You point to it so well Joan. Thank you for the timely reminder. This little torch you’ve held aloft just now really is a light to me in a dark place. Not because of its promise, but just because.
Yes, except I have never been a nail biter. I bite the flesh. It seems people resist hearing this because it's so much worse, and they keep imagining I just must mean nail biting, but I don't. It's also beyond the mild cuticle picking and biting that many people do. It's a related but different compulsion from nail biting, classified apparently as a form of OCD or impulse control disorder. As a result of writing about it, I've heard from biters, pickers and hair pullers of all kinds worldwide. We are not alone. I've had it since early childhood and I'm almost 77 now. It happens less frequently and less severely than it once did, and sometimes it completely vanishes for days, weeks, even months at a time. But then so far, it comes back. And last night was the worst episode I've had in a very long time. ❤️
Thank you for clarifying that it’s flesh biting and not nail biting. I hear you. I also hear that it can disappear for months on end and then pop up unexpectedly. I love that you’ve heard from people all around the world who bite, pick and pull. I pick at my cuticles, so count me in! So much love and appreciation for you, Joan. Glad to be a member of this unique team. 🙌
I was speaking to my sister last night. She was having some neighbourhood issues. I didnt want her to be dealing with this shit in her late 70's. Why hadn't my family done 'better', bought houses, built nest eggs? The moment was filled with contraction and the 'what's wrong with us' story. Underneath or alongside the capitalist fantasy was another currency. Love. I love my sister and I want the best for her. That was there. I love that her life wasn't spent fearfully accumulating. That was there. In the sadness, there was love and appreciation of the courage it takes to live.... with less.. .without privilege... without an insurance plan.
Hola ¡tot està bé com està no pot estar millor per ara segons la consciència social global haguda.
per acceptar comprendre això d'antuvi no és fàcil, cal un adonar-se integral, cord ment, que qui actua es aquesta Vida consciencia absoluta que ho es tot així com es cada cosa persona i, sempre ho fa el millor possible
Scary how you read my mind...oh I forgot, there is only one 😳...got medical news I didn't like yesterday...sufficiency...doing my best to watch my bitching and moaning rise and fall-it doesn't make it better, it is unpleasant for those around me-...sufficiency...knowing you are out there too, doing the best you can...sufficiency...there is great love for you here ❤️
The "insufficiency" stimulated by the unwanted medical news is "insufficiency" that is always there, just beneath the surface, looking for a vent, an opportunity, to appear - the medical news was a handy one. There are habits, such as a chronic need for affirmation, or different sexual obsessions, that are outlets for this delusion of "insufficiency" - I can sense the release that would come with a sense of sufficiency. I would give up my sense of "insufficiency" for Lent, but Lent has already passed by 🫢. Love, Tom 💕
I notice a subtle grasping for "the liberating possibility of simply being right here, right now" as a way not to suffer or have regrets. Still, I can behold and appreciate even that tendency towards curative fantasies. Just what is, as it is. I am "this present experiencing" exactly as it shows up. And that is sufficient. Thank you, Joan.
I have my own obsessions and compulsions- knowing I am in such beautiful company, makes me feel a little happy that I can’t seem to “get rid of them.” Thank you Joan.
How do you come up with your timely and pertinent quotes in the beginning of your missives at your age? At 75, I can barely remember who said what, when.
I also appreciate your openness and brutal honesty re your nail biting. For me, you are a wonderful spiritual role model. I hope they heal soon.
Thank you again for your generosity in publishing your missives.
I'm about to turn 77. As for memory, I will say that mine is getting much less reliable, and that pulling up names in the moment is getting way harder. I think I recently descended to a whole new level in that regard. Aging is quite the adventure, isn't it?
The quote came from excerpts of Morgan's book Delving that a friend sent to me recently, and since then I've been reading and listening to more of this Zen teacher. I really like him.
For the record, I have never been a nail biter. I bite the flesh. It's a related but different compulsion (classified apparently as a form of OCD or impulse control disorder). It's quite a bit worse however than nail biting.
The perspective expressed is, indeed, the one that gives rise to the greatest contentment, in my experience.
