15 Minute Meditations with Affirmations

Have a timer available.  Set the timer for the allotted minutes you have set aside for the mediation. You might want to leave a few minutes at the end to get feedback and/or for them to ask questions, or share their experiences.

They will hear a bell periodically during the meditation.  Our minds are prone to wander. Thus the purpose of the bell is to help bring their focus back to their breath.

Once you have introduced yourself and the exercise suggest that everyone find a quiet and comfortable place and position so you can start the meditation.

Begin by softly ringing the bell once and reading the affirmation. After you’ve read the affirmation ring the bell twice which indicates that the silent meditation time has begun. With a timer ring the bell once gently every 30 seconds.  This will bring them back if their minds have wandered.  Do this process over and over throughout the allotted time. Ring the bell twice to indicate the end.

Everyone can just quietly leave the room if that feels right or if people want to talk about their experience you can have a little sharing time.  It will be up to you and the group how you would like to end the meditation session.

Session 1: Healing

Nothing can hurt me or make me sick or afraid. I manifest healing in all areas of my life. I know that a positive and upbeat attitude keeps me moving forward toward a life filled with joyful expectations, perfect health, and a perfect life for myself and others.

Session 2: Health

I am the epitome of health. I affirm health every day upon awakening. I am perfect in mind, body, and spirit with the energy and drive to effortlessly do the things I have to do today.

Session 3: Happiness

Happiness is the elixir of life.  It fills my mind, my body, and my heart with laughter, joy, and positivity.  Happiness is catchy and can change the energy in the room, in my life, and everywhere I am in a nanosecond!

Session 4: Prosperity

Prosperity for me is having a rich state of mind! There are opportunities given to me daily.  I am rich in friendships, work, health, and a good secure career supporting all of my needs.

Session 5: Resilience

I see myself being resilient in any and all situations in my life. In spite of setbacks, barriers, or limited resources I am able to overcome all obstacles with the resilience that is in me!

Session 6: Patience

Patience is “the soul of peace- tis nearest kin to heaven.”[1]  Today I sit and meditate with patience ~ till stillness envelopes my body, mind, and spirit.

Session 7: Hope

Simply getting still and knowing that all things whatsoever we desire are ours already and this knowing has power over “hope.” The supply is always there, no need to hope!

Session 8: Compassion

I make a difference in this world by living a life enveloped in peace, love, and compassion.  I share my compassion with those who are suffering and find ways to help each day.

Session 9: Empathy

Empathy means that you can feel what a person is feeling. Today I walk in someone else’s shoes to remind myself that empathy is not the same as sympathy.  ‘’I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man that had no feet.’’

Session 10: Rest

I rest in the quiet peaceful place within me.

Session 11: Focus

I focus my mind, body, and spirit on my breath.  Breathing in and breathing out with ease like the rhythm of ocean waves.

Session 12: Peace

Peaceful breath, peaceful mind, peaceful body…peace flows through me, in me, and around me now.

Session 13: Skillful Thinking

I open my eyes and my mind to skillful thinking to discover the right way, the right words, and the right attitude in every encounter today.

Session 14: Letting Go

Today I let go of everything that is hindering me on my journey of life, love, and prosperity.

 

Session 15: Loving Friendliness

Today I send out friendly vibrations to everyone I encounter with a smile on my face and joy in my heart!

Session 16: Speaking the Truth

I can speak the truth without harming or hurting another.  I chose words of helpfulness and compassion upholding their humanity through the look on my face, the tone of my voice, and my helpful and supportive words.

Session 17: Vision

Today I open my eyes and my heart to make a better place for myself and my students to learn and grow.

Session 18: Brilliance

Even in the midst of challenges in the world I am a shining light in the darkness filled with hope, fulfillment, and love for all humankind.

Session 19: Skillful Speech

Skillful speech appears when I think first and speak second, when I put the other person first instead of myself, and when I respect them even when I don’t agree.

Session 20: Letting Go

I take the time to let go of all the things and thoughts that I no longer desire to see in my life. I trade them in for the things that support my greater good: health, happiness, peace, prosperity, love, and compassion.

