ego

The Practice of Noting What You Experience

June 22, 2011

“What we’re letting go of…is the old, self-critical inner voice, the old superego that’s so afraid of blowing it, afraid of making a mistake, afraid of looking like a fool.  That is not the same you’ll notice, as the impersonal inner witness, the practice of noting what you’re experiencing.  That’s the thing we’re trying to [...]

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The Discipline of Standing Nowhere

June 15, 2011

  “The discipline is not being attached to any patterns whatsoever, the discipline of standing nowhere.  That’s a very scary discipline.  It’s terrifying to stand on the edge that way, to have no definitions you can cling to: no reference groups, no identifications, no self-concepts, no models.  Will you dare do it?  Will you dare [...]

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Pain in the Butt

November 29, 2010

What is this pain in my butt?  What could it be—I ask repeatedly.  Day after day, I ask but nothing comes to mind.  I go to the chiropractor.  She asks how I am.  I hurt! I say.  I feel ashamed, embarrassed—most of all, I feel weak.  I have a sudden insight.  The pain is a [...]

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Fathom the Richness

November 1, 2010

Like the swamp I discovered last week, life is murky.  It can be difficult to know how to negotiate the mire. It takes intention, openness, and willingness to see the good, the true, and the beautiful in the dark, mucky places, but they are there—they are always there.  I often have to sit for an [...]

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Shoo Shame

October 26, 2010

I went to a cooking class last night where I saw some folks I had met a couple of days before at a party.  I was happy to see them, but I realized that I felt some shame.  The shame surprised me, as it always seems to do. I felt shame that in my enthusiasm [...]

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A Delight and A Joy

October 1, 2010

“K’ung said:  To learn and then put it in practice–isn’t that a delight?  To have friends come from afar–isn’t that a joy?”  The Lun Yu Today, I turn 50!  Half a century has come and gone.  A lifetime for me—A blink of the eye in eternity. What have I learned these past 50 years? I [...]

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The Responsibility of Consciousness

August 30, 2010

I am having many encounters with lizards lately.  I remember that I loved playing with them as a child.  I was not always kind to them in my curiosity.  I vaguely recall placing one in alcohol to “put it to sleep”, then attempting to do surgery.  I genuinely thought it would wake up after the [...]

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Responsibility of Connection

May 13, 2010

There are many bluebirds where we live.  Seeing them reminds me of this fellow.  I had the wonderful opportunity to connect with him up close for about a week.  What a joy to see him everyday and have this kind of intimate encounter with him.  I felt truly honored. True connection is an honor and, [...]

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What Do You See?

April 28, 2010

Believe it or not, this is a photo of the side of an old barn.  These are the colors that were present there. I simply ran up the saturation to emphasize those colors; otherwise, you would only see browns and grays with extremely subtle–almost undetectable–blues, reds, and yellows.  And look at the design!  I would [...]

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