One Bright Pearl

Seeing a caterpillar, I am reminded how much I miss Georgia and Spencer. Over the past couple of years we have explored so many wonders on the land around our house in Pittsboro, North Carolina. I remember experiencing Georgia’s confidence grow as she began to catch toads and small lizards and skinks. Spencer, being younger, [...]

“What is there to worry about, what problem exists now?” I often ask myself when I realize that I am a million miles from the present, fixated on a perceived problem. All it takes is a single look and problems dissolve. Yet the fact remains, I must work out a means to support myself as [...]

Back to making a living. Again.
Advertising is such a drag in my mind. Yet it seems that if I am to be the master of my time then I must advertise the skills or the services I can provide for others. Having spent the last thirty years in the once emerging and now dominant information [...]

Showed up in the zendo at Sanshin for morning zazen. It was good to be sitting with sangha.

In the interest of continuity and accountability I have updated the About page of this journal.

Suddenly waking, I see a man looming over me. Just as sudden he jumps back, tense, taught, ready to defend himself… or bolt. He was not expecting me to wake so easily.
Stammering, he says, “I was checking whether you were passed out or not.” I reply, “I am not.” Then eyeing my backpack and blanket [...]

I am finding my way in this style of practice. In chapter 3-3 of the Shobogenzo-zuimonki Eihei Dogen Zenji instructs his monks on the conduct of gainingless-ness mind. This has swiftly become the singular issue for me.
For now I feel that the only authentic practice is to follow the way of ancient sages, to either [...]

Bright white orbs penetrated my skull. Dreaming to consciousness came swiftly. Something pushing into my side accelerated waking up. Sitting up, a male voice said, “don’t make any sudden moves, please be calm.” Two Denver police towered above me.
The next twenty minutes consisted of a line of questioning and suggestions to “go south, just leave [...]

After rising and rolling up my bedroll, I wandered up to Cuernavaca Park to sit zazen. Finding a spot with a little shade I faced east into the sun. Setting my timer for fifty minutes, I found my seat facing Buddha. Thoughts came and went, drowsiness entered then departed, dewdrops sparkled like diamonds upon the [...]

Startled, I rose suddenly to the cacophony of explosions, the flash was blinding yet beautiful. Directly across the South Platte river, rising in streaming trails of calico, to a point almost directly above, was the beginning of an impressive fireworks display. The kaleidoscope of colors cascaded endlessly above, raining down trailers of smoke and [...]