CLEVELAND BEACH

Bull's-Eye

clevelandbeach.com — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:32:55 GMT

Zen is a search for truth through action. It's less a religion or even a philosophy than it is an attitude. There's a story about a Zen archery master who was asked to teach a course in Big Sur, California. A target was set up on a beautiful grassy area on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The master took his bow, notched the arrow, took careful aim, and shot. The arrow sailed high over the target, went past the railing, beyond the cliff, plunging into the ocean far below. The master looked happily at the shocked students and shouted, "Bull's-eye!"

As I get deeper and deeper into the practice of Zen (meditation), I find that it is nothing at all like what I expected it to be. My arrow doesn't hit the target but goes exactly where it goes according to my real action. Life gets you in all kind of funky situations. You act out of where you really are, not out of some ideal of where you think you ought to be. The whole "ought to" business is just a waste of time anyway. It's never what it ought to be. Since "ought to" is an idealistic concept, you will never do what you ought to do. Caring about what other people think I ought to be, say, or do has never led to anything but suffering.

But we can still care deeply about taking aim. Today I try to take aim carefully and let the arrow fly. Wherever it goes, "Bull's-eye!"

The Wednesday evening meditation classes at the Yoga Co-op on Drayton Street are ending at the end of the year. Thanks to all for your support. It was great fun to offer this to the community for the past several years.

I will be facilitating another meditation class at Savannah Power Yoga, 7360 Skidaway Rd., Unit H-1, Sandfly, as part of their Clean program in January. There will be three classes on Sunday nights, January 15, 22, and 29 at 5:45 pm. See www.savannahpoweryoga.com for more info.

Meditation Classes

clevelandbeach.com — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:07:05 GMT

The Meditation Class teaches a generic mindfulness stress reduction meditation based predominately on Jon Kabot Zinn’s MBSR Programs, Herbert Benson’s research on the Relaxation Response, and Soto Zen practice. The class would provide some instruction, a specific time for practice, and time for questions and comments. Feel free to bring your own sitting cushions if desired. Folding chairs and bolsters are available in the classroom. For more information contact Cleveland Beach at 912-429-7264.

The Yoga Co-op Savannah
2424 Drayton Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Wednesdays 7:00pm - 8:15pm
Class fees are $13 (less with membership)
For more information or to schedule a class go to:
http://www.yogacoopsavannah.com

Enlightenment

clevelandbeach.com — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:57:00 GMT

Before enlightenment: Life is a series of one experience after another leading to confusion.
After enlightenment: Life is a series of one experience after another leading to confusion. But it's ok.
Live lightly in the world.

Natural Consequences

clevelandbeach.com — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:11:00 GMT

We are all mad when we are twenty. And because of it we cause pain farther on down the road. An then, if we are not weaklings, we have to take possession of our old madness and try to soothe its issue.
Charles Frazier, Thirteen Moons

Original Sin?

clevelandbeach.com — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:59:00 GMT

Are Humans really flawed by nature? I have never been able to buy into this concept. I think that we are created in the image of God, that we are by nature God incarnate when we are born, and that we are socialized into unskillful means of thinking and behaving as we grow older. We let our egos run the show and become self centered and tend to error in our ways. I believe that our main purpose in life is to get back to that state of innocence, trust, fearlessness and the ability to completely live in the present moment we had as little children. Jesus said that you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven except that you be as a little child, and he said that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now. Anytime we choose to be in the present. Like a little child.