Session 21: Concentration

I concentrate with mind, body, and spirit on all the things that bring joy, love, peace, prosperity and compassion for myself and all others.  It is easy for me to focus and through that concentration, I find the answers to all the questions that arise each day.

Session 22: Come and See

There are so many wonders in the world, in my life, and in my future.  Come and see them with me my friend and let me see your wonders too

Session 23: Livelihood

My livelihood is more than a job or a paycheck.   My livelihood is good health, loving family relationships, and friends who share and care about each other.

 

 

Session 24: Seeing the Big Picture

Seeing the Big Picture is opening my eyes to the world around me with clarity and excitement.  It is seeing through the lens of the other person with an open mind and heart.  It is creating a vision of peace, love, and compassion in my life and in the world.

Session 25: Feelings

Feelings of love encompass my life every day at the most unusual times and in the most unusual places and when I least expect them.  They brighten up my day, put a smile on my face, a lightness in my steps, and a twinkle in my eyes.

Session 26: Mindfulness

Whatever I do I remain mindful of the task at hand. When reading, writing, correcting papers or doing the dishes I am focused on that task fully, quietly, and lovingly.

Session 27: Taking Care of Others

I greatly give my time and service to others with no thought of return.

Session 28: Helping those in Need

When I see someone in need of help I stop what I’m doing and give them a hand, or a hug, a kind word, or whatever they need in that moment.

Session 29: Man’s Best Friend…Pets in need

In times of need, our pets are there for us, in their time of need I am there for them.

Session 30: Clear Vision

My breath is always there for me. It anchors me in the present moment.  It is like a good friend.  It reminds me that I am OK just as I am.

 

Rev. 7.23.20

[1] Patience by Thomas Dekker

15 Minute Meditations Leaders Directions Part 3 Sessions 14-30

Have a timer available. Set the timer for the allotted minutes you have set aside for the mediation. You might want to leave a few minutes at the end to get feedback and/or for them to ask questions, or share their experiences.

They will hear a bell periodically during the meditation. Our minds are prone to wander. Thus the purpose of the bell is to help bring their focus back to their breath.

Once you have introduced yourself and the exercise suggest that everyone find a quiet and comfortable place and position so you can start the meditation.

Begin by softly ringing the bell once and reading the affirmation. After you’ve read the affirmation ring the bell twice which indicates that the silent meditation time has begun. With a timer ring the bell once gently every 30 seconds. This will bring them back if their minds have wandered. Do this process over and over throughout the allotted time. Ring the bell twice to indicate the end.

Everyone can just quietly leave the room if that feels right or if people want to talk about their experience you can have a little sharing time. It will be up to you and the group how you would like to end the meditation session.

Session 14: Letting Go
Today I let go of everything that is hindering me on my journey of life, love, and prosperity.
Session 15: Loving Friendliness
Today I send out friendly vibrations to everyone I encounter with a smile on my face and joy in my heart!
Session 16: Speaking the Truth
I can speak the truth without harming or hurting another. I chose words of helpfulness and compassion upholding their humanity through the look on my face, the tone of my voice, and my helpful and supportive words.
Session 19: Skillful Speech
Skillful speech appears when I think first and speak second, when I put the other person first instead of myself, and when I respect them even when I don’t agree.
Session 20: Letting Go
I take the time to let go of all the things and thoughts that I no longer desire to see in my life. I trade them in for the things that support my greater good: health, happiness, peace, prosperity, love, and compassion.
Session 21: Concentration
I concentrate with mind, body, and spirit on all the things that bring joy, love, peace, prosperity and compassion for myself and all others. It is easy for me to focus and through that concentration I find the answers to all the questions that arise each day.
Session 22: Come and See
There are so many wonders in the world, in my life, and in my future. Come and see them with me my friend and let me see your wonders too
Session 23: Livelihood
My livelihood is more than a job or a paycheck. My livelihood is good health, loving family relationships, and friends who share and care about each other.
Session 24: Seeing the Big Picture
Seeing the Big Picture is opening my eyes to the world around me with clarity and excitement. It is seeing through the lens of the other person with an open mind and heart. It is creating a vision of peace, love, and compassion in my life and in the world.
Session 25: Feelings
Feelings of love encompass my life every day at the most unusual times and in the most unusual places and when I least expect them. They brighten up my day, put a smile on my face, a lightness in my steps and a twinkle in my eye.
Session 26: Mindfulness
Whatever I do I remain mindful of the task at hand. When reading, writing, correcting papers or doing the dishes I am focused on that task fully, quietly, and lovingly.
Session 27: Taking Care of Others
I greatly give my time and service to others with no thought of return.
Session 28: Helping those in Need
When I see someone in need of help I stop what I’m doing and give them a hand, or a hug, a kind word, or whatever they need in that moment.
Session 29: Man’s Best Friend…Pets in need
In time of need our pets are there for us, in their time of need I am in there for them.
Session 30: Clear Vision
My breath is always there for me. It anchors me in the present moment. It is like a good friend. It reminds me that I am OK just as I am.

