Hi Mike, I think you have a point here when you are saying we have to make time for mindfulness.
I started long ago myself with doing less at one time. Less distraction. Like not eating and watching television, but just eat. And not having the radio on while driving. I started with that before I even heard of Zen. And it works for me to bring more rest. If that is what Suzuki is trying to say, I get it and agree with him. I appreciate your explanation how you handle it. And I agree that even in a busy schedule one can make time for mindfullness. Actually, I think one can only maintain busy schedules for some time if one is mindfull, not too much distracted. I have done a course on time management that was actually teaching to do one thing at a time. Main purpose of planning there is to be able to do only the task at hand. If a deadline can not be met, the time management method would show it in avance, so when doing a task you can fully concentrate on the task, without having to do other things at the same time to meet deadlines. The course also covered handling ad hoc interrupts - not everything is planable (yes, not everyting should be planable...). It is difficult to summarize this course in a few lines, sorry if I am not clear. But now I work mostly at one thing at a time and it gives a lot of rest. (Thinking it over now, this course could perhaps be sold as a Zen course ... 'Zen and the art of time management' ;-) ) But I think we have to agree that in real life one has to do multiple things at one time. Eugene --- In [email protected], "Michael Hansen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi again Eugene! > > Here's something from that same book you're reading: (where it is in the > book, I can't tell you...I found it on the internet and don't have my copy > of the book on hand) > > "So when you eat, just eat. Do not read a magazine, or think "I need to do > something after lunch". Stop your mind. Right now, you are eating. Look at > your food, smell the aroma, taste the flavor, feel the texture. After > eating, you will be drinking water. Give it the same attention. And after > that, you will be doing something else." > > It would seem that Suzuki is an advocate of the "do one thing at a time" > school. I understand your concerns regarding life in "the real world" and > those of us with a busy schedule. To that end, I found a little something > from a Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy, the contents of which can be found > http://www.serenereflections.ca/Articles/2006/EveryMinuteMeditation.h tml > > A couple of interesting suggestions concerning how to deal with this: > > > *"Doing One Thing at a Time* > > *The reason for the first two steps is not hard to see: if we accept that > truth is one and undivided, then it can only be realized by a mind which is > itself unified and aware. Such one-pointedness and mindfulness are > impossible when you are doing two things at once. Thus, when you practice > mindfulness you refrain from eating breakfast, talking to your spouse, and > watching the morning news at the same time. Planning your ten o'clock > meeting while you drive to work is out; so is thinking about your vacation > while you wash the dishes, worrying about your finances while you plant the > garden, and even reading a magazine while you're on the toilet. * > > *For most people there are many things which we could (or worse yet, should) > be doing at any given time, and the temptation to do more than one is great. > A person in this situation might find it helpful to add a "step zero" before > the first of the five steps .Step zero is to decide what is the single most > important thing to be doing at this moment. Then, do it." * > > So it would seem that we have to "make time" for mindfulness. Myself, > having not worked in almost two years due to injury, often take it for > granted just how much time I have and how much I am able to do > (practice-wise) because of not having "real life" demands. So, I'll admit, > my advice isn't the best for busy people. However, when I was working, no > matter how busy I was (often working 6-7 days a week, upwards of 12 hours a > day), I still found time, as often as possible, for "mindfulness days" where > I was able to apply concepts such as doing one thing at a time. If I > couldn't get a "mindfulness day" then maybe a "mindfulness hour" or even > "mindfulness minute." > I've probably gotten way off track here and should probably just shut up for > now. :) > > Disclaimer: There isn't a "chance" that I'm wrong...it's