What Matters

clevelandbeach.com — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:45:00 GMT

When you sit, noticing the breath and the body on the chair or cushion, noticing the thoughts and feelings in the mind and heart and perhaps also the sounds in the room and the stillness, something else also begins to come into view. You notice the most fundamental of all facts: you are alive. You are a living, breathing, embodied human being. You can actually feel this—feel the feeling of being alive. You can rest in this basic feeling, the nature of life, of consciousness, the underlying basis of everything you will ever experience—even the negativity. Sitting there with this basic feeling of being alive, you will feel gratitude. After all, you didn’t ask for this; you didn’t earn it. It is just there, a gift to you. It won’t last forever, but for now, in this moment, here it is, perfect, complete. And you are sharing it with everything else that exists in this stark, basic, and beautiful way. Whatever your problems and challenges, you are, you exist in this bright world with others, with trees, sky, water, stars, sun, and moon. If you sit there long enough and regularly enough you will feel this, even in your darkest moments.

And based on this experience, you will reflect differently on your life. What is really important? How much do your expectations and social constructs really matter? What really counts? What is the bottom line for a human life?

To be alive. Well, you are alive.

To love others and be loved by others. Well, you do love, and it is within your power to love more deeply. And if you do, it is guaranteed that others will respond to you with more love.

To be kind to others and to receive kindness is also within your power, regardless of expectations, losses, and circumstances.

You need to eat every day, it is true. You need a good place to sleep at night. You need some sort of work to do, but probably you have these things, and if you do you can offer them to others. Once you overcome the sting and virulence of your naturally arising negativity, and return to the feeling of being alive, you will think more clearly about what matters more and what matters less in your life. ~ Norman Fischer

The Extra Mile

clevelandbeach.com — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:03:00 GMT

Andrew Carnegie once told Napoleon Hill that the greatest day of his life was that day on which he discovered how much space he could occupy, how much good will he could command by the simple means of rendering more service and better service than he was expected to give. It changed his life. Every time you go the extra mile, said Mr. Carnegie, you place someone under obligation to you, the sort of obligation which must and will be repaid willingly from one source or another. I hope you heard me, the very depth of your being. Do no hold yourself back any longer. Whatever it is that you're doing that is constructive, that is creative, go the extra mile. Don't just go the extra mile, go the second mile. Do it with all of the energy, with all of the power, with all of the love, with all of the commitment that is in your being. Do it, be it. Share yourself. ~ Jack Boland

A Collective Awakening

clevelandbeach.com — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:22:00 GMT

We all have to reconsider our values in society and live a simpler life. We have to reconsider our version of happiness.

People are getting busier and busier. We are like fishes living in a place where water is lacking. We don't feel comfortable, we don't have space, we lack time. We may have more money than in the past but we have less space and less happiness and less love. So we should have a revolution which must start with a collective awakening. We have to stop and look for another direction.

It is possible for us to be something and to do something now, don't despair. There is something we can all do. There is still a chance. Recognise that and do it and you will find peace. Don't allow yourself to be carried away by despair. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Change

clevelandbeach.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:05:00 GMT

Life is eternally Functional, Adaptable, and Sustainable. These are the Basic Principles of Life, and they cannot be violated or rendered in any way inoperable, or Life would cease to be. When human beings embrace the extraordinary idea presented here, the process of change will be seen for what it is: the ultimate expression of Divinity Itself, sustaining Itself through adaptations that render Itself eternally magnificent.
Change is an announcement of Life's intention to go on. Change is the fundamental impulse of Life Itself.

I don't think that a lot of people see it this way. If they saw it this way they would heed the injunction of Christ, and "be not afraid." Yet "ye of little faith" are afraid. Thus it was that Franklin Roosevelt was moved to say, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself." ~ Neale Donald Walsch

Practice

clevelandbeach.com — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT

You can always tell when somebody is a practitioner. It doesn’t have to be a Zen practitioner or a musician. It can be somebody who does a certain profession, whether it’s weaving, or anything. You can tell if they have practice about it. Or take a mechanic, an old fashioned mechanic, where you drive your car in. He starts it up and says, “Oh, the timing is off.” Everything about the car is internalized. The sound of it, the feel of it. He’ll be able to tell something about an old-fashioned car, just from practice.

