Alan Watts on Meditation and Existence

I reblog plenty of quotes from Alan Watts on this site.  He was a phenomenal teacher of Zen to Western audiences.  This site is written by a student-teacher of Zen to a mostly Western audience-- one of the most valuable things I am capable of doing is providing you with the wisdom of others instead of pretending I possess it all myself (which would just be silly).  


Watts is fantastic; read his books and you'll learn not only through his ideas, but also through the tumultuous and adventurous experience he puts you through as a reader.  Zen is, after all, about experience.  Here are a few assorted quotes from 1992's posthumously-published lecture Alan Watts Teaches Meditation:


1.  A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion.

2.  The transformation of human consciousness though meditation is frustrated, as long as we think of it in terms as something that I myself can bring about.  Because it leads to endless games of spiritual oneupmanship, and Guru competitions.

3.  You are this universe and you are creating it in every moment... Because you see it starts now, it didn't begin in the past, there was no past.  If the universe began in the past, when that happened, it was now-- but it's still now -- and the universe is still beginning now, and it's trailing off like the wake of a ship from now, and that wake fades out.  

4.  So does the past. You can look back there to explain things, but the explanation disappears. You'll never find it there...  Things are not explained by the past, they are explained by what happens now. That creates the past, and it begins here... That's the birth of responsibility...

5.  ""I", in the sense of the person, the front, the ego, it really doesn't exist."

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4 Ways to Kick Anxiety in the Ass

"Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it." -Dorothy Neddermeyer


Anxiety can be psychosomatic.  It can be genetic.  It can be chemically-induced.  It can be thought-induced.  Above all these potential contributing factors, though, it's no fun.  It's a bummer.  And we all experience it in varying degrees.  You may be a particularly anxious person; you may be the person we all know who just always seems to dodge worry with constant agility and is always cool, calm, and collected.  


Regardless, we could all do with less anxiety in our lives.  It's the epitome of what Zen seeks to subdue.  Here are some ways to get even with anxiety and prevent it from hampering your enjoyment of daily life.

1.  No expectations.
If you're not running through the potential outcomes of a given situation, anxiety flies out the window.  This is not an easy thing to do, however.  You can't wake up tomorrow and suddenly stop anticipating every event in your life.  Instead, start small.  


Build your mindfulness and realize that the world you've planned out in your head is, for lack of a better term, a fantasy.  Anything we imagine that hasn't happened is a fantasy.  Whether you're expecting the worst or the best, stop fantasizing and just do what needs to be done right now.  You'll be too busy excelling to worry about how things will turn out.


2.  Rethink 'good' and 'bad'
Instead of saying anything else here, I'll leave you with this (which you've probably seen here by now, but just in case):  

"An old farmer had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. 

"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. 

"We'll see," the farmer replied. 

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. 

"How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. 

"We'll see," replied the farmer. 

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. 

"We'll see," answered the farmer 

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. 

"We'll see" said the farmer."

3.  Don't compare yourself to anyone else.
This sounds ridiculous and obvious, but you are not other people.  You're not anyone else.  This should be clear.  It's a strange human tendency to try to emulate others and want to be just like the people we admire, but it's a stupid notion.  Chances are, your chemistry is not the same as your idols'.  What makes 'great' people 'great' is that they do their own thing.  Just do yours and don't worry about judgements or idolatry.  This starts with not judging others.  


4.  Live diligently.    
This basically ties in with the last one, but don't act thoughtlessly.  Much of our anxiety involves worrying about having to clean up after the mistakes we made in states of absent-mindedness.  Stay fully attentive to the here and now; not only will you worry less about the past, you'll prevent yourself from having to regret anything in the first place.  

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5 Zen Passages

Last week I posted a collection of Zen proverbs.  Proverbs are densely packed with wisdom and the minimalism of a proverb is especially relevant to Buddhism.  Don't let that dissuade you away from appreciating these longer quotes, though.  They are passages, but each sentence is a proverb in and of itself.  Pay close attention to these words; they're endlessly fascinating and thought-provoking.  

When mortals are alive, they worry about death. When they're full, they worry about hunger.
Theirs is the Great Uncertainty.
  But sages don't consider the past.
And they don't worry about the future.
Nor do they cling to the present.
And from moment to moment they follow the Way.

