dearest cousin joe how kind you are...
so evangelical... always and forever pointing the way as if you believe i am a lost sheep..... you are the good shepherd.. why are you so convinced i need help?... i s my vision so poor?.... why must i go to a zen group?... circumstances ( and yes i do drive) are such it's not going to happen... my meditation must be here in this zen garden..the garden of paradise... why do you wish me to go to a musty old hall with tiny windows, stuff stale air. sit on handwoven mats and soft silk cushions ooming in a group?.. i already attend the small christian uniting sandstone church built in 1850's or thereabouts mostly every sunday.. i sit on very very old wooden benches..the group is never more than 18....listening to the messages of christ... what different meassges did buddha tell? ..is it not of the same coin.. ying and yang? merle Merle, Maybe the t'ai chi teacher has experience with zazen-styled seated meditation, and can set you up with a cushion to suit you, and suggest and "model" several postures which could suit you. Be sure that a cushion is not one of those "hand-woven" ones that you repeated write that you detest... although no actual meditator has ever heard of any such thing. But it's possible to make your own cushion, though, and many people do. "Made-to-order"!, that way. And then you know how to maintain it, too, as it mats-down with use. If the t'ai chi teacher knows Taoist-styled meditation, maybe let him teach you Taoist-styled meditation. Here's my reason to suggest these practical things, and inquiries to put to the t'ai chi teacher. I believe that in a few short months of your practice of sitting meditation -- say 20 minutes in the morning, and 20 minutes in the evening -- you will become aware of interesting changes in your VISION. I don't mean changes in visual acuity (changes to the lens of the eye, or to the muscles that focus it), but I mean changes in other features of the visual field. And I DON'T mean changes in your vision WHILE YOU ARE SEATED, AND CARRYING OUT THE MEDITATION PRACTICE. No. I mean changes in your vision while you are up and around and doing all your daily activities. For example: you may already, after a few months, notice an increase in the depth and saturation of color. And you'll see a change in the interplay of light and shadow. A "chiaroscuro" effect will increase and will become really noticeable. And a soft moonlight aspect sometimes. And as you continue with practice, objects will appear wetted, really deep and pure in saturated color, as wet things do (as we know, stones, leaves, tree bark, all appear more pure in color when they are wet). As practice deepens, if you become established in samadhi, you will see big changes while you are seated in meditation, too; and you will also see them while you are up and around and busy in your day. It's around this time that yellow or golden notes will become strong. And as you continue, you can believe there is more of this sort of thing to "focus" on. We can stop at this for now. I just wanted to mention this again, directly for you. I've written about this here already on a couple of occasions. What about the t'ai chi teacher? Would you be able to get started in a seated meditation practice with him? And, would you be interested to do so? Or would you like to learn with a Zen teacher? Rest assured: To practice for these visual changes -- and even *strong* visual changes -- is not a "bad" motivation to practice. People practice for different reasons. Usually three different reasons, and sometimes for one or more of them: Physical Health; Mental Clarity; and Awakening. To practice in order to enhance one's vision and one's appreciation of the look of things is "good". But there will be additional side-effects: better health; good stress reduction; physical flexibility of body; depth of relaxation; plus all sorts of benefits in social relations, personal enjoyment of life and of friends, better sleep, and, well, the lists go on. But you'll notice wonderful vision, truly remarkable changed vision. No metaphor, it is really a kind of washing of the windows or doors of perception. It's not something that we can force, or notice in one day or one month (well, maybe one month). But once you notice some of the first benefits clearly, and unwaveringly, you will see what there is to this. For me, these effects or changes came as side effects, and I did not practice for them. But I see no reason not to be interested in them since they come naturally. People who attend sesshin for 7 days may remark about such changes even after that one week. But usually people who attend a long retreat have an established practiced of sitting at home each day: you can't usually start a practice by attending retreat "cold". But I think you -- YOU, personally -- would really enjoy the visual changes that develop on a long retreat, and last for weeks afterward. In fact, I think they would amaze you, or, the WORLD would amaze you, and you would tell all your artist friends about this, and you'd start a sitting-group at home for them, or in your Studio. Ahh. Hopes for you, dear Cousin! And your artist friends there. --Joe > "Joe" wrote: > > Dear Merle, > > Merle wrote: > > > "please enhance this !" > > > Merle Lester wrote: > > > > please enhance this !..merle > > > > > > > > > Merle, > > > > The moonlight of Samadhi. > > > > The Great Golden Ocean Seal samadhi, for example. > > > > I recommend Zen practice to Painters, regularly. A few of them have taken > > it up. They know I would not mislead them. > > > > There's gold in this path, Merle. You are it. But you are bigger than you > > think. > > > > Now, don't go jumping on the bathroom scale. ;-) > > > > --Joe > > > > > Merle Lester wrote: > > > > > > why joe..why would it be yellow?... red is red is red as red can be..it > > >cannot be yellow... merle > > > > > > Merle, > > > > > > Yeppers, in the Outback, because of the Iron content of the soil, it > > > would be red. > > > > > > But if you're practicing well, it will look yellow. > > > > > > --Joe
