The Mull

                                                            There IS a "definitive" Text that those of Us who demand Specifics can find EXTREMELY Valuable .  It is What The Buddha Taught penned by Wapola Rahula .   He is quoted by the Compilers of The Shambala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen THAT'S how GREAT he is .   2 words :   TAKE YOUR TIME , Sanskrit is not E-Z and many of the Terms he uses require PATIENCE .   SKIP OVER THEM meaning, DON'T GET TRAPPED BY PRONUNCIATION , it's completely safe to ignore them FOR NOW .   His explanations are nothing short of BRILLIANT .  HE is the BEST .

                        Be ever MINDFUL that what we seek from our Travels is a Clear Mind, a Stout Heart, a Perfect Body and a Pure Soul .   For this Travel ,,,  Meditation is a --->Vehicle .   

                        I exhort my Gentle Readers to begin each morning with a cup of coffee or tea and the MULL .  We have heard, "I was just sitting MULLING over a cup of coffee ."   I LOVE THIS .   The Mull is the first form of Meditation , it is 'time specific' in that it is reserved for the time when one has just arisen whereas deeper into the day Mull becomes Contemplation .  

                        You may think that taking time to Meditate is a ridiculous form of Self-Indulgence , "IT" is NOT !   Know this ;  when you Meditate "for yourself" you are, in ActuaLity >>>>SAVING THE WORLD<<<<  you won't be able to fully Appreciate "IT" now but as you grOW in Meditation you will see that you are CONNECTING to the World's Psyche .

                                                                  Tare Forward and Keep the Faith

Kwanseum Bosal

                                                           I have changed my Mind .   Instead of a pedantic overall view of various Meditations I will simply describe those dear to me .   Please forgive an old man for his self-indulgence.

                                I was one who went to a Zen Temple to Meditate with its Sangha ,  don't misunderstand, I already knew the correct posture blah, blah, blah, but i went because I wanted to FEEL what-ever Connection the Universe offered .   First, I LOVED the Chanting, Music of this Nature has a >CLEANSING< that is received not only by the Mind, but by the Heart and SOUL as well .  That's just one  of the advantages to communal Practice .   Elsewhere I have described Meditation as being similar to taking a shower, [It] as a {Ritual} form of Mental Hygiene .   This is Truth ,  I need you to Trust me with this Teaching .    

                               There IS "Walking Zen" but it is specific to Mantra Recitation, meaning, with each and every step, a Mantra is recited .   The Mantra itself is an Agency that dys-ables* the Thinking Mechanism, which allows Sensory Input to be received and  NOT 'held' ;  we say, "Water over a ducks back", which is PERFECT.   We Want THAT .   For my present Purpose I will offer that the Mantra that IS my "Default" Mind is "Kwanseum Bosal" the Korean name for Avalokiteshvara also know as "Sound That Illumines the World" and this interpretation--> "He Who Hears The Outcries Of The World".  "He" is the One of  "Everybody Before Me" a reference to His disposition, that of refusing to enter Nirvana UNTIL   All Beings Attain  Enlightenment .  I Love Him in EVERY Sense of Devotion and Piety .  Here now, Every step a Kwanseum Bosal step, every breath a Kwanseum Bosal Breath, every Blink a Kwanseum Bosal blink .  Yes "IT" is THAT Extensive, THAT Deep and THAT Profound .  

                               One word ;  IT WORKS !

Right Meditation

                                                           When the Buddha lie on his Deathbed {{before entering Parinirvana} his students were frantic, they asked, "What are we to do when you are gone ?"   Th Buddha was miffed because of their anxiety, {{{had He not taught them properly , had they not learned ANYTHING ?}}}   He responded thusly :   "Each one of you must find your own >Salvation< , I have given you the Steps necessary, it is up to YOU to fulfil your {Spiritual} aspirations ."    

                                 We have reached the Territory of "Right Meditation" .    Ideally "IT" would be best to actually attend a Meditation session at a local or nearby Zen Center, but there are so few and these are located in larger metropolises, and cities, so THAT may not be an option .   Next best is to get instruction on Seated Meditation from those same Temples and the Literature they produce, and, you can even call them and get modest Instruction over the phone, I'm certain they would be delighted .   There are numerous Ways to Meditate, Seated, Lying-down, Walking, --- and then there is Motion Meditation, as in Sword Training and [the Practice of] Martial Arts in general .  

                                The Buddha said, "Each of you must find your own Salvation", I will supplement His words with a Modern 'Touch' :   Each of You must find your own Zen .   >My< Primary Zen is my Writing, my Secondary Zen is my "Rock Rigging" ; they are completely DIFFERENT yet produce the SAME Result(s) .   

                                Let's take a look at a few Meditation Options .

Full of Thank

                                                           I have a great deal more to write about Right Mindfulness but I must suspend my Effort this morning because I must attend to important details .  