          ~Bodhidharma

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.Although its light is wide and great,The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.The whole moon and the entire skyAre reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

           ~Dogen

If you want to be free,
Get to know your real self.It has no form, no appearance,No root, no basis, no abode,But is lively and buoyant.It responds with versatile facility,But its function cannot be located.Therefore when you look for it,
You become further from it;When you seek it,
You turn away from it all the more.

           ~Linji

Where beauty is, then there is ugliness;where right is, also there is wrong.Knowledge and ignorance are interdependent;delusion and enlightenment condition each other.Since olden times it has been so.How could it be otherwise now?Wanting to get rid of one and grab the otheris merely realizing a scene of stupidity.Even if you speak of the wonder of it all,how do you deal with each thing changing?

          ~Ryokan

However deep yourKnowledge of the scriptures,It is no more than a strand of hairIn the vastness of space;However important appearsYour worldly experience,It is but a drop of water in a deep ravine.

           ~Tokusan

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4 Informal Ways to Meditate

We sometimes think of meditation as being this rigid activity that must be performed under such and such circumstances.  Seated Zen practice is the ideal, but not the only option.  Meditation isn't about sitting there and thinking you're doing something important; it's about detaching from thought and existing as purely as one can in the present moment.  

As you can imagine, this can be achieved in many activities.  In Zen monasteries, every menial day-to-day activities are attended to as means of meditation.  Monks ritually clean the floors, do their dishes, trim the bushes outside and rake the gardens.  There are a remarkable amount of meditative activities.  Here's a very short list...

1.  Do the dishes.

"A monk asked Zhaozhou to teach him. Zhaozhou asked, "Have you eaten your meal?" The monk replied, "Yes, I have." "Then go wash your bowl", said Zhaozhou.  At that moment, the monk was enlightened."

Living in a basic utilitarian apartment without space for a fancy dishwasher, my roommates and I share the responsibility of dish-washing.  I often find myself doing them as a form of meditation.  The repetition of an activity like cleaning a bowl or a utensil (which pile up to incredible heights over time, might I add) serves a similar purpose to counting the breath or repeating a mantra.  The whole point is just to practice mindfulness.  

2.  Walk.
Walking is akin to sitting with your eyes closed.  That sounds ridiculous, right? Not at all.  It's been said that closed eyes are like a 'movie screen for the ego'.  When you close your eyes and try to meditate for the first time, thoughts bombard you from every which way.  

Walking involves a similar level of constant stimulation.  As you walk, your field of view is constantly changing, and you have no choice but to pay attention to it.  Meditative walking involves treating the sights you come across as one treats thoughts in meditation.  Just let them pass naturally and don't dwell.

3.  Clean your desk.
This is another highly productive meditative task.  Throw things away.  Sort papers.  Clean your keyboard.  Do some dusting.  Before long, you'll find yourself fully immersed in these activities.  Your desk will also end up pretty damn clean.  

4.  Eat. 
I've discussed this before here.  Fully involve yourself with your food.  Stare at it.  Smell it.  Savor each bite.  This is preferably done in private, since you don't want to be the strange person at the restaurant who looks like he's about to make passionate love to his food.  

Modern culture teaches us to wolf food down in mass quantities without any appreciation or acknowledgement of what we're eating.  Take a minute and meditate on the act of eating.  You'll enjoy your food more, eat less compulsively, and find mindful tranquility in the process.

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10 Quotes from Lao Tzu

Taoism and Zen are discernably different philosophies, but there's plenty of overlap.  Lao Tzu was the father of Taoism, having written the Tao Te Ching.  It's a remarkable work and (in my opinion) one of the greatest poetic and philosophical achievements in human history.  Every page is filled with wisdom.  It's great for quick, dense inspiration.  Enjoy these quotes; I hope they spur you to read more from Lao Tzu.
 
 

 "The unnameable is the eternally real."

"...the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants."




"A good artist lets his intuition lead him 
wherever it wants."

"He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough."



"By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond the winning."

"The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be."



"The mark of a moderate man
is freedom from his own ideas."

"Wise men don't need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren't wise."



"The more he does for others, the happier he is.  The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is."

"A journey of a thousand miles 
started with a first step."


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4 Ways to Find Beauty

"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason." -John Cage 

We look at a lot these days. Everything has images. In New York, I walk outside and, besides the intricate real image of the street, buildings, etc, I'm bombarded with images of advertisements, restaurant logos, T-shirt pictures, etc. There's so much visual input today that our definition of beauty is constantly re-shaping itself (and, sometimes, being shaped knowingly by advertisers).

