December 10, 2009
- Post Ango Wrap Up -
I’ve been meaning to do this for a few weeks now, but reality seemed to keep conspiring against it. But I’m betting that’s because, on some level, I’m rather loathe to reveal any details of my actual, real, analogue life on here. Which I need to push through, I think, as I’d like to have a little more life in my writing . As Robert Frost said: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn’t know I knew.” (thanks for that, J)
So, to that end, a quick wrap up on my Ango Training experience.
- I’ve kept up the Chi Kung in the mornings, more regularly, I have to admit, than I’ve kept up my actual meditation practice. I feel I’ve reached a kind of plateau with this which I’m really happy with right now. The quick energy boosts I used to get from running through the forms are no longer quite so strong, but my energy’s comfortably at a higher level more often, and I managed to fight off what I thought was going to be a rather nasty cold, while still managing some late nights, too much coffee, and too much wine over Thanksgiving. It was rather strange to recognize all the symptoms that I usually take to mean the low energy and listless of a cold are about to sink in, only to find out that they simply never did.
- I also managed to keep up with the weekly yoga class, and I think that has benefited me as much, if not more, than the daily Chi Kung. I was lucky enough to find a really wonderful teacher, who’s been teaching for quite a long time, and, well, I’m not sure what else to say on that, other than that I’m really grateful to have stumbled into the class.
- My meditation practice has deepened as well, I believe. Although there were days where I didn’t sit, this is the most regular I’ve ever been in my practice, and I’m really starting to understand what it means to be with the breath. It comes and it goes, but when I hit it just right, it’s pretty great. I am somewhat aware that this is probably more a bliss/concentration state than anything else, but I don’t think it’s quite as cut and dry as that with Zazen. Next big thing on my list is to wade into Danial Ingram’s “Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha,” so hopefully that’ll clear some stuff up for me.
- As for my writing project, I did manage to write every day of Ango up until the day before the art presentation, and I hand copied them out into a blank book. I decided to call it “Liber Quintus Ignis” (or, “book of the fifth fire”) after a school of mysticism contemporary to the Buddha, that would sit inside a cross of four fires, and stare up at the sun until they went blind (the sun being the fifth fire). This supposedly lead to enlightenment. Clearly kind of a stupid practice, and I never actually stared at the sun, but I did manage to get some poetry out of it that I’m fairly happy with. I’m considering what I want to do with it as far as publishing it, but I don’t think I’ll do it on this blog. It wouldn’t really fit the content of what this blog has become I think. Perhaps I’ll start another… A happy side of effect of copying out 72 poems by hand while in a somewhat meditative state, over a period of several days, is that my hand writing (which has always been graciously described as chicken scratch) has improved greatly, particularly when I bring consciousness to the act of writing by hand.
- Finished all the reading I planned to and more, and I do recommend all the books I mentioned. I think next time, I’ll need to make a bigger list, if I want it to sustain me through the whole period. Also, I have a newfound respect for the depth of Dogen Zenji’s thought. It is no wonder that Zen has lasted so long, coming from such a mind.
- I made it to the Reggie Ray retreat, and I highly recommend sitting with Reggie. His combination of mediation and somatic body work is great, and I think, pretty unique. I got to learn a lot about the Vajrayana tradition (as taught by Chogyam Trungpa) as well.
- I did not make it to the Ken Cohen Chi Kung retreat, as I decided last minute to save the money and vacation days. From what I’ve heard of Mr. Cohen, it would have been an a great retreat, but I still stick by my decision at this point.
- For my take on the Thich Nhat Hanh talk, see here.
All in all, it was a great experience. What I took away from it the most was the amazing degree to which, when you take your practice seriously, it’ll lift your life up in ways you’d never imagine. I’m definitely signing up again in the Spring!
In the meantime, my studies are bringing me into a more Gurdjieffian territory. I’m researching some of his lesser known pupils, mainly William Segal (who was a student of both the Gurdjieff Work and Zen Buddhism) and Rene Daumal (a poet who died at the age of 36 after a lifelong search for truth). It seems there’s some steps being taken to make “The Work” a little more well known, which is something I’m definitely in favor of.
I do plan on continuing to post here as well, but I’m also feeling some trepidation as well. As much as I enjoy putting my thoughts out here for you all to read, I’m having some sense that maybe silence might be a better option for a while. Or at least a limited silence. I’ve noticed how quickly delusion can be expelled, and how that can change things on a pretty deep level, as far as what you consider important and unimportant (or worse, harmful). As that Ajahn Chah quote I posted kind of hinted at, I’m not looking to be the guy who needs to know everything about the person who shot him with an arrow, before he pulls the arrow out. “We must arrange our lives to support good practice”, and I don’t want this to come between me and my practice. I want this to be one aspect of my practice. Something I’ll have to keep working on, but don’t worry, I have no plans to shut things down here (didn’t I just mention something about starting another one of these? jeez…)
So stay tuned, kiddies. It’s great having you all here. A strong practice to all, and to all a good night.