Meditations & Affirmations to Get you Through the Day Part Two

The meditation and affirmations lunch breaks with my faculty friends at Purdue University Global is going nicely. They are really enjoying the short time period (15 minutes from start to finish) plus the affirmation that sets the tone for the meditation helps them a lot as well.

It has been so successful we’ve added several more meetings with new affirmations associated with them. I am sharing them with you and I hope that you will be able to share them with others. Your families, friends, and co-workers could find them beneficial in these challenging times.

Below are our new affirmations:
Resilience: I see myself being resilient in any and all situations in my life. In spite of setbacks, barriers, or limited resources I am able to overcome all obstacles with the resilience that is in me!

Patience: Patience is “the soul of peace-tis nearest kind to heaven.” Today I sit and meditate with patience~till stillness envelopes my body, mind, and spirit. (1)

Compassion: I make a difference in this world by living a life enveloped in peace, love and compassion.  I share my compassion with those who are suffering and find ways to help each day.

Empathy: Empathy means that you can feel what a person is feeling.  Today I walk in someone else’s shoes to remind myself that empathy is not the same as sympathy.  “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man that had no feet.”

Rest:  I rest in the quiet peaceful place within me.

Focus: I focus my mind, body, and spirit on my breath. Breathing in and breathing out with ease.

Peace: Peaceful breath, peaceful mind, peaceful body…peace flows through me, in me,  and around me now.

 

(1) Patience by Thomas Dekker

Meditations & Affirmations to Get you Through the Day

Dear friends, The Center for Teaching and Learning at Purdue University Global where I work online teaching has invited me to offer a series of meditations for our faculty and staff.  After a short brainstorming session we decided to start with an affirmation and then move into our silent meditation.  The entire process will be completed in only 15 minutes.

I am so excited to share these meditations and affirmations with my colleagues and friends and with all of you.

Please feel free to use them and to share them with others.  I hope they will help you get through these difficult times and show you that the future can be bigger and brighter than you may think.

Be well and stay safe my friends.

Shokai

 

 

********************************************************************

Session 1: Healing

Nothing can hurt me or make me sick or afraid. I manifest healing in
all areas of my life. I know that a positive and upbeat attitude keeps
me moving forward toward a life filled with joyful expectations,
perfect health, and a perfect life for myself and others.

Session 2: Health

I am the epitome of health. I affirm health every day upon awakening.
I am perfect in mind, body, and spirit with the energy and drive to
effortlessly do the things I have to do today.

Session 3: Happiness

Happiness is the elixir of life.  It fills my mind, my body, and my
heart with laughter, joy, and positivity.  Happiness is catchy and can
change the energy in the room, in my life, and everywhere I am in a
nanosecond!

Session 4 Prosperity

Prosperity for me is having a rich state of mind! There are
opportunities given to me daily.  I am rich in friendships, work,
health, and a good secure career supporting all of my needs.

The ABC’s of Shokai’s Zen Wisdom

The ABC’s of Shokai’s Zen Wisdom

Kathleen Shokai Bishop

The world is a place today that seems to increase our fears and anxieties. It can affect everyone from the elderly to the toddlers. Thus, learning how to meditate and use mindfulness techniques, positive thinking, and affirmations will help you to move your life from the mundane to the divine.