If you have started meditating thanks to The Daily Zen or some other motivator, you've likely found yourself looking at things differently.  There's a new hue to everything.  A new appreciation for minutia, for the tiny details and little nuances.  You might become overwhelmed by the idea of beauty; don't.  Just step back and treat images as you'd treat thoughts during meditation: fleeting, subjective, and endlessly fascinating.  These are just some tips to get you in the mode of re-examining your visual perspective so you can find beauty wherever.  

Zoom in

I'm a photographer, which I think I've mentioned it in a couple posts here and there.  Sometimes I'll sneak a personal photo into one of the posts.  But for a while I took predominantly macro photos.  This was mostly around 4 years ago when I first started taking meditation seriously and I was blown away by the little intricacies of flowers, rocks, trees, my dog, etc.  Realizing the potential beauty of a small space allows you to see the infinite beauty of larger spaces.

Zoom out

The other end of the spectrum.  Step back-- waaaay back.  Look at patterns, shapes, and realize after having zoomed-in before how dense with visual information the world is.  Check out this picture: 

Zoom in enough, and zoom out enough, and you'll find beautiful similarities.

Perspective analysis
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  True-- if that's the case, what does the beholder matter?  Is something any less beautiful because one person finds it more appealing than another?  Of course not.  Challenge the perspective you've developed unconsciously throughout your lifetime and you'll end up widening your visual boundaries in a creative way.

Mere-exposure

There's a term in psychology called the mere-exposure effect.  Basically, the more you're exposed to something the more you like it.  We adapt; we get used to things.  In merely being exposed to something, you gain an affinity for it over time.  Obviously, you want to surround yourself with what you personally consider beautiful and true to yourself.  But if something's out of place, give it a chance.  Sit with it and see what you can come to understand.

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11 Proverbs

One of the things I love about Zen is the emphasis on simplicity.  These proverbs cover a lot of ground in only a few words.  Books could be written considering the philosophical implications of each one, yet they stand alone as-is.  It's amazing that such wisdom can be contained in such a small space.  Appreciate these-- they're short, sweet, and easy to remember.  

  

Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind.

To know and not do is not yet to know.

Sit, walk, or run, but don't wobble.

Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish your opinions.

If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

In studying the way, realizing it is hard; once you have realized it, preserving it is hard. When you can preserve it, putting it into practice is hard.

Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.

One day a student asked Taiga, "What is the most difficult part of painting?" Taiga answered, 

"The part of the paper where nothing is painted is the most difficult."

The infinite is in the finite of every instant.

The tighter you squeeze, the less you have.

When the pupil is ready to learn,

 a teacher will appear.

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Zen Master of the Week: Eisai

This is part of a new weekly series here where I give you a short biography of a different Zen master each week, the goal being to provide you with a more formal history of Zen, and of course also with insights that will help you in your day-to-day life.  Enjoy.  

Eisai 1141-1215 "The Father of Japanese Zen"

Eisai was a Zen master credited with the following two huge designations:
-Brought Zen to Japan (from China)
-Brought green tea to Japan (from China)

This may have an inflated sense of importance to me, seeing as green tea and Japanese Zen are two of my more favorite byproducts of humanity. Still, Eisai played a pretty huge role in spreading Zen and allowing it to develop into what it is now.

Eisai studied Buddhism formally in China, but was disillusioned.  He wasn't a fan of the hierarchies, doctrines and abstract rules, and set off for a mountain called Mt.  Tiantai.  There, he learned a new revolutionary form of Buddhism called Ch'an.  Ch'an is the Chinese name for what eventually became called Zen in Japan.  

In 1191, Eisai returned to Japan with the vital wisdom of this new philosophy.  He also happened to bring a few tea seeds with him to Japan.  Right upon his arrival, he founded the first Zen temple in Japan, the Hoonji Temple.  

Eisai experienced intense opposition from more formalized and indoctrinated schools of Buddhism.  He held strong, having the foresight to understand the value of Zen.  He left where he was, and traveled within Japan to Kamakura.  Here, his new philosophy was met with enthusiasm from the Shogun class and the budding samurais.  They valued the discipline and practicality of Zen, as it held direct experience & practice in reverence over all else.

