The following letter is reproduced with the kind permission of the author.

Dear Rev. Mugo,
I hope you are well. I’ve been reading Rev. MacPhillamy’s book. I like its relaxed, conversational style. The lack of terms from other languages is also refreshing and offers a less “exotic” approach to the subject, which is a good thing. The ancient, Asian terminology that most Buddhist books use can make it seem that you should be having an ancient, Asian experience to really practice meditation, whatever that might mean!

I’m part way through the book, and I’ve come across something that really tripped me up. On page 66, the Reverend writes: “Meditation cannot be easily judged or measured—which is probably just as well, since measuring and judging are precisely some of the things which right thought teaches us to set aside. As a matter of fact, when people are meditating they don’t even know that they are doing it. That sounds strange, but the reason is actually very simple: if a person were to know that he or she was doing it, then part of the person would be doing it and another part would be knowing that it’s being done. This would create a division in a mind that, by its very essence, is one and undivided.”

The specific line that flipped my pancake was “when people are meditating they don’t even know that they are doing it.” That seems to go against the whole notion of being alert, focused, and present in the moment. How can one be aware of meditating and yet not know that one is doing it?

I guess part of the problem is that I’m trying to understand this from the “outside,” with the measuring and judging mind. Maybe the best thing is to keep meditating, keep practicing, and not be hung up over the contradiction. Or what seems like a contradiction.

What do you think?

I’ll post my answer tomorrow. This letter is a fine example of what we call in Buddhism; Going for Refuge: Taking Refuge in the Dharma (reading the book), Taking Refuge in the Sangha (asking me a question) and clearly the author is Taking Refuge in the Buddha (practicing seated meditation). The Three Refuges are sometimes referred to as the ‘Triple Gem’. It’s value is immeasurable.

Late last evening, quite frankly, writing for this blogger had stalled and the ‘engine’ was failing fast. I was struggling mentally and physically and becoming horizontal and unconscious seemed an attractive option. “What on this earth is the matter”? I asked myself, while remaining determined to keeping going and write. “I feel, hungover”. Then I realized I probably was; from eating leftover snacking food from this Sundays Open House. A lunch of Blue Cheese dip with raw vegi, coupled with cheesy crackers and tofu cream cheese was more fat than my system could handle. I’d become the consequence of what I’d eaten, hours before.

There are three time period during which one reaps the consequences of ones actions. Simply put; immediately, latter and much latter! Immediate? – felt very very sleepy and concluded I was tired. Latter? – felt tired and hungover’. Much Latter? – there is no knowing how long the time period extends for reaping consequences. However in the near future I’ll be eating leftover snacking food in smaller bites, over a longer time period!

The definition of a ‘hangover’ is: ‘The disagreeable aftereffects from the use of drugs (especially alcohol)’. In my case; no drugs, no alcohol just food in excess eaten with good intentions yet tainted with a whiff of ignorance. However wonderful ‘it’ may be in the moment, ignorance is not bliss long term.

And for the adventurous Star Trek, The Next Generation did an episode called Cause and Effect. In it they determine that they are caught in a causality time loop, and spend the rest of the episode devising a plan to escape it. Not a million miles away from here, but don’t pick that one up and run with it too far. Please!

During a recent meeting here at the Priory I talked about ignorance. Specifically, that aspect if ignorance which is a choice; to choose to ignore things as they are rather than acknowledge them.

I have been borrowing videos from the local library and particularly enjoy watching Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael in the BBC drama series of Ellis Peters’ murder mystery books. Cadfael is full of wisdom, love and compassion. Here he is:

I’ve just finished watching “The Pilgrim of Hate” which spoke of ‘penance’. Self-punishment in order to atone for a wrongdoing is the antithesis of how mistakes are dealt with in Buddhist practice. In The Pilgrim of Hate, Brother Cadfael is characteristically compassionate and understanding in the uncovering of the lies, greeds and religious fervor that obscure the truth.

I just ran the spell checker and the choices are: – Replace, Replace All, Ignore, Ignore All and Learn.

Made a mistake? First acknowledge it and then choose the ‘learn’ button.

We had an Open House yesterday at the Priory, look who came! Bella the budgie accompanied by her ‘person’, a friend of a congregation member. All those present were completely charmed and a good time was had by all, especially me. The little bird tweeted and chattered on my shoulder, nibbled daintily on cheese biscuits and at one point rummaged around in my ear! She had come because she had injured her right foot and needed some extra TLC. Although the turn out for the event was not huge it provided an opportunity for friends and relatives to meet a priest, eat and see what a Zen Buddhist Priory looks like.

Being around Bella the song Jake the Peg by Rolf Harris kept running through my mind. I thought it was about somebody with a wooden leg, when on checking it out, it was an extra leg. Oh well no matter, it’s a catchy song all the same. Incidentally, Rolf Harris was working in Vancouver in the 1960’s when the inspiration for Jake the Peg came to him via a singing Dutchman. The last verse has Jake being ordered to put his best foot forward, but which one? Although off balance, little Bella was able to make her way up my arm using one and a half feet, and her beak.

But what I really wanted to write about was…. While waiting my turn at our bank on Whyte Avenue I noticed I’d become impatient. Knowing how impatience leads to frustration – which leads to habitual thinking patterns, I consciously connected with the ground. Standard mindfully practice advice is to bring ones attention to the here and now. Bringing ones awareness to where the body touches the ground aids this. Currently mindfulness practice, coupled with a new-found knowledge of posture habits, has me particularly aware of my feet. That’s having weight evenly distributed between both feet. Still waiting at the bank, now in more reflective mood, I glanced about. Every single person doing business with the cashiers, bar one, was weighted on one leg! Incredibly, so were the majority of people who were still waiting their turn!

Sadly, on Saturday, an older member of the congregation fell on ice over in BC and broke his leg in two places. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. From personal experience I know how very painful a broken bone can be. For me it also proved to be a gift. I’d smile wryly to myself and think, “Well, I have no choice but to take it easy now”. I hope being off his feet will similarly come to be known as a gift. And for Bella and the waiting crowds at banks and in check-out lines everywhere; “Best foot forward! And having them both on the ground makes it that much easier to choose which one to move first”!

Ten more minutes and it will be the day after the Chinese New Year! Since 1997 Canada Poste has issued stamps to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Dog is the eleventh Sign of the Chinese Zodiac. Here’s the new Canadian Year of The Dog stamp. It’s a beauty.

I’ve just been reading Dogen Zenji’s chapter from the Shobogenzo: Uji (The Theory of Time), Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett’s translation in Zen is Eternal Life. This sentence relates to yesterdays posting:

“They travel fastest who are not there since arrival is hindered by arrival but quite definitely not hindered whilst on the journey: the journey is hindered by non-arrival but not hindered by arrival”.

Within this quote is the reason for training ‘as if one’s hair is on fire’. I was once given this teaching and it caused me to instantly drop a view I was about to expound on, at length. Sometimes it is good to pick up things and sometimes it is good to put them down.

Rejection is not part of the picture, loyalty to the practice is. Dogs are said to be loyal critters, bless ’em!