Om Tare

Today in my class Meditation, Contemplation, and Imagination, we had a wonderful guest lecturer, Allison Rader. Allison is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher who is now the head lama at Chagdud Gonpa Rigdzin Ling, a Vajrayana community out in beautiful Trinity County. I had the pleasure of doing an experiential retreat weekend through the Religious Studies department last year, led by Allison at the Gonpa. She is an incredible teacher, so real, and engaging. And she has the ability to hold such sacred space. In a room full of 30 people, I felt like we were engaged in a private conversation (and so did everyone else!). For an hour and half she gave an incredible Dharma talk, describing the spiritual path of the Vajrayana, and particularly leading towards a general understanding of Tibetan visualization mediation practice. We then closed our eyes, sat up straight, and she led us through a basic Red Tara practice, visualizing some of the basic elements of Tara - compassion, loving-kindness, humility, etc. It was so beautiful, I slowly opened my eyes feeling tingly all over. Then we read aloud:

In the space in front of me the mother of all the victorious ones, Arya Tara, actually appears and to her I pray:
Now, as I and countless others are lost in the ocean of samsaric suffering,
I seek buddhahood to gain temporary and ultimate happiness for myself and all living beings.
For this reason I take refuge in Arya Tara, embodiment of pure awareness,
inseparable from all perfect qualities of buddha, dharma, sangha, lama, yidam and dikini.
From the depths of my heart I pray, evoking from Tara's forehead, throat and heart
a brilliant surge of rainbow light.
As the light rays touch me and all other beings, the poisonous fruits of negative karma-
sickness, demonic afflictions and obstacles - evaporate like dew in the morning sun.
Merit, wisdom, glory, wealth and longevity increase beyond measure.

Illustrious Tara, please be aware of me. Remove my obstacles and quickly grant my excellent aspirations.

JET SUN POCK MA DROL MA CHED CHEN NO
GAL CHEN KUN SEL SAM DON NYUR DRUP DZOD


OM TARE TAM SOHA

The last part in Tibetan we sang/chanted in harmony. There was a brief moment of rational discomfort, to be chanting in the classroom... then I realized, we're chanting in the classroom! It was such a beautiful practice. The Tibetan syllables left my body vibrating in illumination. We finished with a proper Buddhist dedication.

Dedication
Throughout my many lives and until this moment,
whatever virtue I have accomplished
including the merit generated by this practice, and all that I will ever obtain,
this I offer for the welfare of sentient beings.
May sickness, war, famine and suffering be decreased, for every being
while their wisdom and compassion increase in this and every future life.
May I clearly perceive all experiences to be as insubstantial
as the dream fabric of the night
and instantly awaken to perceive the pure wisdom display
in the arising of every phenomenon.
May I quickly attain enlightenment in order to work ceaselessly
for the liberation of all sentient beings.

Prayer of Aspiration
Buddhas and bodhisattvas altogether:
whatever kind of motivation you have,
whatever kind of beneficial action,
whatever kind of wishing prayers,
whatever kind of omniscience,
whatever kind of life accomplishment,
whatever kind of benevolent power
whatever kind of immense wisdom you have,
then similarly I, who have come in the same way to benefit beings,
pray to attain these qualities.

The Auspicious Wish
At this very moment, for the peoples and nations of the earth,
may not even the names disease, famine, war and suffering be heard.
Rather may their moral conduct, merit, wealth and prosperity increase,
and may supreme good fortune and well-being always arise for them.

Just a word...

What an experience it is to be a human being...today...in California... in 2009! Such a diverse and complex world that we find ourselves in - so much information, technology, products, advertisements, and the choice, oooh the freedom to choose, which kind of toothpaste we want from the infinite variety available on the shelves. Humans have clearly made immense progress technologically in the past few hundred years. Our external world has drastically changed. But I often wonder has the human condition changed? Do we not still have the same basic needs and desires in our modern world as did the peoples of the ancient? Food, shelter, warmth, to love and be loved, to be happy, peaceful, to live a joyous life... While we have made much progress externally, have we done much internally as a society to fulfill these basic human desires? Are people more happy now with their iPod's, televisions, SUV's, and hair conditioner? Perhaps. I admit it is pretty incredible to have 5,000 tracks of the most amazing music ever created all in one device that fits in your palm, ready to make you feel warm and fuzzy at the press of a button. Or has this material gain and freedom to choose actually pushed us further away from the things which we truly care about?