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (or MCTB, as some of the Dharma Overground folks refer to it) is definitely a must read for modern meditators. It’s an inspiring book, but not in a warm and fuzzy sort of way (more of a “get your ass on the cushion practice!” sort of way). If you’re looking for a “how to” book to read alongside MCTB, I’d recommend reading Mahasi Sayadaw’s Practical Insight Meditation; It’s actually Dan’s “favorite dharma book,” so they go well together.
Daniel is also really accessible, as he communicates with people regularly at the Dharma Overground. This is great, because you can ask him all sorts of questions about the book and actually get some answers.
Be sure to let everyone know what you think of the book :-D
Comment by jackson — December 10, 2009 @ 10:10 am
P.S. Sorry about the broken HTML :-/
Comment by jackson — December 10, 2009 @ 10:12 am
Thanks Jackson. I’ve been a lurker on DhO for a while, but never felt there was anything I had to offer. I’m currently working in the Zen tradition, and I didn’t feel I have a good enough grounding in my own practice to be able to translate it, so to speak, in the DhO’s Theravadan Vipassana terminology. But I have found the site to be a great resource, and my thanks to you and everyone else for all your offerings there.
I greatly appreciate Daniel’s insight and willingness to both share and to put up with the results of having shared. Perhaps reading his book will give me a clearer understanding of how to “translate” my experience.
Also, I remember someone (Dan Bartlett maybe?) mentioning that Practical Insight Meditation was available somewhere as a PDF. I did a quick search and found this. Looks to be a pretty awesome group of texts. Will check out this one and MTCB and shout my opinions from the rooftops (of my blog…) when I’m done.
And no worries on the HTML (which I’ve taken the liberty of fixing), I do that shit all the time. However, I would like to draw everyone’s attention to the finely crafted buttons on the top of the comments form, which make it a lot easier to add HTML to the comments (particularly links). The plug-in’s available here if anyone’s interested in using in on their site. Not that I can take credit for the fine button crafting myself, but it is a useful plugin.
Comment by Ian — December 10, 2009 @ 10:40 am
I’ve haven’t been able to find a PDF copy of Practical Insight Meditation. As far as I know, the only full online version of the book is on Google Books. I purchased a paperback copy from Pariyatti Press, which they sell for $10.95. Shipping is a little pricy, but the overall cost is cheaper than I was able to find it anywhere else. I purchased some other Mahasi books from there as well, but P.I.M. is the best by far.
And yes, BuddhaNet is an excellent resource. I found an excellent ebook there by Sayadaw U Silananda titled No Inner Core: An Introduction to the Doctrine of Anatta. Highly recommended.
Regarding Daniel’s Theravada influenced terminology, I think that Shinzen Young’s work is a good bridge between Burmese vipassana and Zen. But you probably already knew that, huh? There’s just so much good dharma out there right now. It’s a good time to be a yogi.
Comment by jackson — December 10, 2009 @ 4:37 pm
Yes, as I believe someone said on either Open Enlightenment, or Dharma Overground, it’s truly an embarrassment of riches. A very exciting time to be alive.
And Shinzen Young? Yes, I do believe I’ve heard of him. :)
He’s works in the Shingon Vajrayana tradition as well, right? So that’s all three vehicles, pretty cool. Have you ever tried one of his phone retreats?
Comment by Ian — December 10, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
I have not. But C4Chaos has. It sounds pretty incredible.
Shinzen Young is one of my very favorite dharma teachers. I have his The Science of Enlightenment audio program, and I’ve watched most of the videos of his teaching on YouTube. The guy is a dharma genius, and a total geek – a winning combination!
I don’t think he still practices in the Shingon tradition, but it’s the tradition he first practiced in Japan. He seems to be well informed in regards to all Three Vehicles.
Comment by jackson — December 10, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
Wow, that audio program is a lot of material for only $8.99. Will definitely check it out.
And thanks for the link to C4Chaos’s blog too. I hadn’t realized he’d posted about his retreat experience. I just kind of assumed he’d been on one though, given how much he likes Shizen’s teaching style. Good to read about the experience from someone who clearly got so much out of it.
Comment by Ian — December 14, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
Ian!
Thank you for dropping by the other day, I appreciate your thought and consideration my friend. I’m doing quite well. Try as I might to slow down an keep the whole frame in focus, life seems to keep speeding by. But at this point I’m learning so much and seeing so much and doing so much that I am realizing the importance of taking time to care for yourself, cultivating habits, skills, and thought processes that lead to a more fulfilling life.
I am very happy to read that your Ango training went well. It seems to have helped you cultivate new skills and habits that will help you in many ways. Or at the very least, the training has helped give you a deep understanding of what you already posses.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ian. Enjoy the rest of 2009, and I hope the new year sees you well.
Sam
Comment by Mahasamatman — December 27, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
Thanks for the kind words, Sam.
If things are going along that well, I say just enjoy it and worry about putting them in order later! :)
Comment by Ian — December 28, 2009 @ 11:30 am