There’s a part of practice that I think is inherent in all different practices. The type of concentration, the familiarity, the intimacy that you get to whatever you [are] practicing, whether it’s archery or Zen or music or how to make a perfect pancake. You won’t get there unless you get intimate with the subject, and if you become… The more intimate you become you only get there through practice and as you become more intimate you know more about it, where you can say “This batter is too liquid or too solid or too warm too cold. It’ll act this way,” and all that comes only through practice and I think it [often] comes up in conversations with my friends about, how people go about life these days, that they’re really not willing to practice anything. ~ Ottmar Liebert

What If?

clevelandbeach.com — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:53:00 GMT

What if loneliness was simply a feeling of impatience, telepathically sent to you by friends you've yet to meet, urging you to go out more, do more, and get involved, so that life's serendipities could bring you together... Would you still feel alone?

What if illness was just the signal a healthy body sent to urge clarification of your thoughts, feelings, and dreams... Would you still, at times, think of yours as diseased?

What if feelings of uncertainty and confusion were only reminders that you have options, that there's no hurry, and that everything is as it should be... Would you still feel disadvantaged?

What if mistakes and failures only ever happened when your life was about to get better than it's ever been before... Would you still call them mistakes and failures?

And what if poverty and lack were simply demonstrations of your manifesting prowess, as "difficult" to acquire as wealth and abundance... Would they still cause you to feel powerless?

Well, whatever you feel, I still consider you my only begotten, my champion, and my equal.

Are we close, or what?
The Universe

Acceptance of the Mind

clevelandbeach.com — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:18:00 GMT

There is no ultimate goal in meditation. Meditation is an acceptance of the mind, however it comes to you. And the mind changes all the time, just as the ocean waves change. Sometimes the water is turbulent, sometimes calm. Thoughts rise and then disappear; you don’t grab hold of them. The heart beats, the lungs breathe, and the mind continues to produce thoughts. Even if you’ve practiced for a long time, it will still produce thoughts, but you’re no longer thrown by them. You don’t have control of your mind; it goes where it wants to go. But with practice, you can have a relationship with it. ~ Natalie Goldberg

Mindfulness

clevelandbeach.com — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:00:00 GMT

I must confess that I still do not completely understand mindfulness. It is somewhat heavy and abstract, and for someone like myself, who considers himself forever mired in the stage of concrete operations, that can be a challenge. But there are things about mindfulness that I now better understand and appreciate. I understand that mindfulness is, quite simply, a way of being present for my patients and for myself. I also understand that mindfulness is a discipline. It is a way of thinking (or perhaps more accurately, a way of being), and, like any discipline or new approach, it requires training and ongoing practice. It is not as simple as a sip of wine in the evening, which may serve to dissipate the tension that has built during the day. It is better; it is a disciplined, practiced approach that enables us to deal with tension as it arises.

And now, armed with this better understanding of mindfulness, I try to incorporate it into my practice and into my own life. I also try to impart its value to our trainees, whose own stresses may be different, but are considerable. I explain to them my initial skepticism, and how even though on the surface, it might seem that it is just one more thing they have to do, it may help them cope with all those other things that overwhelm them. Somehow, as I tell them, it works. It helps me keep the focus on my patients, it helps keep the satisfaction in my work, it helps me to rejuvenate, and it keeps me sane. ~ David N. Korones

Do Unto Others

clevelandbeach.com — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:35:00 GMT

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you is a commandment found in multiple belief systems. Since we are all part of the human family it only makes good sense to understand that people blossom when treated respectfully and die on the vine when treated with disrespect. Being human places everyone on an equal footing with everyone else. No one is more or less deserving of fair and equal treatment.

Give it a try right now. Thank the waitress sincerely for delivering your lunch, allow the driver in a hurry to pass you easily without resistance, accept the cleanup assignment for the hospitality you extended to guests with grace rather than with complaint, and go the extra mile to indicate that you are always willing to do more than you are paid to do because it is part of your work ethic to give more than expected. Sooner or later you will be recognized for your strong contribution and people will realize that you are worthy of good treatment yourself. ~ Judy Williamson

Cultivate Don't-Know Mind

clevelandbeach.com — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:04:00 GMT

This describes a mind that's open and receptive. A mind that's not limited by agendas, roles and expectations. The great Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi, was fond of saying, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."