I believe we each have these basic human desires, a basic spiritual yearning towards wholeness, towards peace, freedom. Yet unconsciously so many of us are looking outside of ourselves through material pursuit to fulfill this basic humanness. And guess what... it ain't working, the most basic needs are not being met. You can't subsitute prozac for peace. A quick fix won't do. Temporary satisfaction ain't the game. We're talking about true freedom, infinite lasting peace.

I got one word for ya...

What should I do about my meditation practice?

I recently started reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and have to say I am really loving the book. I think she's brilliant, funny, insightful, and has got me jus itchin' to travel....
Has anyone else read it?

Gilbert presents her story like traditional mala beads, weaving together 108 tales or beads. The number 108 is seen to be very auspicious, "a perfect three-digit multiple of three, its components adding up to nine, which is three threes." She then divides the mala-book into three sections about her travels to three countries Italy, India, and Indonesia. This leaves us with three sections of 36 tales, written during her 36th year of life! Wow that's a lot of threes...

Right now we're in an ashram in India....
Here's an excerpt that I found particularly meaningful, and humorous :

"What should i do about my meditation practice?" I ask Richard one day, as he's watching me scrub the temple floors. (He's lucky - he works in the kitchen, doesn't even have to show up there until an hour before dinner. But he likes watching me scrub the temple floors. He thinks it's funny.)

"Why do you have to do anything about it, Groceries?"

"Because it stinks."

"Says who?"

"I can't get my mind to sit still."

"Remember what the Guru teaches us - if you sit down with the pure intention to meditate, whatever happens next is none of your business. So why are you judging your experience?"

"Because what's happening in my meditations cannot be the point of this Yoga."

"Groceries, baby - you got no idea what's happening in there."

"I never see visions, I never have transcendent experiences - "

"You wanna see pretty colors? Or you wanna know the truth about yourself? What's your intention?"

"All I seem to do is argue with myself when I try to meditate."

"That's just your ego, trying to make sure it stays in charge. This is what your ego does. It keeps you feeling separate, keeps you with a sense of duality, tries to convince you that you're flawed and broken and alone instead of whole."

"But how does that serve me?"

"It doesn't serve you. Your ego's job isn't to serve you. Its only job is keep itself in power. And right now, your ego's scared to death cuz it's about to get downsized. You keep up this spiritual path, baby, and that bad boy's days are numbered. Pretty soon your ego will be out of work, and your heart'll be making all the decisions. So your ego's fighting for its life, playing with your mind, trying to assert its authority, trying to keep you cornered off in a holding pen away from the rest of the universe. Don't listen to it."

"How do you not listen to it?"

"Every try to take a toy away from a toddler? They don't like that, do they? They start kicking and screaming. Best way to take a toy away from a toddler is distract the kid, give him something else to play with. Divert his attention. Instead of trying to forcefully take thoughts out of your mind, give your mind something better to play with. Something healthier."

"Like what?"

"Like love, Groceries. Like pure divine love."

(p. 140-141)

The Travelers and the Grapes

Four men - a Persian, a Turk, an Arab, and a Greek - were standing in a village street. They were traveling companions, making for some distant place; but at this moment they were arguing over the spending of a single peiece of money which was all that they had among them.

"I want to buy angur," said the Persian.
"I want uzum," said the Turk.
"I want inab," said the Arab.
"No!" said the Greek, we should buy stafil."

Another traveler passing, a linguist, said, "Give the coin to me. I undertake to satisfy the desires of all of you."

At first they would not trust him. Ultimately they let him have the coin. He went to the shop of a fruit seller and bought four small bunches of grapes.

"This is my angur," said the Persian.
"But this is what i call uzum," said the Turk.
"You have brought me inab," said the Arab.
"No!" said the Greek, "this in my language is stafil."

The grapes were shared out among them, and each realized that the disharmony had been due to his faulty understanding of the language of the others.

"The travelers," said the Agha, "are the ordinary people of the world. The linguist is the Sufi. People know that they want something, because there is an inner need existing in them. They may give it different names, but it is the same thing. Those who call it religion have different names for it, and even different ideas as to what it might be. Those who call it ambition try to find its scope in different ways. But it is only when a linguist appears, someone who knows what they really mean, that they can stop the struggling and get on with the eating of the grapes."