The inherent trap is for the perspective itself to be seen as a "thing" that can be gained through effort...rather than itself as an expression of "just this" which either is present for an individual or it isn't. As Robert Saltzman says: You get what you get when you get it. Period.
Yes and no. It's true that "enlightenment" is not a "thing" to be gained in the future through striving. But otoh, Daishin Morgan teaches Zen, which is actually quite a rigorous practice that requires commitment and endurance. In the beginning, one tends to view it as an effortful self-improvement program, and one tends to see it through a very dualistic lens (success/failure, good/evil, right/wrong, self/not-self, nirvana/samsara, etc). The practice itself gradually wears these dualistic, self-centered misunderstandings down. But it's not exactly the same as what Robert Saltzman is espousing. Zen practice does require a certain amount of effort, albeit paradoxically an effortless kind of effort. But the simplicity of "just this" goes against all our conditioning.
Absolutely agree mate...zen does emphasise practice - and the relative importance of various aspects of practice depends on which flavour of zen the practitioner lands upon.
The traditions of which I have most experience emphasised shikantaza, modelled on Dogen's teachings or on chan, which I practised daily for around a decade.
Having done this, though, the view that I have come to is that the perspective that Robert describes is the same perspective alluded to in zen...but without an emphasis on practice.
Phrases found in zen also encourage the dropping of practices and of teachings to facilitate clear seeing...the gradual/sudden paradox.
So, I would say that it may be that some practices may help to prepare the ground for this paradigm shift (causes and conditions), but that they are not a necessary precursor.
I can't, of course, judge objectively because I HAVE practised...
Thanks as always for providing food for thought...
Well, this gets at one of the great paradoxes. My Zen background is also primarily Soto. And yes, Zen texts can seem to say exactly what Robert is saying, but those texts were written by folks who practiced ongoingly and advocated the same.
Peter Brown, who said it doesn't matter what you do, also recommended a kind of deep investigation of present experiencing. He was pointing to a way of seeing and being that was free from the constraints of illusory beliefs, and at the same time, he was pointing out that even the illusory beliefs are this same radiant presence. So it both doesn't matter what we do, and it does matter.
Obviously people can have an enormous "paradigm shift" or awakening without engaging in any overt practice. Eckhart Tolle is an obvious contemporary example. So I can't say that any particular practice is necessary or essential. And the insights and shifts that come to some through meditation may come to others through raising a child, living with a severe disability, being an artist or a farmer or a naturalist, and so on.
One of the tricky things about our moment in history is that what used to be the most advanced teachings, given out only after years of preparatory work, are now available to anyone on the internet. So I see people listening to folks like Tony Parsons and Jim Newman and trying to "get it" mentally and being very frustrated. I see people reading or hearing Robert and thinking there's no point in doing anything, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I see new nondual teachers popping up on YouTube every day, mostly lacking the subtlety and depth of someone like Diasin Morgan, Dogen, Huang Po, Toni Packer or any really fine Zen teacher.
One of the things I appreciate about Zen is that it avoids landing on any fixed or one-sided view. Free will or no free will, practice or no practice, self or no self, effort or effortlessness. It doesn't land on either extreme. As Dogen said, Zen is "leaping clear of the many and the one."
Ultimately, for me, there have been - and still are - elements from many sources that really resonate...and I do think that there is potentially something of a cumulative effect in developing neural pathways and consequently affecting our perceptions - the "gradual" contributing to the "sudden" - hence a rationale behind practice.
And neuroscience would seem to support the idea that awareness practice does change the structure of the cortex over time.
I do agree that this repetition doesn't necessarily have to look like formal practice.
We of course cannot, though, adopt the perceptions of anyone else, however well they may seem to "fit" in any moment...when all is said and done there is no alternative to experiencing as only we can, no alternative to being our own lamp...
💖🙏🌟
You point to it so well Joan. Thank you for the timely reminder. This little torch you’ve held aloft just now really is a light to me in a dark place. Not because of its promise, but just because.
Yes. This. Sufficient. Enough. Much love and gratitude, Joan. Your Presence is
like a lighthouse, shining a steadfast light for those at sea.
