Evening has fallen almost unnoticed. I was surfing the web, as we say, catching up on the news of the day. Not much of note to report on that front.
Earlier, we gently wrapped up the Heart of Life retreat this morning with a half-day of practice at the Wild Flower Center here in Paris: sitting, chanting, offering plant-candlelight-and-incense, taking hot green tea and coffee with a few cookies, sharing a talk and some questions. Then each went their own way into the cold afternoon, blessed by the pale late-autumn sun.
Thanks to all for your practice this week. For you, we have posted or will post on the website the talks from last night and today (http://wildflowerzen.org/blog-teachings/).
Bernie’s book starts and ends with a reminder of what is the « supreme meal »: living our life fully. A full life is a life that includes everything. It’s life as practice and practice as life. That’s what our practice this week has been about, using the « ingredients » we each have at hand to make the best « meal » possible and then offering it.
How did it go for you? We’d all love to know. Please tell us all about it here: who, what, where, why, when and how!
the village where i live in-paris
COLD!
foggy,
sunny
paris
first time
not arriving one hour before
at my robotic fist
i take twenty euros to pay attention to the practice,
in the bus
finally
i find pénélope aka les frontalières
(from the association sensorialités multiples and Réseau sur l’Entente de Voix)
interview
« traumatisme et psychoses »
that will appear
in the next
rhizome,
the attachment
of
her mail,
i write her:
Good evening Pénélope,
The attachment has reappeared in my visual fields: star in the eyes.
Kisses,
Isabela,
at the straight line
before
turning left
at the passage courtois
i change my glasses into sunglasses,
— COLD! —
turn
at the one
before in front of me:
thin old woman,
for the first time
no visions of you
i open the door:
there you are
— COLD!
change glasses,
sitting
coldness
are ants
in the extremities of my fingers,
far away earthquakes
cock-a-doodle-doo,
the crack of close trees falling,
hot tea
feels good
« when did the ants’ nest sand becomes glass? »
two wheels motor,
we recall
our calendars
since the thermometer
could be numbered
— 37°C
— more!
« or less »,
mail
into
internet black hole,
— Happy holidays!
— Foggy?
— Foggy plateau.
you take my hand out
standing for you
i take a picture of clouds,
bikes tide,
— She’s hungry to be a sunset.,
i hold
your black and white leopard-shark-boat,
— How have you met your friend?
you are
birds
that
i follow left
till
the chinese restaurant
a woman gets up
i look it so narrow woodland,
you blow me
i walk in
two places left
by the cold
through
the door forever opening
two portuguese men,
and where
we telescope
our galaxies
early internet
« … it’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you… »
« … i’d rather dance… » at ipanema
the same SUN
between
you take me for a walk
hedwig
and
the angry inch
talking
to girls
at parties
— Do you sit at home?
— How is your friend?
— As fine as ever!
till nation
where i leave him a voice message
the sun on your face
you recall
a number
of the calendar
that made you lose appetite
(that’s how i felt it for a moment i lost appetite forever)
— I’ll keep coming for lightness!
or satisfied?
shit
or
priceless?
NOR
gate:
free?
i testify
you are
going to
P (programming language)
IN
credible
how
i can look at you
without
eclipse glasses,
on the other side
two lost calls
from you
(all the earthquakes
i exhale!)
in india,
i take the metro
and we hug tight
you re-present me
the holy basil
shop
(him and her off my tunnel vision),
i’m a bird
crying out
on him
and her,
you present me
your asian patient,
take my hand out
till
we don’t share
juices,
two cakes ecstasy viral ophthalmology
— yes
he answers
i’m staying the night in,
back to effortfully extract three suns vitamin,
take the metro,
— Cute the bartender?
— If he didn’t look his mobile so long!
nation
where effortfully
you pick fruits
for our supper
flying to smoke
red sun!
you cross me on your right,
you undress
so good
at the window
you smoke,
cook the chinese potion
i picture you with a witch hat,
really picture you
hugging your lion caribou squirrel
— No room without teddy bears!,
back
to pick
lemon
— The national police!
red light!
you run on your right i run
we laugh
red sign!
we stop
two firefighters cars
— There was an accident.
— Yes.
smashed plastic
pieces
of clothes
springing
from a bag
— Why europeans aren’t like us americans?
you take my hand to the merry-go-round
— Ring the bell! — the father.
— And she rings it.
— Yes.,
you pick
lemons,
i pick
cherimoya
you pick
for him
he comes
you kiss,
a cover over the merry-go-round,
at supper
we are
cracked eggs
being hatched
through the night
for a while I’ve been totally focused on giving as much time as possible to my yoga practice, study, preparation and teaching, at last now the zafu at the foot of my bed gets warmed twice a day – and Zen lessons and writing are singing to me more loudly – all thanks to everyone. Deep bow Roshi!
Yet again, onward.
The day started earlier than in a weekday. Had to catch a super early train due to announced train strikes in order to arrive early to a learning and meeting event outside London. This is the annual meeting of my professional body here in the UK, to which I contribute to coordinating various events. Pretty much the same as organizing retreats in Portugal. Maybe because of the week retreat, maybe not, but I felt more aware of « not me », of the reason why I do this, why I get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday in a very full and busy week. The same reason applies to the sangha in Portugal. Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
So the week was really just about that. To save, to see, to act. From a point of « not me »? Perhaps not always. But I keep trying.
Thank you Amy for both talks, today and yesterday. I could say more about those but maybe another time as I don’t quite know how to articulate what I am feeling right now.
For now, to all of you, my deepest love and gratitude for your practice. I truly could not have done it without you all!
yours,
tiago
The day after,
Hi everyone,
Thank you all for being there sharing that beautiful experience
Thank you Amy