Wednesday, February 26, 2003 |
Impermanence
One of my dear friends from Kanzeon Zen Center, Bruce Waldrop, died this week. We both came to Kanzeon about the same time, and he was a senior monk as of last year. Spending time with him was one of the things I looked forward to the most when I visited Kanzeon.
I will miss his friendship, humour, our walks and conversations, his daily yoga classes, vulnerability, deep commitment to a spiritual life, occasional acerbic comments, and most of all his deep humanity... He did everything fully - including exploring any aspect of the human and spiritual life.
Roshi and Sensei would often mention that we should not take our time at the zen center for granted, nor having access to a good teacher. It is so easy to forget the preciousness of what we have (good friends, health, a spiritual teacher and community), and so important to make the most out of it when it is there. To appreciate our lives.
Monday, February 10, 2003 |
Listening & Letting Go
Processes unfold more freely when there is active and deep listening - to oneself, others, nature. And listening is about letting go - of ideas, thoughts and insights coming up. Which in turn require trust. Trust that it is OK to let go. That it will come back if need be, and that it is OK if it does not.
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The Unexpected & Exitement
I am finding myself appreciating and seeking unexpected resolutions more, rather than the fixed and expected, and I am exploring processes that can lead to those unexpected resolutions.
These approaches have several factors in common: They embody a realization that processes can be supported in certain ways to allow surprising and life-enhancing solutions to emerge. They are ways of working with situations, allowing them to unfold, rather than working against them. They allow for a dance between the ordered (ground rules) and the unexpected (resolutions).
The approaches I am currently actively exploring are Compassionate Communication, Citizen Dialogue, and Permaculture. In the past, I have actively been involved in Process Work, and intent to deepen my involvement with that approach.