🌻
And thank you for your transparency re nail biting. ♥️🙌♥️
Yes, except I have never been a nail biter. I bite the flesh. It seems people resist hearing this because it's so much worse, and they keep imagining I just must mean nail biting, but I don't. It's also beyond the mild cuticle picking and biting that many people do. It's a related but different compulsion from nail biting, classified apparently as a form of OCD or impulse control disorder. As a result of writing about it, I've heard from biters, pickers and hair pullers of all kinds worldwide. We are not alone. I've had it since early childhood and I'm almost 77 now. It happens less frequently and less severely than it once did, and sometimes it completely vanishes for days, weeks, even months at a time. But then so far, it comes back. And last night was the worst episode I've had in a very long time. ❤️
Thank you for clarifying that it’s flesh biting and not nail biting. I hear you. I also hear that it can disappear for months on end and then pop up unexpectedly. I love that you’ve heard from people all around the world who bite, pick and pull. I pick at my cuticles, so count me in! So much love and appreciation for you, Joan. Glad to be a member of this unique team. 🙌
I was speaking to my sister last night. She was having some neighbourhood issues. I didnt want her to be dealing with this shit in her late 70's. Why hadn't my family done 'better', bought houses, built nest eggs? The moment was filled with contraction and the 'what's wrong with us' story. Underneath or alongside the capitalist fantasy was another currency. Love. I love my sister and I want the best for her. That was there. I love that her life wasn't spent fearfully accumulating. That was there. In the sadness, there was love and appreciation of the courage it takes to live.... with less.. .without privilege... without an insurance plan.
Hola ¡tot està bé com està no pot estar millor per ara segons la consciència social global haguda.
per acceptar comprendre això d'antuvi no és fàcil, cal un adonar-se integral, cord ment, que qui actua es aquesta Vida consciencia absoluta que ho es tot així com es cada cosa persona i, sempre ho fa el millor possible
Inspiration delivered despite bandaged fingers - and very gratefully received, thank you Joan!
Maybe, in part, because of bandaged fingers. 🙏
Scary how you read my mind...oh I forgot, there is only one 😳...got medical news I didn't like yesterday...sufficiency...doing my best to watch my bitching and moaning rise and fall-it doesn't make it better, it is unpleasant for those around me-...sufficiency...knowing you are out there too, doing the best you can...sufficiency...there is great love for you here ❤️
Sending love and good wishes for whatever is happening. Thank you for being here. 🙏❤️
I sense your love.
The "insufficiency" stimulated by the unwanted medical news is "insufficiency" that is always there, just beneath the surface, looking for a vent, an opportunity, to appear - the medical news was a handy one. There are habits, such as a chronic need for affirmation, or different sexual obsessions, that are outlets for this delusion of "insufficiency" - I can sense the release that would come with a sense of sufficiency. I would give up my sense of "insufficiency" for Lent, but Lent has already passed by 🫢. Love, Tom 💕
I notice a subtle grasping for "the liberating possibility of simply being right here, right now" as a way not to suffer or have regrets. Still, I can behold and appreciate even that tendency towards curative fantasies. Just what is, as it is. I am "this present experiencing" exactly as it shows up. And that is sufficient. Thank you, Joan.
Ty for sharing (from another lila)
I have my own obsessions and compulsions- knowing I am in such beautiful company, makes me feel a little happy that I can’t seem to “get rid of them.” Thank you Joan.
I adore your missives.
How do you come up with your timely and pertinent quotes in the beginning of your missives at your age? At 75, I can barely remember who said what, when.
I also appreciate your openness and brutal honesty re your nail biting. For me, you are a wonderful spiritual role model. I hope they heal soon.
Thank you again for your generosity in publishing your missives.
Kindest regards and love from me here in WA.
Thank you. Always good to hear.
I'm about to turn 77. As for memory, I will say that mine is getting much less reliable, and that pulling up names in the moment is getting way harder. I think I recently descended to a whole new level in that regard. Aging is quite the adventure, isn't it?
The quote came from excerpts of Morgan's book Delving that a friend sent to me recently, and since then I've been reading and listening to more of this Zen teacher. I really like him.
For the record, I have never been a nail biter. I bite the flesh. It's a related but different compulsion (classified apparently as a form of OCD or impulse control disorder). It's quite a bit worse however than nail biting.
