sailing days are over. I might go out again once in a while if I get a chance, but never on my own boat and never for weeks at a time like I used to. I live in the mountains now. My mountain days are just beginning! I have visited Cuba. I sailed my boat from Key West, Florida to the Hemingway Marina just outside of Havana. I stayed there about a week. I liked the people, food and music. ...Bill! --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester wrote: > >  sometimes it happens for me..and i feel.." where have i been"?..it is a > good place to be... but as you say the mind must quieten down. >  bill are your sailing days over? >  did you step ashore in cuba? > .merle > > >  > Merle, > > First of all - I want to tell you that whatever changes you made or different > actions you took in posting this post renders your post much more readable on > the website. I hope you continue this way. > > I did not sail all 7 seas,just one really - the Caribbean sea which includes > the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Haiti and the islands that curve southwest from > there towards South America. > > Stopping, or at least slowing down, your chattering mind is exactly what zen > training is all about. It's called the 'monkey mind' in a lot of zen > literature. There are many techniques for that but the primary one is zazen > (zen meditation). It starts out by concentrating on just a few things (like > counting your breathes 1-10) and ends up finally dropping all activity. This > complete stillness is called 'shikantaza' and can be translated as 'just > sitting' and is also called 'clear mind'. > > There are many websites that have good instructions on how to begin sitting > zazen, but the best way is always to find a zen center and go for a beginning > seminar and zazen instructions. > > ...Bill! > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester wrote: > > > > > > > > Bill beautiful!..did you sail the 7 seas?. pity i get > > seasick!..i have a question? > > how do i stop my chattering mind? > >  last night it would not stop..hence no sleep..no don't tell me to > > breathe..that did not work either > >  the moon is full and i feel like i am going to explode > > merle > > > > > >  > > Merle, > > > > My mind used to be kind of unruly, but never extremely so.  It's pretty > > calm most of the time now. > > > > Here is a photo of my boat OB-LA-DI under sail.  It was a 51-ft Formosa > > cutter-rigged pilothouse ketch: > > > > > > > > ...Bill! > > >
[Zen] mountains
i live on top of a mountain...from the windows of the house i see the sun rise the moon set and sydney 70ks far away in the distance..merle Yes, I had those books. Still do I think. I'd go hiking every weekend with Appalachian Mt. Club and others when I lived in Manhattan... Did Schunemunk and many many other hikes in the books... Edgar On Apr 1, 2013, at 2:05 PM, Joe wrote: >Edgar, > >Slide! Mountain, that is. I climbed it three times. Doing the circular >trail over Slide, Wittenberg, and Cornell mountain. I love that area. And I >love that hike. About 26 miles, I think, over the three peaks. I did the >walks in different directions over a six-year time or so, every few years >coming back. As to approaches to Slide, I remember one dir. was very steep, >and difficult, and one was gradual. One of them was called "the Jeep trail". > >We don't have GREEN like that in S. Arizona. My eyes ache for it. > >But when I am back there -- or elsewhere -- and see such green again, my eyes >then ache from THAT. It's like suddenly landing in IRELAND. Too, too green, >after decades of desert. Just too impressive on the system. But not all as >hard to take as I make it out to be. ;-) > >I never did do Mt. Marcy 'way up in the Adirondaks, highest point in NY State. > Just over a mile high, i think. My transportation was via bus from Port >Authority at 42nd St., and I usually didn't travel as far as the Adirondacks, >nor could spend so much more time out, away on "school" (college) vacation -- >and then work -- during all those hiking years. For Slide Mt., I'd get off >the bus on the highway at Phoenicia, and scramble to find the trail-head. >Driver would open the luggage compartment outside for me, I'd take out my >pack, and off I'd go. To hail the bus on the highway five days later. I >carried the bus sched. in my pocket; and wore a watch, in those days. > >THE NEW YORK WALK BOOK is still a favorite tome. It's the