“The evanescence of things is the reason why you enjoy your life.” Shunryu Suzuki
In this issue:
· Insights Into Practices
· A Poem, by Diane di Prima
· What I’m reading
· Half Day Retreat
· Weekend Retreat
When I turned 60, I felt compelled to change my pretend age from 37 to 47. Not that I’m in denial (maybe a little) about getting older, but I feel young, healthy and vibrant (and lucky)…and yet, there is that age thing. Back when I was CEO of Brush Dance, a greeting card company I founded and ran for 15 years, we once published a greeting card that said, “Age is just a number, and mine is unlisted.”
Someone once asked Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, “Why do we practice?”
His response, “We practice so we can be happy in our old age.” He also said, “The only way is to enjoy your life. That is why we practice meditation. The most important thing is to be able to enjoy your life without being fooled by things.”
I was teaching a daylong mindful leadership training last week and when it came time to stop for our lunch break I suggested the radical practice of “noticing your food” and “tasting and enjoying your food.” One way we are “fooled by things” is not just enjoying and appreciating our food, our breath, our work, and our lives. We get fooled by thinking about some other better food, or some other better, more fulfilling work.
(Sunday morning on Mount Tamalpais)
Simple, surprising and perhaps radical. Just noticing and enjoying. Somehow it does seem to take practice. And it seems to take stepping out of the stream of our full and busy lives, practicing with stopping, noticing, and enjoying the simple act of breathing – even when it’s boring, and our minds are jumpy, our legs not always comfortable.
This doesn’t mean we don’t envision and work toward what needs more attention, and what could be clearer and more effective. One of my favorite paradoxes is: Accept what is and work for change. It is easy to lose sight of the “accept what is” and to constantly be working or striving for change. I think this is, in part, another way we are fooled by things.
Thich Nhat Hanh says:
“We can learn a lot from our suffering, and there is always something we can do to transform it into joy, into happiness, into love. It is only by having the courage to encounter our own suffering that we can generate the clarity and compassion we need to serve the world.
The meditator breathes in and says “Hello my dear, my anger, my despair. I will take good care of you.” The moment you recognize the feeling and smile to it with love and care, embracing the fear with mindfulness, it will begin to change. This is the miracle of mindfulness.”
Enjoying our lives, doesn’t mean to ignore wars, injustices, and the climate crisis. We will continue to face challenges and painful situations at work, in our families, and in all aspects of life. Enjoying our lives doesn’t suggest not grieving, or seeing and feeling the pain of what is. Enjoying your life does not mean living in denial.
To practice is to relish the moments, to see they are precious, and feel and transform whatever we are being offered when times are hard.
Shunryu Suzuki in a talk titled Enjoy Your Life, says: “The evanescence of things is the reason why you enjoy your life.”
A Poem
Radio, Diane di Prima
I think I forgot to turn
off the radio when
I left my mother’s
womb
In Hasidic Judaism
it is said that before we
are born an angel
enters the womb,
strikes us on the
mouth
and we forget all
that we knew of
previous lives—
all that we know
of heaven
I think that I forgot
to forget.
I was born into two
places at once—
In one, it was chilly
lonely physical &
uncomfortable
in the other, I stayed
in the dimension of
Spirit. What I knew,
I knew.
I did not forget
Voices
The world of spirit
held me in its arms.
—Diane di Prima (1934-2020)
What I’m reading
Same As Ever. A Guide To What Never Changes, by Morgan Housel. 23 stories that teach, challenge, and entertain.
The Most Important Point. Zen Teaching of Edward Espe Brown. I find myself returning to Ed’s talks that integrate Zen practice with everyday life in ways that are both deep and charming.
Half Day Sitting, In-Person and Online
Sunday, May 26th, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in Mill Valley.
I really like half day retreats, where there is time for some extended meditation periods, some walking, and time to process with a small community. Then, time to enjoy a Sunday afternoon.
Weekend Retreat at Green Gulch Farm
November 1 – 3
In our world of busyness, of more, faster, better, this retreat offers time to stop, reflect, and renew – a time to step fully into the richness of your life. Together we’ll follow a gentle schedule of sitting and walking meditation, interspersed with talks and discussions from the wisdom of Zen teaching as we explore how these stories and dialogues may be utilized in our relationships, our work, and our lives.
This retreat is open to all people interested in stopping, exploring, and bringing more awareness and mindfulness to daily life.