Love from OR to WA. 🙏❤️
I also like the use of the word sufficiency as the inherent quality of reality. "There is a sufficiency that goes on unfolding forever."
Thank you🙏❤️🙏
Thanks as always Joan...
Daishin's words, and yours, are wise.
The perspective expressed is, indeed, the one that gives rise to the greatest contentment, in my experience.
The inherent trap is for the perspective itself to be seen as a "thing" that can be gained through effort...rather than itself as an expression of "just this" which either is present for an individual or it isn't. As Robert Saltzman says: You get what you get when you get it. Period.
I wish you well.
Yes and no. It's true that "enlightenment" is not a "thing" to be gained in the future through striving. But otoh, Daishin Morgan teaches Zen, which is actually quite a rigorous practice that requires commitment and endurance. In the beginning, one tends to view it as an effortful self-improvement program, and one tends to see it through a very dualistic lens (success/failure, good/evil, right/wrong, self/not-self, nirvana/samsara, etc). The practice itself gradually wears these dualistic, self-centered misunderstandings down. But it's not exactly the same as what Robert Saltzman is espousing. Zen practice does require a certain amount of effort, albeit paradoxically an effortless kind of effort. But the simplicity of "just this" goes against all our conditioning.
Absolutely agree mate...zen does emphasise practice - and the relative importance of various aspects of practice depends on which flavour of zen the practitioner lands upon.
The traditions of which I have most experience emphasised shikantaza, modelled on Dogen's teachings or on chan, which I practised daily for around a decade.
Having done this, though, the view that I have come to is that the perspective that Robert describes is the same perspective alluded to in zen...but without an emphasis on practice.
Phrases found in zen also encourage the dropping of practices and of teachings to facilitate clear seeing...the gradual/sudden paradox.
So, I would say that it may be that some practices may help to prepare the ground for this paradigm shift (causes and conditions), but that they are not a necessary precursor.
I can't, of course, judge objectively because I HAVE practised...
Thanks as always for providing food for thought...
Well, this gets at one of the great paradoxes. My Zen background is also primarily Soto. And yes, Zen texts can seem to say exactly what Robert is saying, but those texts were written by folks who practiced ongoingly and advocated the same.
Peter Brown, who said it doesn't matter what you do, also recommended a kind of deep investigation of present experiencing. He was pointing to a way of seeing and being that was free from the constraints of illusory beliefs, and at the same time, he was pointing out that even the illusory beliefs are this same radiant presence. So it both doesn't matter what we do, and it does matter.
Obviously people can have an enormous "paradigm shift" or awakening without engaging in any overt practice. Eckhart Tolle is an obvious contemporary example. So I can't say that any particular practice is necessary or essential. And the insights and shifts that come to some through meditation may come to others through raising a child, living with a severe disability, being an artist or a farmer or a naturalist, and so on.
One of the tricky things about our moment in history is that what used to be the most advanced teachings, given out only after years of preparatory work, are now available to anyone on the internet. So I see people listening to folks like Tony Parsons and Jim Newman and trying to "get it" mentally and being very frustrated. I see people reading or hearing Robert and thinking there's no point in doing anything, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I see new nondual teachers popping up on YouTube every day, mostly lacking the subtlety and depth of someone like Diasin Morgan, Dogen, Huang Po, Toni Packer or any really fine Zen teacher.
One of the things I appreciate about Zen is that it avoids landing on any fixed or one-sided view. Free will or no free will, practice or no practice, self or no self, effort or effortlessness. It doesn't land on either extreme. As Dogen said, Zen is "leaping clear of the many and the one."
Interesting, isn't it?
Ultimately, for me, there have been - and still are - elements from many sources that really resonate...and I do think that there is potentially something of a cumulative effect in developing neural pathways and consequently affecting our perceptions - the "gradual" contributing to the "sudden" - hence a rationale behind practice.
And neuroscience would seem to support the idea that awareness practice does change the structure of the cortex over time.
I do agree that this repetition doesn't necessarily have to look like formal practice.
We of course cannot, though, adopt the perceptions of anyone else, however well they may seem to "fit" in any moment...when all is said and done there is no alternative to experiencing as only we can, no alternative to being our own lamp...
Thank you.
Thankyou Joan 🤍🙏🏾💎👌🔥