I hope you like the ideas being shared.  I hope you’ll use them and share them with your family and friends.  Using them on a regular and consistent basis helps a lot.

Find a time of day and a location where you can sit, stand, or walk without distractions.  You might have to go into the bathroom and lock the door like the lady on the cookie commercial who is hiding there so she has some peace and quiet to savor every bite of the cookie without distractions!

Remember affirmations begin with believing that you are all of these wonderful things whether you know it now or not.  Simply focus on them and make them a part of your thought patterns regularly.  If you embrace them and live by them and with them and share them with others your life can be transformed!

A

I am all-inclusive, absolute, and appreciated.  Attainment comes by seeing my true nature awakened in me now.

B

Bad or good– who can say?  Maybe good, maybe bad—less judging will make me happy, healthy, and wise.

C

I cut off useless and negative thoughts and I see the best in myself. I discover there is no place that I cannot go. No joy that I cannot experience. No goals that I cannot attain.

D

I let go of all Duality and see oneness and love in everyone and everything.

E

Every day is a new day. I open my eyes to love, peace, and compassion for the earth and all things…plants, animals, and people who call it home.

F

Fun and friends are in my life each and every day as we support and encourage each other.

G

The great way is simple.  I express my life through words and deeds filled with peace, joy and compassion.

H

Happy is as happy does. Today I take the time to see joy and laughter in the most unusual way.

I

I imagine myself in the most uplifting and exciting places and situations today.

J

Joy is catchy!  I spend this day spreading joy everywhere! The world needs more joy let’s spread it together!

K

Kids and kittens need some lovén!  Today my adventure is to share my love and kindness with kids and kittens… how fun is that!?

L

Today I release all lack and limitation from my life and fill it with loads of good things, thoughts, people, and opportunities!

M

Mom’s day is today.  I celebrate all the mom’s around the world who sacrifice so much for so many children that are in need of love and encouragement.  Make today special for a mom!

N

New ideas are bursting within me.  New thoughts, new friends, new work, new health, and new life.  I am open to all the good that is here for me today!

O

Oh is my call of wonder and questions. Oh WOW is my reaction to a delicious bowl of oatmeal that warns my tummy and opens up my taste buds. Oh my how great is that!

P

Chang Jian writes
Here, beside a clear deep lake,
You live accompanied by clouds;
Or soft through the pine the moon arrives
To be your own pure-hearted friend.

Q

Q is for my beautiful boxer Queenie who was with me for many years when I was growing up.  Queenie was shy and afraid and needed my protection sometimes.  She taught me about being scared and being brave enough to do it anyway…

R

When we retreat are we going on a wonderful vacation or adventure or are we going to hide from someone, or something, or from ourselves? We can make it depending upon our state of mind…  Which state are you in today?

S

Special is the first word that comes to mind that starts with the letter “S.” I know that you are special and so am I and so is everyone that we know.  We were born unique, we live uniquely, and there will never be anyone exactly like us ever again!  How special is that!

T

Together life is special and divine, when walking hand in hand or on a tandem bike, or on a raft floating down the river in June.

U

Until I live a life of peace, love, and happiness I will be the wander and the loner…that is until I ask for your hand and your help and your smile.

V

Variety is the spice of life— so they say.  Not sure who “they” are but I love variety in friends, food, and flowers and so many other things!

W

‘’Wherever one may wander, one is greeted by old friends’’ so  it says in the 10 Oxhearding story.  Even when we meet a stranger they can quickly become a great friend if we are open to it.  Today I make a new friend!

X

How exacerbating it is when you are challenged to say something about the letter “x.” The only thing that comes into my mind is X-ray…well it has given me an excellent chuckle and another “x.”

Y

Yearning for something can be good, bad, or indifferent.  It all depends on how MUCH I am yearning and for what.  Right now I’m yearning to get this task finished! And the yearning will be over very soon as the only letter left is “Z”!

Z

Zero in Zen is like any other thing and no thing, and everything.  Oh, how wonderful is that!?  Thus, this zero means no more writing, no more letters of the alphabet, zip, zero, the end!

