Teenager in Training

Not quite sure what is going on here either...

Metta Sutta Part 2

I have really been into reciting the metta sutta to my kids when they go to sleep.  One night I was reciting:

To reach the state of peace 
Those skilled in the Good 
Should be
Capable and upright, 
Straightforward and easy to speak to, 
Gentle and not proud, 
Contented and easily supported, 
Living lightly and with few duties,

when my son interrupts and asks incredulously,
"Dad why are you talking about doodies?"

It hasn't been the same since...

Last Mother's Day breakfast

This is the omelet my kids and I made for my wife for last Mother's Day. It had a little of everything from our fridge and cupboards including tuna fish from a can. The potatoes were from our garden and so were the flowers! 

Great Martial Arts Movie Characters

#1 Po from Kung Fu Panda: The first time I saw this movie in the theater with my kids it was great and I willingly went back again for a second viewing. The third time I noted reluctance and faint aversion. Then the kids got the DVD (pirated) and continued to watch it over and over again, without seeming to lose enthusiasm.  When I would just fall sleep, my kids would happily use me as backrest or even stretch out and lie on top of me horizontally as if I was a mattress.

Po is adorable - and besides Jack Black's great voice, Po points to many lessons for us on the path. 

#2 Aang from Avatar: Aang the hero is the last Airbender and has a very graceful movement style. He is a vegetarian and does not want to hurt anyone else. A very interesting dilemma he faces is how to save the world from the destruction of the Fire Nation but without having to kill the Fire Lord or anyone else. Actually a lot of substance here in terms of morality, power, friendship, personal and spiritual development. Pretty cool for a 12 year old kid who is expected to save the world. My kids and I are bummed out about the whole movie thing though...Sad and strange this is still an issue decades after David Carradine was chosen over Bruce Lee for Kung Fu.

#3 Uncle Iroh: Despite appearances, Iroh is no slouch and besides being able to kick butt with style is also down to earth, wise, patient and modest in appearance and behavior, things we can all aspire to be. He likes tea, playing Pai Shō and the simple pleasures in life. When we talk about who in our family resembles which Avatar character, this is who my kids say I am but unfortunately I think they are referring to physical appearance rather than character.

#4 Jet Li as Wong Fei Hong in Once Upon A Time In China: This movie was like magic when I first saw it from the dramatic opening music and panorama to Jet Li's grace, finesse and restraint and the acrobatic finale. Loved the cinematography and fascinating historical backdrop of China starting to be influenced by the West and the struggle between tradition and the drive to modernize. 

#5 Donnie Yen as Ip Man: This movie was a lot of fun and the choreography was great too. Highlighting the positioning and timing of the throws was a personal favorite. Lots of humor too. My kids love to rewind and watch over and over the part where the guy gets his pants pulled down. Some parts were too brutal and not suitable for viewing by children but pretty much standard for this genre - complete with anti-Japanese rivalry and wounded Chinese nationalism and honor in need of avenging.

#6 Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee was my gateway into martial arts and martial arts movies. Spent way too much time with nunchakas as a teenager... In many ways he was the original or forerunner of MMA that is so popular today. Bruce Lee was disdainful of tradition and wanted martial arts to be based on effectiveness and efficiency, something of a similar debate to that in Buddhism today between Asian Buddhism and Western Buddhism.

Not really sure where I stand on either debate and not sure that it matters. I have often chafed under the limitations and restrictions of tradition and in general tend towards "pragmatism" but as I get older there is much more appreciation for tradition and style as the vehicle or container for preserving science or knowledge whether martial or spiritual. There is something comforting and rooting knowing that you stand as a very small point in a long continuum. Perhaps its not an "either or" question, a debate that doesn't need to be resolved. It is the discussion itself that is of use to all involved. Tradition exists in a context and is inherently dynamic, reinterpreted and reapplied with the passing of time. Often self proclaimed, most "conservative" movements have the most radical reinterpretation or analysis given how much society has changed since their historical referents.