Thus, Zen was born and flourished in Japan.  Over time, temples began sprouting up around the country.  It wasn't until the late 1800's that Zen made it to the West.  Thankfully, we can learn as much as we want about it now. 

Eisai's story teaches us to hold strong to our convictions and act as individuals, even if the people around us want to try to mold us to fit their restraints.  It reminds us the power of new ideas and creativity, and also of the reluctance traditionalists will have in accepting new ideas.  
   Eisai was a benevolent warrior in a sense; he had to fight mentally for what he believed in.  He made a life out of traveling and teaching, and in doing so acted with passion and made a huge impact.  

hey, thanks for reading.  if you liked this post, consider sharing it on twitter, facebook or stumbleupon and spread the knowledge, like eisai did from china to japan.  

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3 Tips for Creativity

    We could all use more creativity.  It's not a quality relegated solely to artists.  Creativity is how you spend your time, how you wash the dishes, how you write a note, and how you start conversation.  I think the enigmatic ultimately-desired essence we call 'charisma' is the direct result of implementing little bursts of creativity into our daily interactions.  Doing so leads to spontaneity, confidence and social excitement.  It also broadens your worldview.  

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” 

~Kurt Vonnegut

 
    I enjoy reading biographies about real monumental figures in history.  Progressive politicians, movement-spurring artists, groundbreaking scientists and philosophers.  These are the people who've had  real creative drive, and if there's one common thread amongst their biographies, it's that they've never played it safe.  They don't settle for a lower standard for the sake of comfort; they risk personal security for ideological and creative progress.
 

"Without deviation from the norm, 

progress is not possible." ~Frank Zappa

     Creativity doesn't come from playing by the book.  From a Zen perspective, creativity comes from seeing emptiness, feeling the power of being liberated from attachments to dualistic ideas, and filling the remaining void with something unique and constructive.  It's not catering to trends or selling out.  I have some college friends who are musicians, and most of them are really innovative.  But it's sad to meet the occasional someone with ridiculous amounts of talent dulling their craft and trying to sell out at the very beginning stages of their career.  

    Always question.  Stay open to stumbling upon new perspectives to work from-- it doesn't matter if you're an architect, a banker, a rapper or a stay-at-home mom:

  Creativity means deviation.  

"The worst enemy to creativity 
is self-doubt."  ~Sylvia Plath

    It's easy to be cynical, and it's especially easy to be cynical about your own abilities.  With the internet, you can sit up in your ivory tower/office chair and criticize those with creative drive.  Blogs allow everyone to be a critic, either in post form or comment form.  Criticism is valuable, but not at the expense of creation.  I sometimes hear music that I think, personally, sucks.  I don't go out of my way to criticize.  I move on and find something new.  

    Allow creative people to be creative and expect the same treatment in return.  If you create something you're not proud of, don't criticize yourself to the point of no return.  Acknowledge it and move on.  Part of the whole process, in any discipline or career, is thinking of creative ideas of how not to lose your creativity.  Sappy as the saying is, it's best embodied in a spark or an ember.  Keep it lit.  

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Enlightenment...

'Enlightenment' is the classically stereotypical buzzword.  It has nothing but positive connotations; as a result, many people use it to convince you you need to buy or study certain things in order to 'achieve' it.  Enlightenment is often seen as a destination rather than a journey, and many people expect that once they reach it, they'll be on a cloud, spiritually invincible and brimming with endless knowledge. 

I think enlightenment is an abstract concept.  There's a Zen proverb that says, "Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water.  After enlightenment, chop wood carry water."  The non-Buddhist Western world-- America especially (see religious demographics here)-- is concerned with the end results of everything.  It's almost as if the Christian ideal of eternal salvation has been adapted to pop-Buddhism to mean enlightenment.  

Enlightenment isn't heaven.  Really, it's hard to pin down.  I'm going to go out on a limb and argue that enlightenment itself is the ultimate letting go of the need or desire to pin anything down, even the idea of enlightenment itself.  This is not me saying, "Look at me! I'm enlightened!"  Because I don't think I am.  To claim so would seem to go against the idea itself, though I may be wrong.    

The point of this post is to address people who are just getting into Zen and think it's anything like doctrine-based philosophies.  There are many reasons that only <1% of the American population describes themselves as Buddhist (even fewer in the Zen sub-category).  

