Project 52

Like most young kids, I loved to draw, color, paint, etc. That quickly came to a standstill as I started comparing my art to that of my peers. This effectively ended my exploration of art but it never extinguished my interest.

Recently, a buddy of mine, Andy over at andy.mcclung.me, told me about a project he was interested in starting. The project was a variation of one he found at this site. The idea is to design something every day. Andy decided to ease up the daily requirement to a weekly one. The reason was to allow for more exploration because he was just beginning his artistic practice himself.

What a great idea, I thought. I quickly decided to join him in this project. Since then, another friend of ours, has also jumped on-board.

I have no clue when it comes to art. Aside from an art history class, I know nothing of any techniques, styles, colors, etc. That will change over time. I've decided my project will be an exploration of the various media.

I plan to pick a theme for the week and then explore that theme using pretty much anything. I will post my activity. I've decided to interpret the weekly thing as a minimum requirement. This means some weeks may have more than one post.

There will be no evaluation of failure or success, only exploration. I welcome any feedback.

Tiger Woods, Hume, and Buddhism

I've seen a lot of discussion lately about the comments made by Brit Hume regarding Buddhism. Here is the video on Youtube

For my take on it, I just wanted to quote a verse from Hakuin's The Song of Meditation. It follows:

By the merit of a single sitting
He destroys innumerable accumulated sins,
How should there be wrong paths for him?
The Pure Land paradise is not far away.

Just something to reflect on for a moment.

Rohatsu

Early Saturday morning I will be headed to Nashville Zen Center for our little mini Rohatsu celebration. Rohatsu is a day that commemorates the historical Buddha's awakening. It is celebrated on Dec 8th. According to tradition, he decided to sit under a tree until he found the root of all suffering, and how to liberate oneself from it.

There a differences depending on the tradition as to what happened, but I think all traditions agree that as the Morning Star (Venus) rose in the sky in the early morning, he realized enlightenment and became a Buddha, an awakened one.

Zen centers differ as to how they celebrate. Some centers do a week-long retreat. Our center will be doing a 3am to 9am sit on Dec 5th.

My Practice

I sit day after day facing the wall. Thirty minutes pass on the clock while I sit quietly on my cushion. I try to be completely still, but sometimes I move. I try to let my thoughts come and go, but now and then, I notice myself following one. Some days I’m ready to take my seat, other days I could go to bed. Still I sit.

I sit with all my frustration, confusion, and joy. I am not a mountain standing against the waves. I am not the ocean washing on the mountain. I am both. I am neither. I return to my breath.

My practice helps me be mindful when meeting things so that I can aware of my own habit patterns. If I notice something or someone suffering, it is only because I have suffered before myself. This helps me to be compassionate.