Namaste

References

A Flower Does Not Talk Zen Essays, Abbot Zenkei Shibayama, Nanzenji Monastery,                       Kyoto, Japan Translated by Sumiko Kudo. Charles E. Tuttle Company Rutland, Vermont

Zen Poems Selected and edited by Peter Harris, Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, Alfred A. Knopf, NY.

Free Writing Exercise

I was at a professional association for trainers event a few nights ago and one of the speakers asked us to simply do some free writing.  My first thought was oh boy what the heck could I write about in the middle of this event with all these people and energy floating around me.  I decided just to forget about everything and pick up the pen and just start free writing.  Below is what came through me and onto the paper.

Free Writing

Free is like a river moving at its own pace filled with life, unexpected turns and debris. Filled with fish and birds bathing and deer drinking and the sounds of the water bubbling over the rocks.

Free is living without fear, or judgment or pain. Free is being open to change, and accepting what comes your way…

 

When you are struggling over something you might want to try free writing  and see what comes through you without judgment or criticism!  Just be free for a change~and see how great it feels!

Celebrating the Power of Love over the Love of Power On Hanukah and Christmas 2020 by Rabbi Barry Silver

Dear Readers, Rabbi Barry Silver sent this essay to me and I thought it was so powerful I needed to share it with my readers and friends.  If you have any words of support for Barry I will be happy to share them with him.  Peace and Love for 2020! Shokai

Celebrating the Power of Love over the Love of Power

On Hanukah and Christmas 2020

As Hanukkah and Christmas coincide temporally in 2019, Jews experience the pleasure of celebrating Hanukkah, and the ambiguities surrounding Christmas. Due to horrors committed against Jews by misguided Christians, from the Crusades, the Inquisition, pogroms and other atrocities, culminating in the holocaust, some Jews understandably don’t feel the “Christmas spirit”.  While I share these concerns, I suggest a new paradigm for relating to our Christian neighbors.  As Santayana observed, “If we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it”, and the last thing we want to do is to repeat the last 2000 years of Christian/Jewish relations.

Perhaps as we enter a new year, the Jewish community can adopt a more nuanced approach to Christianity, which neither condemns nor commends all Christian doctrine, and makes common ground on issues where we agree and engages in constructive dialogue in areas where we diverge.

Today, Mel Gibson’s outrageously anti-Semitic “Passion of the Christ” is being shown to millions of Christian youth in churches throughout the nation, raising a new generation to believe that their version of God, as reflected in Jesus, told “the Jews” that they are of their father the devil. This is precisely what Jews who perished in the holocaust heard before they were slaughtered, and is what the deranged killer shouted before he murdered innocent worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Can we forget political correctness and at last denounce fabrications, blood libels and anti-Semitic lies embedded in Christian Scripture with no basis in reality, that have resulted in millions of Jewish deaths, no matter where they are found, so that the words “Never again” will not be a meaningless slogan?

On the other hand, instead of rejecting all of Christianity, perhaps Jews can rejoice in the legend of the birth of a nice Jewish boy, who became a Rabbi, and is considered by many Christians to be divine. Shorn of pagan influence, and focusing on the life, rather than the death of Jesus, Jews can join Christians in celebrating the legend of one of many Jewish martyrs, who defied tyranny, and gave his life for Jewish ideals such as love, compassion, justice and peace.

Hanukkah and Christmas share a common theme.  The Seleucid Greeks sought to destroy Judaism for the same reason that the Romans martyred Jesus, both empires believed in the love of power. Jews and Christians reject the “love of power” and at their best, embrace the “power of love”.  The empires of the Seleucid Greeks and the Romans boasted the most powerful military forces of their time, but have disappeared off the face of the earth, because when their power ran out, so did they. The survival of the Jewish people is based not on military, but on spiritual power, which is eternal, as is our mission to serve as a Hanukkah candle in a world plagued by darkness. Centuries after the Romans destroyed the Temple and murdered Jesus, the Roman Emperor Constantine, adopted Christianity, and used his might to spread Jewish ideals throughout the world, albeit in an altered form.  Both holidays demonstrate the truth of Victor Hugo’s assertion that “More powerful than all the armies on earth is an idea whose time has come”, and the time has come for Jews and Christians to help lead the way towards a world of harmony not conflict, environmental sanity not greed, and love, not hate, in order to save us from ourselves.  Lost in all the pageantry, gift-giving and commercialization of Christmas is the fact that Christians worship a Jewish rabbi as part of their Godhead and thus should feel deeply indebted to Judaism as the source of their religion and should join in celebrating Hanukah, which commemorates the heroism of the Jewish people that kept the religion of Jesus alive over a century before his birth, and thus, made Christianity possible.