book, too, that >stimulated me to take up outdoor sketching and drawing, which I always did up >in the hills and out on the trails. If you own the book, you'll recall the >many drawings. I think there's also a NEW JERSEY WALK BOOK, nowadays. > >Closer to the City, do may remember "Schunemunk"?, around West Point and >Harrimann. Fascinating conglomerate rock underfoot. Big quartz cobbles in a >brown shale matrix. Quite beautiful. We had to cross a farmer's posted land >to get to the trail, but I think he provided a narrow easement. Memory fades, >there. > >--Joe > >> Edgar Owen wrote: >> >> Mike, >> >> Great story! Reminds me of the day I climbed the highest mountain in the >> Catskills for the view. At the top we couldn't see more than 10 feet in any >> direction for the fog! >> >> Also reminds me of the day I climbed Mt. Fuji illegally in November way out >> of season. Started walking up the road from the bottom mid afternoon. By the >> time it was dark a heavy snow was falling. The road was closed and there was >> not a single car on it, only the mountain and the trees and the snow and >> mile after mile of steadily rising totally empty road and me totally alone. >> Total magical silence in the night. A wonderful many hour walking meditation >> on the light within! Finally reached base camp where the road ends in the >> middle of the night. Only a single custodian there who gave me a bunk in the >> otherwise completely empty inn. Unfortunately was unable to finish the climb >> to the top as the snow was much too deep toward the summit >> > >
Re: [Zen] mountains
Something are transitory like mist and some things are transient like the humbly mountain falling into the sea. --Sensi Dougherty On Nov 1, 2012 3:11 PM, "Merle Lester" wrote: > > > > mountains are pure zen..merle > > Merle, > > I like that "where have I been". That sounds promising! > > My major sailing days are over. I might go out again once in a while if I > get a chance, but never on my own boat and never for weeks at a time like I > used to. > > I live in the mountains now. My mountain days are just beginning! > > I have visited Cuba. I sailed my boat from Key West, Florida to the > Hemingway Marina just outside of Havana. I stayed there about a week. > > I liked the people, food and music. > > ...Bill! > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester wrote: > > > >  sometimes it happens for me..and i feel.." where have i been"?..it is > a good place to be... but as you say the mind must quieten down. > >  bill are your sailing days over? > >  did you step ashore in cuba? > > .merle > > > > > >  > > Merle, > > > > First of all - I want to tell you that whatever changes you made or > different actions you took in posting this post renders your post much more > readable on the website. I hope you continue this way. > > > > I did not sail all 7 seas,just one really - the Caribbean sea which > includes the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Haiti and the islands that curve > southwest from there towards South America. > > > > Stopping, or at least slowing down, your chattering mind is exactly what > zen training is all about. It's called the 'monkey mind' in a lot of zen > literature. There are many techniques for that but the primary one is zazen > (zen meditation). It starts out by concentrating on just a few things (like > counting your breathes 1-10) and ends up finally dropping all activity. > This complete stillness is called 'shikantaza' and can be translated as > 'just sitting' and is also called 'clear mind'. > > > > There are many websites that have good instructions on how to begin > sitting zazen, but the best way is always to find a zen center and go for a > beginning seminar and zazen instructions. > > > > ...Bill! > > > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Bill beautiful!..did you sail the 7 seas?. pity i get > seasick!..i have a question? > > > how do i stop my chattering mind? > > >  last night it would not stop..hence no sleep..no don't tell me to > breathe..that did not work either > > >  the moon is full and i feel like i am going to explode > > > merle > > > > > > > > >  > > > Merle, > > > > > > My mind used to be kind of unruly, but never extremely so.  It's > pretty calm most of the time now. > > > > > > Here is a photo of my boat OB-LA-DI under sail.  It was a 51-ft > Formosa cutter-rigged pilothouse ketch: > > > > > > > > > > > > ...Bill! > > > > > > > > > > >