One of them is that it's a tough philosophy to grasp at first.  Life is suffering?  There's no God?  You are the master of your own actions, life, enlightenment, etc?  No pie-in-the-sky rewards after death?  That's heavy stuff to cope with if you've spent your life thinking in terms of absolutes.

From what I can gather, enlightenment is seeing past all these things in a pure way.  It's letting go of attachments and living deliberately in the present.  While remarkably liberating if understood realistically, it's also an incredibly easy concept to abuse and misunderstand. 

I don't write this to intimidate anyone or turn you off to the subject matter of The Daily Zen; I just want to try to inspire you to learn more about Zen (and about philosophy and self-improvement in general) from an intelligent, skeptical viewpoint, rather than one of pop-Buddhism or New Age nonsense.  

Keep questioning; even Buddha implored his ardent followers to question everything he said and only put it into practice if it was harmonious with the individual's true nature.  Only you can know what works for you.    

If something you read here sounds incorrect or charlatan-esque, call me out on my BS.  This is a learning process for me as much as it is for you, and I'm glad more people are subscribing daily because it gives me a tangible incentive to learn more and provide you with more valuable  and accurate content.  Ideally, the site will eventually turn into a dialogue rather than a monologue.  I'm still figuring out how to do this independent from the boring typical comment-at-the-bottom-of-the-page formula.  It'll happen.  

That tangent aside, I guess we could say enlightenment is a sort-of detached skepticism-- an essence one can claim to have but will not need to claim ownership of if one actually 'gets' it.  It's an elusive, malleable, abstract concept that we try to treat as a thing, but isn't a thing at all.  It's both achievable and impossible.  It is an expression of personal wisdom.  And by personal I mean completely personal.  It's your true unadulterated self and nothing more.  

Writing about it only dilutes the idea, but it can't hurt to try.  
Thanks for reading.  


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10 Quotes About Music

A few weeks ago, I saw a particularly moving concert from a songwriter/band I've listened to since high school.  I just felt such an emotional connection, and could sense most of the audience did too.  Sometimes I'll talk to a friend about a song and they'll say, "Yeah, that helped me get through some tough times."  Music speaks to the soul.  

I don't know how else to put it; music has the potential to hit very hard in just the right place.  I'm mesmerized time and time again by the 'shiver down your spine' feeling some songs can provide.  It's a revelatory experience.  

We know music speaks the unspeakable (and sometimes more)-- these are merely quotes, but some of them might reveal for you a new perspective on music.  

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”~Plato

"One good thing about music-- when it hits, you feel no pain." 

~Bob Marley

"After silence, that which comes nearest 

to expressing the inexpressible is music." 
~Aldous Huxley

“It's no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently."~Nick Hornby

"Music is to the soul what words are to the mind." ~Modest Mouse

"Music is a higher revelation than all of wisdom and philosophy." ~Beethoven

"Music is the universal language of mankind." 
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Pop music tells you everything's OK, while rock music tells you that it's not OK, but you can change it." -Bono

"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on." -John Keats

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Guide to Zen Meditation

Zen meditation is called Zazen.  Zazen is the foundation of all Zen practice-- all that you read, do and think should ideally center around this specific practice of meditation.  If you're still on the fence, this might spur you to start meditating.  I meditate daily; sometimes it's only for a few minutes, sometimes for a half-hour.  The key is to just do it.  

Try to make an effort to sit every day; doing so will not only provide you with the benefits of meditation-- it will also reinforce a positive habit and build self-discipline.  I've posted a beginner's guide to meditation.  This, however, is a step-by-step guide to meditating in the Zen tradition.  I've found this practice to be valuable in innumerable ways and I think you will too.  

If you're an artist, meditation will allow for creative insight.  If you're a businessperson, meditation will allow for centeredness and calmness.  Above all this, meditation will teach you to practice for the sake of practicing.  Have no expectations; just sit.  

1.  Positioning

Back straight.  Head slightly bowed but mostly straight.  The back is meant to be straight to allow for the diaphragm to move uninhibited so you can breathe freely.  Finally, hold you hands as pictured.  This is called the 'cosmic mudra'; ancient belief says the cosmic mudra focuses the breath inward.   This hand position also allows you to comfortably rest your arms on the crossed knees without fidgeting.  Body position is important; the body and the mind are mutually reflective.  How you think shapes how you move (or stay still) and vice-versa.  Ideally, you want to practice Zen meditation with a zafu and a zabuton.