                               Before I put my pen down I leave you with the NECESSITY to be "Thankful" for EVERYTHING .   Now Who or What are we Thanking ???   For me it is the GREAT Father, GREAT Mother, and the GREAT SPIRIT .   Every Night during Meditation I am THANKFUL for BEING, which includes EVERYTHING .   I simply repeat "Thank You Thank You Thank you" as though "IT" were some sort of Mantra, {which "IT" is} .   Not only is the Penitent Knight Humble, Pious and Devout , he is ever Thankful of the blessings bestowed upon him AND ALL CREATURES UNDER HEAVEN .  I LOVE This .

                             That's "IT" for now .. .

                                                            Tare Forward and Keep the Faith 

The Priest from Hunan Province

                                                           I would LOVE to write of the "Majesty of Being"--that "IT" can be the Foundation of our waking Reality, that we should walk around with the BELIEF that we are "Majestic" and so must ACT as if and as though we are ROYALTY worthy of both Praise and Celebrity .  I'm afraid that THAT is certainly >less< than the Truth .  

                               The Ancient Kung Fu Master spoke thusly :   "The Sage walks with his head bowed, humble, like the dust ."    That's me.  I ASPIRE to THAT .

                              When there is a Some One who can Hear, I give them a line from the Ancient TV Series, "Kung Fu" ;  should they ask, "Who are you?"   I respond with, "I am just a lowly Priest from Hunan Province".  To ME 'that' is sufficient----  I have "raised some eyebrows" in my time .  

                              There is a Christian Aesthetic that I favor as well ;   That of the perpetually Penitent Knight .   Here, the Sins of the World are the Burden that a Pious Knight must BEAR if he is to be Welcomed into the Company of Jesus .   Here it is where ALL Sins CANNOT be expiated in this Lifetime, a Something that the Pious Knight accepts and [which] DRIVES him to BE Devout and Pious .  

                              As far as "I" go,    I'm the most humble guy that has ever lived .  

                               Funny rite ?

                              {{{SOMEBODY SHOOT ME}}} 

                               

Jack Preacher

                                                           At some point in our Cultural Existence we have heard the Plea, "BE HERE NOW !!!  This was an obvious exhortation to abandon Fantasy and Wishful Thinking ESPECIALLY  when we find ourselves in 'uncomfortable' positions, circumstances and instances where, in order to remove our discomfort,, we think of being somewhere OTHER than the location of difficulty.  This improper Thinking removes us from Reality and therefore the TRUTH that resides IN that Reality .  We become "False Witnesses" .   

                           When we are  >adrift<  mentally there is an  Anchor that can be 'dropped' .  It is a Question ;  "Where am I right NOW ?"  This question facilitates the opening of one's eyes to determine one's PRECISE location without the influence of improper Thinking .   Buddhism summarily REJECTS this statement :   "I wish I were somewhere else."   Since we CANNOT >Be< in 2 places at the same time, we MUST >>ACCEPT<< where we are "Rite Now" [which is] the ONLY 'Place' one CAN be .  An aspect of Improper Thinking is Delusion .  Safe to state, Delusion is UNHEALTHY, since it, by Definition, is devoid of Truth .  

                            {{{On my end, I don't just want to 'Live' the Truth, I want to BE the Truth}}} .

Right Mindfulness

                                                            Two Rights remain, Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation .   

                               I must remind my Gentle Readers that my 'approach' to the Introduction of the 8-Fold Noble Path is an  Effort  to  Modernize the "Buddhist Rights" to make  them  more  accessible  to  the Modern .   My words are my Interpretation of the Ancient , I want to deliver the Essence of these Rights that I my remove daunt and skepticism .  

                              The easiest access to Right Mindfulness is through this --->  "Where-ever you are THAT'S where "IT" 's at"  .   This means it is our objective to find and maintain REALITY since Reality is the TRUTH of "Moment-to-Moment" Existence .   "IT" IS Reality where Reality is also scribed as "The Absolute" .   The last of the 6 "Insights into the Mahayana" states :  
                                                             

                                        "Insight that sees that  Phenomena themselves are the Absolute" .

                              Phenomena is perceived as that which 'occurs' in our Sensory World .   When I speak of "Sensory Bombardment" I mean the Senses can be OVERwhelmed by Phenomena , as in Propaganda, TV commercials, and media Influence.   These Phenomena can move us off our Center, cause us to FEEL sickened or distraught, and as such effect our Peace and Harmony .  Here it is where Phenomena can be considered the Origin of our Suffering, which is not altogether untrue .   

                             It is imperative to receive the import that Mindfulness has a Spiritual Component to it .  Beginners in Zen are taught this :   "Do not look for the Teaching, IT is all around you" : and this as well ;  "EVERYTHING is your Teacher."   

                              We're gonna examine this THIS .