(excerpt from Idries Shah's - The Sufis)

Happy Diwali!

Light a candle,
Say a prayer.
May Goddess Lakshmi bless us all!

Micheline Berry Kicked My Buddhi

This past weekend at Om Shala, I participated in an incredible workshop intensive with guest yoga instructor Micheline Berry who came up to Humboldt from LA (she teaches at Exhale in Venice Beach). Let me begin by saying, Micheline blew my mind, and kicked my buddhi. I didn't have too much expectations before hand, and I wasn't sure if I was going to vibe with her yoga. Originally trained in Forest Yoga (Ana Forest), she has now been studying with Shiva Rea for the past few years. She teaches a style of Tantra or Prana Yoga, a Vinyasa which she calls Liquid Asana. Vinyasa Liquid Asana from LA?.... didn't particularly sound like my style... Wrong. It was amazing!

Micheline is from Brazil and comes from a dance background, teaching a style of yoga which is definitely 'out of the box' and 'off the mat'. In fact our first class together, she started by telling us to roll up our mats and put them aside. She threw on some funky music and had us dancin, gettin down for almost 30 minutes. Then, heart-beating, dripping puddles of sweat, 'now, get out your mats!' I've seriously never sweated so much in my life... I couldn't believe the next morning was Detox Yoga. What was this?!

The most powerful aspect of the weekend was the Teaching Empowerment sessions we shared together. There was a group of about 10 of us teachers, and we really went deep. As we were doing such intense physical practice on the mat, stuff came up for just about everyone. I was so impressed with her ability to hold sacred space, and to navigate through all our inner turmoil with such compassion and insight. She actually came to yoga through her experience with Buddhism, like myself and many others. With this foundation in meditation, compassion, and loving-kindness, I feel she truly embodies the Divine feminine. In fact each class, she beautifully sang an invocation to Tara, accompanied by her Indian shruti box.

She worked diligently with each one of us individually, to help us tune to the creative source flowing within, to harness our own Shakti. Reminding us that we are each artists, with our own unique gifts and creative expression, our own personal myths. However, we are all connected to Source. And our vulnerabilities, and our weaknesses, are actually our gifts. They are the little, perfect imperfections which make us human, which connect us all. "Be who you are," she said, "it's a shortcut to who you are."

I feel so blessed to have had this experience this weekend, continuing my yoga education. It was tremendously inspiring and empowering. And such a joy to connect with the community of yoga students and teachers here in Arcata. What a beautiful sangha we share. I am so grateful right now. Great and Full. Feeling the Love. More than ever. Give thanks ya'll.

and

"Trust the Yoga"

Snakes Dancing in the Rain

Poem & Reverie assignment
inspired by a dream,
written for class this morning.

Snakes Dancing in the Rain

3 snakes slithering through my mind's eye,
burrowed deep beneath cold earth.
Mother has just given birth.
Fresh life, new born blood
drips from its thin brown tail.

Fear grips, clenching breath tight.
Father hisssssses his hungry tongue,
gaping at newborn bloody son.
The land is dry, cold, dark.

Sky opens pouring heavy rain,
Kissing the earth
Fresh wet life breathes again.
New born blood washed away.
Snakes dancing in the rain.

The wise omnipotent serpent king. Continually shedding it’s skin, changing with the wind. Slithering and winding through tall grass prairies, across desert, forests and mountain peaks. The great change is among us, impermanence in the sand. Dancing and shaping, shifting lands. Soul speaks through slithering tongues and hissing lungs, breathing, and breathing in the dirt. Nestled and burrowed between heaven and earth. Guiding our dreams through ancient mind streams, swimming and sliding through underwater valleys. Waking visions of life teaming with images rife with meaning of a life dreaming full of meaning. Hissssssssssssss…… rain drops falls from the heavens and kiss the earth. Each drip drop ripples stillness across. Echoing silence, returning to that place. Dwelling deep within the heart cave of my earth body. Echoing stillness, echoing stillness, echoing stillness. The rain dances across my face, splashing palms. Life-force seeps into my skin, melting my body, nourishing my soul. Life is born from dreams such as these.