Christmas carols, such as “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas”, reflect the influence of its Jewish composer Irving Berlin.  While the dream of a white Christmas may be a forlorn hope in Florida, the dream of Jews and Christians celebrating together in a spirit of love and unity as our holidays coincide, and working together to protect our planet and all its inhabitants in the year 2020 and beyond, should be the goal of all Christians and Jews.  All are welcome to join the celebration of Hanukah at L’Dor Va-Dor at 9804 South Military Trail in Boynton Beach on Friday night, December 27 at 7:30 with joyous Hanukah music and a rational, ecumenical approach to our rich Jewish heritage.

 

Yikes! Another Year is coming to an end!

I decided to resurrect a previous blog post that I created in December of 2012 the year I started writing my blog posts.  I’ve up dated it a little for 2020 but the message is still the same. What did I discover?  Nothing has really changed in my life or in the world.  I’m not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing or just a thing….

I hope you’ll take the time to read it and let me know what you think and if it resonates with your life as well.  Namaste!  Best wishes for a loving and peaceful 2020 and beyond!

=============

Yikes, another year is coming to an end and I haven’t even completed all the goals and to-do lists for 2019! The older I get the faster time goes and the more fun I’m having the faster time goes! When I am feeling sad, mad, bad, or bored the time seems to be endless dragging like my car with a flat tire screeching and thumping along. Sometimes I feel as though—soon there will be no time left at all.

Some people think the world will end in a few days as they follow the Mayan Calendar. When I’m feeling down some days I hope that the Mayan’s were right, but when I’m feeling great I’m sure hoping they were not!

So how do I plan for the next minute, hour, day, week, or year? Do I just let it come as it comes or do I set new goals? Do I plan, organize, collate, separate, and loudly pronounce “the New Year is coming!” But who made up time anyway? I’ve always figured that we had time just so we didn’t have to do everything all at once. It was a great idea to be able to stretch things out, take one thing at a time or simply rest and relax and say the heck with it all and pull the covers up over my head!

Several years ago someone thought of a great idea and they began publishing a magazine entitled “Simple Life.” I’ve looked at it several times and even found some wonderful things in it. I even decided to take up the mantle. And so, over the years I have moved from a 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom home and I even lived in a one-room efficiency apartment in Tennessee. I especially loved that (so little to clean!) until the squirrels moved into the attic and kept me up all night dancing and prancing like a family of sugar plum fairies dancing in the night.

But without my goals I feel like I would be a rudderless boat just floating around the ocean. I can’t imagine a life without goals. Even the Buddha had goals he searched and searched for enlightenment for many years, through many pathways, until he discovered it. Then he continued to teach and spread the word to anyone who wanted to listen.

In the Metta Sutra of Shakyamuni Buddha he says, “May all beings be happy. May they be joyous and live in safety. All living beings, whether weak or strong, in high or middle, or low realms of existence, small or great, visible or invisible, near or far, born or to be born, may they all be happy.” Is this yet another goal?

Jesus had goals. He set down the Beatitudes didn’t he? He taught, shared, prayed, and lived a life for others to emulate. It is written in Matthew 5:18-19 just after the listing of the Beatitudes these words:

“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

To me it sounds like a very powerful set of goals that he was laying out for each of His followers to accomplish.  You may want to set goals for your life, live those goals freely and fully, and then watch your life move in the direction of those things that you have envisioned.