     A zafu is a small round sitting cushion, and a zabuton is a larger square/rectangle cushion for your entire body to sit over (both pictured above).  If you feel compelled to purchase these, they'll aid your practice and posture.  If not, no big deal-- it may just take you longer to adjust to being able to keep your back straight and knees crossed comfortably.

2.  Breathing

Plan on breathing very deeply.  Don't hyperventilate; just breath slowly and steadily, in and out, feeling your abdomen rise and fall with each breath.  Keep your mouth closed and the tongue rested against the upper mouth.  

Breathe in through your nose and experience the breath in its entirety.  Feel this cycle and allow the air to pass back through, exhaling through your nose.  

Count your breaths.  In one, out two.  In three, out four, etc.  Count until ten and then go back to one.  

If the mind wanders-- believe me, it will-- just go back to one.  Use the breathing as your anchor; even if you find you've mindlessly counted to 25, just go back to one. 

Over time, you'll find yourself less and less distracted.  Thoughts will not hold the same power they used to, and you'll be able to stick to the counting cycle easily.  At this point, try counting in out one, in out two, etc.  Again, over time, this will become second nature and will eventually be unnecessary.  Then, you can just mind your breathing without counting.  You'll know when you're ready to do this without distraction; the key is to not progress before you're ready.  Don't get too excited and skip ahead.  

Don't force thoughts away; just acknowledge them with neutrality and keep counting.  Zazen isn't about repressing your thoughts; it's about stepping back from them.  After a while, they'll just float by.  

3.  Mindset

As you continue practicing Zazen, you will experience a newfound stillness throughout the day.  Mental chatter will fade away.  You'll appreciate the minutia of daily life more, observing things previously left unnoticed.  You will likely dwell less on petty social woes or material attachments.  These are natural byproducts of meditation.  But, it's important to just sit, count your breaths, and not be focused on any goal or end product. 

Meditation is a process without a beginning or an end; it's simply something you do.  Enjoy it and remember to just continue using your breathing as an anchor from intrusive thoughts.

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10 Ways to Expect Less

Many of our woes come from expectations.  We build elaborate scenarios in our heads detailing the potential outcomes of situations-- how careers will work out, the longevity of relationships-- all for comfort.  
  

In a bizarre twist of irony that only real life could provide, rarely are our experiences fully synchronous with our expectations, leaving us quite uncomfortable.

Solution?  Have no preconceived notion of the experience.  Just live, act, and allow things to happen as they will.  Like Kurt Vonnegut said, "So it goes."

Here are ten strategies you can utilize nearly every day to tone down your expectations and live fuller, detached from the heavy anchor of outcomes.  

1.  No goals.  This seems counterintuitive-- if you have no goals, how can you achieve?  Goals seem productive, but they're merely constraints.  Don't set goals; live deliberately and with the fullest of intentions right now and you'll act with such passion and vehemence that you won't need them.  

2.  Tell the truth.  Ultimate honesty is rooted in not trying to force an outcome.  You don't lie if you have no reason to alter someone's reaction to what you're saying. 


3.  Don't judge.  We judge people as another method of self-comfort.  It's easy to force another person into a pre-conceived place you've created for them in your mind, but it's very selfish and will leave both of you disappointed.  

4.  Make time for someone else.  Expect less for yourself, and more for others-- doing so will often work in your favor regardless.  

5.  Relieve the people around you of blame.  Doing so adds a neutral, calm element to what others will see as a negative situation.

6.  Listen to someone intently for a long time, whether you think you care or not.  You'll give them an opportunity to vent and your empathy will improve in the process.

7.  Meditation.  The mother of all non-expectation activities.  

8.  Don't teach, reveal.  By this, what I mean is, instead of preaching to someone, give them a few words of wisdom and allow them to discover it for themselves.  Old Chinese proverb:  "Tell me, I'll forget.  Show me, I'll remember.  Involve me, I'll understand."   

9.  Spend less.  We spend money with expectations.  Big-screen TV's will relax us.  A fancy meal at a 5-star restaurant will appease our lust for the high-class.  These are such limited trains of thought.  Attaching yourself to material objects is not the best (nor cheapest) route to happiness.  