more like a "high > probability." At any rate, I hope some of this helps. :) > > > Regards, > Mike > > > > On 5/3/06, Eugene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Thanks for your replies to my post, Mike, Blossom and Ahmed. You all > > seem a bit unsure if your reply make sense, but to me they certainly > > do. > > > > I hope Suzuki does NOT mean doing only one thing at a time, or like > > Mike wrote: "If we're washing dishes, for instance, we should be > > > > washing dishes --not washing dishes, trying to balance our > > checkbooks in our head, planning dinner, etc." That would perhaps be > > feasible for a monk in a monastery, but would be very hard in normal > > life. I imagine my neighbour, who is a mother of three children and > > has to do lots of things at the same time: dressing one child, > > watching after her other childs, in the meantime plan all activities > > in order to have them all at school the right time while they are > > already late. She cannot just focus fully on, for example, dressing > > one child. Or, concerning my more simple life, I sometimes have to > > prepare a meeting while driving my car, or type a mail while > > monitoring if a collegue I have to speak has already entered. > > > > So I hope Ahmed is correct when he writes: "I think the passage you > > > > cited does not mean that one should do just one thing at a time > > because what about multi-tasking? Is multi-tasking not a part of > > one's Buddha nature?" > > > > But if multi-tasking is 'allowed in Zen' (don't hit me for this > > phrase...), what does the text of Suzuki mean that I cited in my > > previous post? > > > > Thanks for sharing your thoughts or giving your explanation! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected], Ahmed <megamorphg@> wrote: > > > > > > I have read that book as well. So beautifully simple it puts me > > into a > > > trance when I read it. > > > > > > I think the passage you cited does not mean that one should do > > just one > > > thing at a time because what about multi-tasking? Is multi- tasking > > not a > > > part of one's Buddha nature? > > > > > > The book "The Way of Zen" by Alan Watts spells this all out very > > clearly > > > especially where it goes into the details about worrying about > > worrying and > > > how we can actually never do anything wrong in Zen because > > everything is > > > natural. Even unnaturalness is natural. This is the reason why and > > how one > > > can just relax and let everything go. > > > > > > So what it means to me is be naturally in the moment without > > carrying the > > > previous moment (but really you can't ever "carry" the previous > > moment--you > > > only imagine it is so). > > > > > > (I probably didn't make any sense but I think the meaning is > > clearer after > > > reading Alan Watts book.) > > > > > > > > > On 5/2/06, Eugene <eusvr@> wrote: > > > > > > > > I am reading the book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, of Shunryu > > Suzuki - > > > > an excellent book. It goes into depths while being > > understandable. > > > > > > > > However, there is a concept in it I don't understand. I would > > like to > > > > have some explanation... > > > > > > > > It is about going fully into an activity, leaving nothing of > > yourself > > > > behind. So you are like ash afterwards... who has read this book > > and > > > > can explain? > > > > > > > > thanks! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have > > read or are > > > > reading! Talk about it today! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > SPONSORED LINKS > > > > Zen buddhism<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? > > t=ms&k=Zen+buddhism&w1=Zen+buddhism&w2=Tibetan+buddhism&w3=Zen+alarm+ > > clock&w4=Zen+garden&c=4&s=77&.sig=52TlVEGAmH-gdZZJfROS7A> Tibetan > > > > buddhism<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? > > t=ms&k=Tibetan+buddhism&w1=Zen+buddhism&w2=Tibetan+buddhism&w3=Zen+al > > arm+clock&w4=Zen+garden&c=4&s=77&.sig=QfjwyeHX2_FsqbByJ9GpJA> Zen > > > > alarm clock<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? > > t=ms&k=Zen+alarm+clock&w1=Zen+buddhism&w2=Tibetan+buddhism&w3=Zen+ala > > rm+clock&w4=Zen+garden&c=4&s=77&.sig=p6mapzEPZ_ScmHU_NtLhyg> Zen > > > > garden<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? > > t=ms&k=Zen+garden&w1=Zen+buddhism&w2=Tibetan+buddhism&w3=Zen+alarm+cl > > ock&w4=Zen+garden&c=4&s=77&.sig=u-HWXzyfc7JgA6dUQHO-gw> > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > YAHOO! 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