If you don’t set goals you may be letting the winds of fate, and time, and circumstance rock you like that small boat on the Atlantic trying to cross the sea to a new land. Life is a magical experiment that needs to be played with, tested, viewed, reviewed and begun each moment of each day of each year. And who cares if my goals from last year have not been finished or fulfilled I can try to get them done in 2020. I can throw them out like that old worn out pair of sneakers I let go of last week or I can just wish and hope and dream that my life gets better rather than worse.

But regardless of which way I chose, the path is mine to create and live.

How to Live a Meaningful Life: Part 6 Humor is the Best Medicine—a gift from our Zen Master Hakuin

Jerome Henry Bishop WWII  honoree Distinguished Flying Cross

 

My father and the Zen Master Hakuin had one thing in common—they both had a great sense of humor! My father had the ability to get people to laugh any time anywhere.  He was a professional photographer and did thousands of family portraits in his lifetime.  He was able to get the most frightened child to the most suppressed adult to smile as he snapped the picture.  He also loved to joke with the cashier in every store to help cheer them up.

Stevens writes this about humor and Hakuin:

Hakuin’s grim do-or-die kensho Zen was balanced by his insistence that Zen training must include fits of ecstatic, blissful laughter; the deeper the kensho, the more one overflows side-splitting mirth.  He also said, “Those who understand jokes are many; those who understand true laughter are few (page 79).”[1]

Kensho for most students of Zen is simply “an initial enlightenment experience that still requires to be deepened (page 113).[2]  On one of my retreats I could feel this great joy and laughter beginning to come alive in me but I knew I was at a silent retreat and could not just burst out in laughter in the middle of the Zendo that was for sure!  So, I quickly jumped up off my cushion and ran out of the building and allowed myself to laugh and feel the joy in every cell of my body and mind.  I had no idea that this reaction had a name as I was a new student of Zen, but I sure enjoyed the feeling that it gave me!

When was the last time you had a real “belly laugh?”  When was the last time you watched a comedy show or a comedy movie and actually laughed out loud?  Laughter has a healing power all of its own!  “Consistent evidence has been shown that laughter, over time, offers significant medical benefits, including boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, improving heart and respiratory functions, even regulating blood sugar.”[3]

We all want to live a meaningful life and being able to laugh and share that laugh with others will bring meaning to your life and greater health!  How can you turn that away!?  Won’t you join me in a great big belly laugh today!  It could change your life for the better…

[1] Ibid.

[2] The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen

[3] https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-healing-power-of-laughter/

How to Live a Meaningful Life: Part 5 Meditation in the Midst of Action

John Steven’s goes on to write this about Hakuin’s motto in his book Zen Masters: “Meditation in the midst of action is a billion times superior to meditation in stillness (page 76).”

Steven’s continues with these thoughts from Hakuin’s teacher Shoju: “If you can maintain your presence of mind in a city street teeming with violent activity, in a cremation ground amid death and destruction, and in a theater surrounded by noise and distraction, then, and only then, are you a true practitioner of Zen (page 76).”[1]

Alas, the world of 2019 exactly replicates Shoju’s description of the 17^th century.  Have we not learned anything from our ancestors?   Currently our world is filled with violence, ethnic cleansing, poverty, and famine.  Image how your life would be if within this chaos you could hold your center and you could focus on the task at hand.

Imagine that you could actually see and experience the beauty of the flowers and trees, or the glistening of the snow after a storm.   Imagine that you could appreciate the uniqueness of the faces of the people around you through eyes of compassion and universal love. Imagine that you could be at peace even in the most difficult of situations.  Finally, imagine that you can see every situation with clarity and opened eyes, opened mind, and an opened heart.

In every tragedy there seems to be one person who has the focus of mind to jump into the river to save a person from drowning, to stop their car and pull a person out of a burning vehicle, or to begin CPR on someone in need.  You might be thinking that’s NOT meditation! If mediation is defined as having full focus on your breath… there can’t be a “fuller focus” then doing that which is needed in the moment!

Be here now! Meditation in the moment and in motion…and while you’re at it how about bringing along a friend!

 

[1] Stevens.J (1999) Zen Masters A Maverick, a Master of Masters, and a Wandering Poet Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan Kodansha International: New York