10.  People watch.  I don't mean, "Hey, that guy looks ridiculous!" people watching, even though it's tempting (especially where I live in NYC).  Instead, watch people with an inherent sense of empathy.  Your own ideas of your problems and your expectations will drift away when you put yourself in someone else's shoes.  


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3 Koans

"Not thinking about anything is Zen.  

Once you know this, walking, sitting or lying down

-- everything you do is Zen."

-Bodhidharma

The following koans have existed for many generations; some  koans are more than 1400 years old.  Koans are short parables meant to incite some sort of realization about the true nature of things.  Some are single lines, some are drawn-out stories like these.  Only trained Zen masters can affirm whether or not you've fully grasped a koan, but if you don't have access to a formal Zen study setting, pondering them in your meditations is an insightful exercise.  

     Western philosophy is predicated on rational, logical, sequential thought.  Zen, coming from the Eastern tradition, questions this, ideally leaving it behind in its entirety.  While these three stories are basic and easier to grasp, many koans are not meant to be logical.  Their very lack of logic is arguably the whole point-- though that isn't to say they are meaningless. 

"A student of Tendai, a philosophical school of Buddhism, came to the Zen abode of Gasan as a pupil. When he was departing a few years later, Gasan warned him: "Studying the truth speculatively is useful as a way of collecting preaching material. But remember that unless you meditate constantly your light of truth may go out."

"Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.
     Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.
     "Come on, girl" said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.
     Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"
      "I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?""

 
"Sozan, a Chinese Zen master, was asked by a student: "What is the most valuable thing in the world?"
     The master replied: "The head of a dead cat."
"Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?" inquired the student.
     Sozan replied: "Because no one can name its price.""


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Talk to Strangers

"A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face."  -Maya Angelou

"Stranger Danger!"  Remember that?  The mantra of concerned parents back in elementary and middle school.  There was a time, certainly during my/my friends' childhoods, that strangers were the pinnacle of all the world's evils.  We don't know them, they don't know us.  They're not like us-- therefore, they're dangerous.  This is true when you're a helpless little kid, but it's a total farce thereafter. 

In fact, once you hit a certain age, many strangers simply become people you don't know yet.  When you're an adult, it should be appropriate to associate oneself with other adults.  But, still, our old habits persist-- we just seem to have a primordial fear of the billions of people we don't know. 
  

Sometimes, the only thing preventing you and someone you don't know from being friends is that you don't know them, which is just silly.  If you want proof of this, just look at the word 'stranger'.  We're surrounded by these mysterious, anonymous people every day, yet we still consider them strange (and vice-versa).  

Everyone is a stranger.  Even the best of friends were once strangers.  I find this empowering; it's a reminder that we shouldn't be so scared of each other.  Time and time again, I'll be out in public, on the subway or wherever, and people look petrified to be surrounded by those they're unfamiliar with.  We think the solution is to insulate ourselves and exist in public with an anonymous detachment.  

But behold! There is another way...!

Just start talking to people.  Imagine if you were just riding the subway and someone was friendly to you on an authentic, human level.  Commented on a book you were reading, or said, "Nice shoes, man."  It would feel good.  It would bring some warmth and soul into what is otherwise a pretty bleak and soulless routine (anyone who lives in a city and uses public transport knows precisely what I'm talking about).  

Some of the oft-forgotten benefits of talking to strangers:

-New relationships.  You can't know people well if you don't know people.

-Mood lift.  There's a nice natural high that follows having a quick, positive exchange with someone else.  

-Preferential treatment.  You shouldn't be nice to people just to get stuff, but you'd be surprised how others' reactions will change if you're genuinely friendly.  Not to brag or anything, but I got an extra egg on my breakfast sandwich the other morning just for being a nice guy.  No big deal...

-Improved confidence.  What better way to build social skills and confidence than to practice on people you'll probably never see again?

-Altruism.  People feel good when you acknowledge their presence.  Modern life can get pretty rough, and sitting on a crowded subway with no one to talk to feels lonely.  Break the barrier and make a positive connection with someone, even if it's nothing more than a quick smile.

If you act spontaneous, your environment and the people around you will likely respond in equally interesting and spontaneous ways.  Bring some "good vibes", for lack of a better term, into your day-to-day interactions with strangers, and your life will change for the better.  Have fun and be safe.  

