Isn't

The word ISN'T describes Zen and Hinduism in one fell swoop. 

The paradox of IS being N'T is the crux of Zen.

 In Hinduism

IS = VISHNU
N'T = SHIVA
and the apostrophe = BRAHMA, 

creating the universe out of the uncreated silence of Shiva to BE maintained by VISHNU the IS integrated and inseparable from it's own absence!

Follow Your Bliss with Balls (excerpt from a letter)

Keep your mind OPEN
HAVE FUN
HONE THE CLARITY OF YOUR PURPOSE

It really is a survival skill to follow your bliss
and expand your comfort zone with bliss as the basis
push yourself but completely without strain.

take a dance class
anything that teaches you how to feel the drums in your body
playing from your heart
it's about dancing
and being primal and GROOVING

INWARD AND OUTWARD VIEWS

To cling to oneself as Buddha, oneself
as Zen or the Way, making that an un-
derstanding, is called clinging to the inward
view.

Attainment by causes and conditions,
practice and realization, is called the out-
ward view,

Master Pao-chih said, "The inward view
and the outward view are both mistaken."

Pao Chih also says THE ZEN POCKET READER,
"Just seek nothing at all, and afflictions will naturally fall away"

These are my new favorite quotes.
Allow yourself to grow naturally without getting in the way of yourself.
Don't strain. Just be blissfully faithful and take CREATIVE ACTION.
Spontaneous Discipline.

Having said that I have recently made a spreadsheet for myself that has every category of what I would do in an UNLIMITED AND PERFECTLY IDEAL DAY.

from
Brushing Teeth
to tabla to drum books
CONCERTS:PERFORMING, ATTENDING, REHEARSING
rudiments
tabla solo
rebounder
to education from books films You tube blogging
fitness
and I have ZERO obligation to the spreadsheet
it is just my cosmic blueprint
reminder of what I continually return to putting my attention on
set as an intention to blossom in its own time with Easy Effort.

If you're having trouble focusing it's because your heart isn't open fully or the stakes aren't high enough.

I remember one saint Ramakrishna didn't attain enlightenment until his Guru stabbed him in the Third Eye with a piece of glass after several suicide attempts.

You are undertaking the path of the warrior so anything you can do to strip away the BULLSHIT
Dance
Yoga
Running
Singing
Free writing
Reading
Films
LISTENING TO ALL KINDS OF MUSIC
anything that opens your heart
VOLUNTEER
SERVICE
COMMUNITY
FRIENDS
AMENDS
LOVE LETTERS
TEMPLES
MEDITATION
SHOULDER STAND
MEANINGLESS WORK
TOTALLY RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
LAZINESS
INSANITY
make up parameters
buy a stop watch and say
"okay for fun I'm going to play the simplest exercise I know for two hours straight with zero improv"
or
"okay today I'm only allowed to practice for ten minutes"
find ways to STOKE YOUR PERSONAL FIRE
You MUST REALIZE THAT YOU ARE YOUR ONLY TEACHER
and THAT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IS YOUR TEACHER
EXPERIMENTATION
write a love letter in tabla speak
FREEDOM IS WHAT EVERYONE SEEKS
FIND IT IN YOUR ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IMPROVISE
DON'T IMPROVISE
TAKE RISKS
JOIN A BAND
USE GARAGE BAND
VIDEO TAPE YOURSELF
TAKE SELF PORTRAITS
YOU GOTTA GET IN DEEP
FIND THE ECSTASY OF INSANITY
THAT IS THE LIFE OF THE ARTIST
REVISE
FAIL
FAIL AGAIN
FAIL BETTER
STAY UP ALL NIGHT
DON'T LET ANYTHING DISCOURAGE YOU
EVERYTHING IS A GOOD OMEN DIRECTLY FROM GOD
FOLLOW YOUR BLISS WITH BALLS AND MASTERY WILL BE YOURS IN TIME.



SELF PORTRAIT WITH PETAL FROM PUJA TO GURU DEV ON MAHARISHI'S BIRTHDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2009.

Hunting for Jesus

This morning I AM AWAKE VERY EARLY after going to bed VERY LATE. Al Green's song "Jesus Is Waiting" is playing in my head before I got up and now in my headphones. Here I sit guided by a strong predisposition to write. As'f this article has already been written. (As'f is my new favorite made up word :))

Last night I glanced at an article in a newspaper at DENNY'S (full moon :)). It was about how the Boone & Crockett club of Missoula, Montana had recently given their concurrence that the world's largest antlered Bull Elk is now dead and is a new world record for big game.

This morning in an ordinary epiphany I connected the Al Green song with this dead elk. What is the aggressive thirst to nail down forms; to control rather than to allow? This must be why so many artists either wind up insane, dead too soon, or religious. Once the inability to attain anything with FORM dawns as a reality, then the formless eternity of God is the next logical hunt.

I have mentioned before in this blog my theory of THE CROSS; the VERTICAL or INNER aspect of art which deals with spiritual practice and fulfillment; the HORIZONTAL or OUTER aspect that deals with knowledge and skill in action. But I found the third and crucial element, THE INTERSECTION, in this amazing piece in THE POCKET ZEN READER translated by Thomas Cleary.

INWARD AND OUTWARD VIEWS

To cling to oneself as Buddha, oneself
as Zen or the Way, making that an un-
derstanding, is called clinging to the inward
view.

Attainment by causes and conditions,
practice and realization, is called the out-
ward view,

Master Pao-chih said, "The inward view
and the outward view are both mistaken."

Pao Chih also says in this book,
"Just seek nothing at all, and afflictions will naturally fall away"