Beginner's Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Suzuki Roshi

One of the many wonderful things about having children is watching them experience the world with “beginner’s minds” unencumbered by the burdens we adults carry.

Having a family was what finally and irrevocably brought my path to Buddhism. Seeing how directly the influence of who I am and what I do on my children was powerful motivation to do delve deeper, to start to come to grips with my own suffering and self-destructive ways of being in the world. 

For me the driving question was as a father – what was the legacy I wanted to leave my children with? The answer was light, joy and happiness. But these are not things we can give to other people but rather must embrace ourselves before we can share them with others.

This means not striving for perfection or measuring oneself against a standard of what should be. For me it has meant willingly and lovingly making time for telling simple and silly stories, falling asleep while watching cartoons, turning on a light in a dark room, and assembling Legos. It means creating and sharing a world where stuffed animals, imaginary friends and dogs, live and talk, act out and reflect, giving us the opportunity to share our true selves with those we love!

Another wonderful manifestation of beginner's mind is how I appreciate my relationship with my partner. She seems wiser, more caring, loving and attentive. Sometimes she talks and I find myself thinking admiringly - wow that was a pearl of wisdom, where did that come from? Or she will say something and I'll think - that's Buddhism! Or I find myself with this sneaking suspicion she has secretly been listening to my Gil Fronsdal talks from Audio Dharma while I have been sleeping... How is it that she has changed while I am the one who gets up early every morning to meditate?! And is it really so? Or is it that I am more able to appreciate and see her true self? Or is it that somehow our paths are intertwined and mutually supporting? She is a natural Bodhisattva. Wisdom and learning does not always need to be named.

How strange and wonderful to find that while my partner and children haven't taken to meditation, that we are partners, fellow seekers on the path! That they are my teachers in ways big and small.

It is a tender almost heart bursting joy when they come in to kiss my cheek while I meditate. Or cover my legs with a blanket. It seems like this is what it means to be truly human.

May we always embrace our beginner's mind!

May we open our hearts and minds to find teachers and friends in unexpected places,  forms and guises,

Real and imaginary,

Human and animal,

Big and small, 

To accompany us on the path! 

May we all be happy!

perspective/reflection

This is the view from our living room windows. A good friend took this picture last week while visiting with his family. Ten years ago we were both single guys on the loose acting out a second adolescence and now are both married with kids... Time.. flies...

Early in the morning and on clear days on the right a huge volcano is visible which is part of a national park. Every time I see it, its still like - wow that's big! It provides perspective for us, people, of time and nature as something that vastly exceeds our human life spans. Speaking personally sometimes its easy to forget this.

Years ago I learned about farming, walking and working barefoot on foothills below the volcano on land across from my martial arts school's training center. In the afternoon the earth would be so warm from the sun or during rainy season muddy and slippery in a very elemental way. Surprising how much one can feel through the soles of one's feet! One day I remember standing barefoot feeling rooted in a very good spot, watching bamboo sway and plants vibrate with the wind and sun and suddenly there was the thought, "the earth is alive and I am part of it". There was something both incredibly finite and infinite about that moment, the sense of being part of something vast and complex, yet alive, vibrant and immediate. Its the same feeling but different scale as holding a handful of seeds and feeling the energy, the potential for growth and expression, some powerful and ancient dance that we are part of yet only slightly understand. Human agency seems irrelevant in this context, our job seems to be to witness, to experience and wonder.     

Watching the fog on the hills or cover the landscape and blow right over our porch is pretty cool.

Early morning I love watching the sky turn from dark blue black to pink and orange and then the sun crest over the hills. Unfortunately if I am watching it, that means I am late with my morning meditation but I guess everything has a tradeoff...

May my eyes, heart and soles of my feet always be open to these joys!

May clouds, flowers and mountains always inspire and excite!

May good friends continue to grace and share our lives!

May my children continue to grow and learn with respect and wonder!

May I gain in wisdom, insight and humility.