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'Saving the World'

"you save the world one man at a time; anything else is grandiose romanticism or politics." -charles bukowski

Politicians make some pretty insane promises.  Listening to the recent speeches given by the people competing for the 2012 race, I can't help but feel a little cynical.  

The questions I hear people around me asking are:

-How do they know what's right for us?

-How could they possibly solve that problem?

-Why do they want power so badly?

I don't know the answers to these questions, and I don't want to preach politics to you because, quite frankly, I find political argument uninteresting and unproductive.  

Politicians and governments exist, arguably, because, so far, humans have not proven that they can adequately handle their affairs on a person-to-person basis.  As a result, we need institutions to regulate what we earn, where we live, how we  get medical care, etc.
   

It's easy to get caught up in thinking that mass-intervention on the part of politics is the only way to solve humanity's problems.  It's not.  Think about this:  if every person on this earth stepped outside everyday with an attitude of compassion and selflessness, everyone would be taken care of.  There wouldn't be wars waged between people who believe in different gods.  There wouldn't be food shortages because Americans wouldn't waste 40% of their food.  People wouldn't hoard money because, without greed, money loses much of the obsessive value this culture places on it.

Obviously, we can't phone up 7,000,000,000 people and say, "Hey, yeah... The whole greed and violence thing-- it's not working out.  Just be nice to each other, okay?"  Instead, we have to do what we can with what we have.  If you set aside a small amount of funds or hours each month, you'd probably be able to completely change a few peoples' lives.  In acting with compassion, you set off a chain reaction.  It might stop at 3 people, it might stop at 3 million.  You never know. 

Here are some ways you can exercise compassion right now and change the world, 'one man at a time':

-Improve your vocabulary and feed the hungry

-Smile at as many people as you possibly can

-Talk to as many people as you possibly can

-Empower small-business owners around the world with a microloan

-Volunteer for Meals on Wheels, or work at a homeless shelter

-Find someone in your community who is suffering and call them to offer help

The list goes on...  Enjoy compassion for the sake of compassion, and expect nothing in return.


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3 Points of Wisdom from Ram Dass

Ram Dass is a unique character in the world of spirituality.  He started out as a reserved, upper-middle class Jewish psychologist.  Long story short, he felt dissatisfied with his life and the shallowness of his profession after trying a few psychedelic drugs in the 60's, took a trip to India and embarked on a deep, turbulent (but ultimately blissful and beautiful) journey towards enlightenment.  I highly recommend his book, Be Here Now, which outlines his ideas and philosophical progression.  It's heavily Zen and Tao-influenced and is uniquely written and illustrated.  Enjoy these quotes.

"We're all just walking each other home." 

In being alive, we're naturally moving around a lot-- so much so that we often get lost.  We all feel the pangs of confusion, loneliness and gloom.  At times, we don't know where to go or what to do and the ego starts going haywire.  

     This is where people come in.  We can't live alone.  As much as insulation might temporarily heal feelings of insecurity, human interaction is a catalyst for finding your true self.  Remember this; be willing to accept the love and help of others without judgment.  And, more importantly, 'walk others home' whenever you can.

"The quieter you are, the more you can hear."

If you're standing above a small pond, and you want to catch a fish, you're supposed to take the path of least resistance and catch the fish as quickly as possible without disturbing the water.  You wouldn't jump into the pond and start splashing around; that would scare the hell out of the fish and would leave the water murky and rippling, preventing you from seeing into it.  Your mind is the same way. 

    The other side to this is the literal side:  when you talk too much, you can't listen.  In a conversation, I enjoy practicing acting as the recipient, because I really don't mind.  Most of the time, I find other peoples' enjoyment of talking about themselves and their opinions on things more interesting than if I tried to come up with small talk.  Instead, I listen intently, save my important thoughts for when they fit, and only speak what I think is truly valuable.  The less you say, the more your words mean.  The more you listen, the more you understand, and the more satisfied the person talking to you feels.  

“It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.” 

I wrote yesterday about how the absurdity of life.  The point is to just keep it moving; don't worry about 'good' or 'bad' or any of that.  In existing wholly in the present, we have no worries.  It's a very carefully handed-down illusion that we have to always be working for the next thing or worrying about what's going to happen in a year or a week or in an hour.  In having no expectations, you set yourself up for a life of curiosity, wonderment and surprise.  Time will continue whether we like it or not; obsessing over it only detracts from experiences you could be having in the present moment.

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