Filed under: health, philosophy, thinking | Tags: meditate, monk, silence, word
Attention please.. 
From the very birth of a child, when he discovers that from his sound that he makes, he can get attention, the child begins to control his surroundings. At first is was the crying, then the words, until one realizes that by talking and presenting ideas, one could control his environment. Sometimes the sound could be quiet and alluring, and other times harsh- loud sounds that are intended to control and to manipulate.
But what about the sounds of silence at a monastery, where the inhabitants have taken a vow of silence. How do they control their environment? In true reflection, they do not. They do not speak, they look and signal with their body signs, but for the most part the monks try to avoid any outward signs of communication. They try to focus inward and hear the sounds of their own thoughts which guides them through the day. They know when to arise in the morning, they hear the birds outside, and they know when to eat and go about their chores. So it is with the monks and those who meditate, words have no value to them, for their seek not to control, but be control with their own thoughts from within.
Try to go about your day without talking with anyone, it is a strange and refreshing feeling.
Moral: The one who speaks first, seeks to control.
Filed under: health, philosophy, profound thoughts, thinking | Tags: analog, digital, meditate, pay attention
After the joy of birth, and the fumbling around to discover what needs to be done, the real challenge of raising a baby begins. You know that dropping food on the floor, and the persistent screaming has got to stop, otherwise your nerves will not take it. Yet slowly as the baby turns into a toddler, life in the real world begins to take shape for the youngster.
My daughter has a nickname for my grandson, Stop It. Every other word is punctuated with Stop It. Now the only response the kid has is to see if the words Stop It is there before he continues on with his actions. If the words are not there, he goes on doing what he likes and if the words are there, he stops what he is doing and waits a few second before his mischievious nature takes him off into another direction.
So begins the life and development of the human child, a combination of digital stops which eventually stretches out into a series of analog practices that forms his/her life. As children turn into young adults, their lives are governed by adults who tell them the things they must do. The youngster pieces together these series of request into a flowing pattern until they make sense in his life, a series of digital request that forms an analog picture of a persons life.
So, now as an adult there are fewer request from others as to what one should, or need to do, and the only request are from either employers or mates. Patterns set in and one begins to appreciate his analog life and does not think about his digital life until. Until is the time that problems begin to develop. Problems are when issues that one has not ever experience comes into his life. These problems could be a lost of value/money, lost of mate/social relations, lost of family, etc.
In an analog world this is a disruption of ones life. People go into tail spins and struggle to find meaning in problems, yet all the time they wish for answers. they may turn to a sold foundation of religious precedent or to others who have experienced the same problems. But how they take these advice from others, will depend upon how they come out of their tailspin.
The many religious sects would tell on to pray, meditate, surround one in silence, and pause. This is where the digital phenomenal comes back into play in ones life. “Stop it” is only 20 or 30 years ago when ones care taker caution one to take heed of what he needed to pay attention to. One needs to realize that his analog actions and life need to take a back seat to his digital teachings. Stop, look, and listen and become you own voice from the past, pay heed, repair the problem and move on.
Filed under: health | Tags: Add new tag, compost, dirt, garden, health, taoist
Houston Texas is not only known for its humid weather, Houston Rocket, YaoMing, but also known for its collection of mosquito. While this collection of insects attack its human baits, some would wonder why I am building a “Taoist garden” in Houston.
Taoism is the concept of balance, harmony, ying/yang, “leave it alone” and let nature take its course. Well, since it is so difficult to understand, why not build a garden around this concept. So therein lies the challenge, how to put everything together without doing anything. This can be hard work.
A garden by its very definition has plants in it, supported by dirt and water, sun, etc. So in planning my garden, I had to begin with dirt. Where does dirt come from, from dissolving stones and rock, but that would take too long, millions of years. No time, so I commenced to build dirt from composting. At first, I dragged all the oak leaves from under the tree to a location in back of my garage, which was a foresight that I had because of the fear my wife had for mosquitos. I left the leaves there in a pile for 3 years and nothing happened, except I looked at the leaves and leaves stared back. A well intended friend came by and studied the leaves and told me that oak has tannic acid in it to keep the leaves from breaking down, so I needed to leaves down. At first it was daunting by hand, then with a blower, and finally with an electric lawnmower, the leaves were mulched down.
The second step was to raid the local Starbucks for their coffee grinds, which in itself was a messy job since the leaked inside my car, which now smells like a coffee distillery. With the grinds layered into the leaves, the process was not complete with out some “green”, vegetable, grass cuttings, orange peels, etc. With each layer about 2/3 inches thick, the decomposing begins. So now instead of years, we have good dirt fit for a “Queen Bees” garden.
What is to come next is very interesting. For a preview goto: www.realteachers.org/retire/rock.htm
Is your head in a Fog?
It is funny how people interpret the fog. At times it is perceived as confusing. Other times one realizes that he can not see well in a fog. Both of these observations are true.
Today, my friend and teacher, talked about how it was unwise to exercise in the fog. Since she is from China, the people there are plagued with pollution. At times the fog they experience is more smog than fog. Fog by its very nature is water driplets expanded over a large area. But when it is mixed with the pollution, people rightly so interpret that as being harmful to the body. It goes into the lung and forms water pockets in the lung and thereby causes breathing problems.
So without proper experiments, this problem can not be conclusive. However, the health of the body is important, so excercise with caution and understand the consequences.
What is the price of good mental and physical health?
My friends wife is very unhappy about her job. There is discourse with the manager and the work is getting heavier and heavier. Now she is feeling the pressure and brings the problems home to the family. Is there any relief in sight.
According to S. Pollen in his book, Die Broke, work is only a stage in an ever continuing activity level that one will experience through his productive years. He spells out 4 areas that one should seek in order to acquire a balance in his life and eventually his death. They are: quit your job, leave it mentally if not physically; pay cash for any and all expenditures; never retire, keep busy; and die broke, which the title of his book.
The great step forward is the most difficult in that one must release himself of all his previous notions that he had about work, job, and the stability of the economy.
Once the decision is made, then the true living comes into play. The freedom to do what one’s heart desire will constantly keep him young and healthy. The need for wealth and material objects will adjust itself to whatever is available. The survival instinct will cause one to make do with what he has and be resourceful in creating joy and entertainment for himself.
Live the life you enjoy, and enjoy the life that you live.
This is the goal that everyone struggles to obtain. In the beginning one does not know what to do, so he is guided by his parents, friends, teachers, etc. But as time passes on, the reality of doing something sets in, and one must find work to care for himself. He first does what he can and then it turns into doing what he must, because other obligations begin to complicate and compounds his lilfe. Then it is drudgery of his life that takes over. One, if he is ambitious, looks constantly for opportunities and inches his way up the work ladder. At times he is successful, but for the most part he is constantly making decisions that impacts his family, social, and own decisions to do something that he enjoys.
So in the process of working, reality sets in again and one realizes that he can not do whatever he wants, so he constantly looks forward to the day that he does not have to work, which is retirement, or age guided work stoppage. But when that day comes, comes the thrill of stop working, and at the same time the lost of identity that he had for the last 30 / 40 years. So another reality sets in, what am I suppose to do now?
So herein is the question, who are you, and what do you enjoy doing? And can you enjoy doing this for the next 30/40 years? So the adventure starts all over again, but this time at your convenience.