From this vantage point we realize that “not knowing is most intimate.” Understanding this we stay very close to the experience allowing the situation itself to inform our actions. We listen carefully to our own inner voice, sensing our urges, trusting our intuition. We learn to look with fresh eyes. ~ Frank Ostaseski

Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things

clevelandbeach.com — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:59:00 GMT

We often think of rest as something that will come when everything else is complete, like when we go on a holiday or when our work is done. We imagine that we can only find rest by changing the conditions of our life. But it is possible to discover rest right in the middle of chaos. It is experienced when we bring our full attention, without distraction, to this moment, to this activity. This place of rest is always available. We need only turn toward it. It's an aspect of us that's never sick, is not born, and does not die. ~ Frank Ostaseski

Don't Wait

clevelandbeach.com — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:57:00 GMT

Patience is different than waiting. When we wait, we are full of expectations. When we're waiting, we miss what this moment has to offer. Worrying or strategizing about what the future holds for us, we miss the opportunities that are right in front of us. Waiting for the moment of death, we miss so many moments of living. Don't wait. If there's someone you love, tell him or her that you love them. Allow the precarious nature of this life to show you what's most important then enter fully. ~ Frank Ostaseski

Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience

clevelandbeach.com — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:13:00 GMT

In the process of healing others and ourselves we open to both our joy and fear. In the service of this healing we draw on our strength and helplessness, our wounds and passion to discover a meeting place with the other. Professional warmth doesn't heal. It is not our expertise but the exploration of our own suffering that enables us to be of real assistance. That's what allows us to touch another human being's pain with compassion instead of with fear and pity. We have to invite it all in. We can't travel with others in territory that we haven't explored ourselves. It is the exploration of our own inner life that enables us to form an empathetic bridge to the other person. ~ Frank Ostaseski

Welcome Everything. Push Away Nothing

clevelandbeach.com — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:58:00 GMT

In welcoming everything, we don't have to like what's arising. It's actually not our job to approve or disapprove. It's our task to trust, to listen, and to pay careful attention to the changing experience. At the deepest level, we are being asked to cultivate a kind of fearless receptivity.

This is a journey of continuous discovery in which we will always be entering new territory. We have no idea how it will turn out, and it takes courage and flexibility. We find a balance. The journey is a mystery we need to live into, opening, risking, and forgiving constantly. ~ Frank Ostaseski

Rehearsing for Death

clevelandbeach.com — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:36:00 GMT

Not all societies are as death-denying as ours. All indigenous, pre-industrial, pre-capitalist cultures not only venerate the aged, they consciously cultivate a life-affirming death awareness. In Vietnam, the bones of the deceased are buried in the fields so that they will fertilize the rice that feeds their families and, thus, it is believed there is physical and spiritual continuity and the children inherit the strength of their ancestors.

In Mexico you can see death all around you as part of everyday life: Souvenir shops display miniature skeletons dancing and playing instruments and chocolate candies shaped like skeletons. On All Saints Day—what we in the U.S. have commercialized into Halloween trick or treating—families load up on wine, bread, cheese and camp out on their loved one’s graves, singing, reminiscing, and celebrating. All these customs demonstrate that part of life is rehearsing for old age and death, welcoming it with open arms, humor and respect.

Death is a democratic inevitability for every one of us. In my opinion, there’s something worse than death and that is never having fully lived. We can choose to sink into age, denying, resisting, protesting, thus missing the fruits of wholeness. Or we can be liberated to live a full and vibrant life by choosing to grow into age, accepting, letting go, embracing the emptiness with humility. ~ Jane Fonda