Andrew Furst's Blog, page 103
October 7, 2015
Seed – Verse Us (Poems by Me)
Verse Us - Poems I write: haiku, senryu, mesostics, free verse, random word constructions, I might even use rhyme or meter once and a while.
Seed
In its cloistered shell
The seed is protected, but
Starving for the sun
Broken and vulnerable
She flourishes in the mud
This poem is in the Tanka form, similar to haiku, but with two additional lines of 7 syllables.
The post Seed – Verse Us (Poems by Me) appeared on Andrew Furst.
Lupines In The Breeze – Tiny Drops
Where did summer go and its lupines?
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One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
FIVE LIMITLESS THOUGHTS
May all living beings have happiness and its causes
May all be free from unhappiness and its causes
May all dwell in equanimity, free of attraction and aversion
May all quickly find the great happiness that lies beyond all misery
May all enjoy inner and outer peace now and forever
NAMO AMITOFO
The post Lupines In The Breeze – Tiny Drops appeared on Andrew Furst.
October 6, 2015
Forgetting Ego? – Say What?
Say What? is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip.
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The post Forgetting Ego? – Say What? appeared on Andrew Furst.
Four Quartets 2: East Coker (partial) – Compass Songs
(first stanza part II – about Late November)
by T.S. Eliot
II
What is the late November doing
With the disturbance of the spring
And creatures of the summer heat,
And snowdrops writhing under feet
And hollyhocks that aim too high
Red into grey and tumble down
Late roses filled with early snow?
Thunder rolled by the rolling stars
Simulates triumphal cars
Deployed in constellated wars
Scorpion fights against the Sun
Until the Sun and Moon go down
Comets weep and Leonids fly
Hunt the heavens and the plains
Whirled in a vortex that shall bring
The world to that destructive fire
Which burns before the ice-cap reigns.
Compass Songs is an ongoing series of works by poets that I enjoy. Poetry, as the Zen Masters have said, is like a finger pointing to the moon. It speaks the unspeakable.
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The post Four Quartets 2: East Coker (partial) – Compass Songs appeared on Andrew Furst.
October 5, 2015
Tell Me A Story II
Tell Me A Story is a an ongoing series of lightening story prompts. The rules are simple
Set a timer for 5 minutes
Read or view the prompt
In the comments section below write a short story, poem, or rant as you are moved in the moment
Prompt: See the photo above
The post Tell Me A Story II appeared on Andrew Furst.
A Religious Dilemma? – Dialectic Two Step
Estimated reading time: 8 minute(s)
A Religious Dilemma?
Questions: What should I do if I like little bit of each religion?
Your dilemma gives you a hint of the nature of our relationship with religion. There are many factors in choosing a religion; foremost your parents’ choice. Many of us take the path of least resistance and adopt the faith of our ancestors. Few of us make a conscious choice.
It sounds like you’re in the latter group and open to breaking with the status quo.
Choosing a religion is a chicken and egg kind of thing. How can you choose something without knowing what it has to offer? Imagine that an alien comes to earth with absolutely no concept of religion. Having discovered there is such a thing, feeling an emptiness arise, they set upon the task of choosing one. Where to begin?
Imagine they’ve asked your help in choosing. I’d begin by asking a few questions.
Do you believe in a God or Gods?
Or do you believe in the sacredness of nature?
What is it you want from a religion?
What is it really that is driving you on this search for a religion?
Having no concept of religion, the idea of Gods is foreign to them. Should they begin by accepting the existence of supreme beings as a premise? Make an arbitrary choice of faith, and begin to practice? They could accept or reject it based on success or failure in achieving some sort of revelation?
Or should they adopt a skeptical approach and evaluate each religion’s doctrine? Again, picking one and working their way down the list? Reject those that result in falsehoods or absurdities, finally eliminating all but the true religions and choosing one?
The truth is, if we’re searching for a religion, there is often a sense of urgency. Sometimes it comes near the end of life, when there is a desire to reckon with the maker. Sometimes it comes when we are in a bad place and we’re looking for refuge. Under these circumstances we may reconnect with our ancestral faith, or look to something that appeals to our immediate concerns.
There is very little guidance for those choosing a faith. No rubric to navigate the marketing machine that is religion. My best advice is Caveat Emptor.
As belief systems, there are very few religions that speak the truth. But as communities, most have much to offer. This is our relationship with religion. They offer stories and families into which we have a place. I think that community is most important.
Piecing together your own religion may provide you with a satisfying story, but it won’t bring you closer to others. This is the balance you need to walk with your dilemma. I’ve landed on Buddhism with a side of Unitarian Universalism. The Unitarian Universalist church offers a free and responsible search for truth and meaning (their 4th principle) and community. It’s a good place to start.
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The post A Religious Dilemma? – Dialectic Two Step appeared on Andrew Furst.
October 4, 2015
An Idle Canoe – A Three Minute Meditation
Shimmering complexities can boggle the mind.
In their places we prop up ideas.
Let the senses rest on the tide every once and a while.
These Meditation Videos Are Best Viewed In Full Screen
One Minute Meditations is an ongoing series of short videos, poems, and commentary intended as a meditation. Offered as an opportunity to step back from your cyber routine and settle into a more natural rhythm, if only for a minute.
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
These videos are produced for those of us who spend an inordinately large amount of time in the cyber-world. They are not a substitute for unplugging from your devices and taking a stroll near trees, water, or a patch of unkempt grass. Getting out into the world - touching, smelling, hearing, and seeing nature is the best way to reconnect with our prime purpose.
What is our prime purpose? We are feeling and sensing machines. We are the universe looking back on itself. We are witness to the wonders and dangers of living in this corner of the cosmos. We are the seekers looking for connection a little further beyond yesterday's borders and boundaries.
But sitting and staring at the screen robs us of the sustenance that we rely upon for wonder and sanity. These videos are an opportunity to bring the sensations of nature to you, while you're in the cyber-world. Its an opportunity to relax your gaze, resettle your posture, and regain some depth in your breath. Listen and watch the video and allow your self to open up and recharge.
The post An Idle Canoe – A Three Minute Meditation appeared on Andrew Furst.
Lost In My Mind – The Head & the Heart – Sunday Morning Coming Down
This month is curated by Daisy. Here we go.
Sunday Morning Coming Down is an ongoing music video series. The songs fit my definition of music for a lazy couch bound Sunday morning. Get Each Week's Sunday Morning Coming Down in your email box
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The post Lost In My Mind – The Head & the Heart – Sunday Morning Coming Down appeared on Andrew Furst.
October 3, 2015
See No Evil? – Say What?
Say What? is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip.
Get Each Week's Say What? Comic in your email box
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The post See No Evil? – Say What? appeared on Andrew Furst.
The Floor – Tiny Drops (Photography)
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
The Floor
A different view of the Boston comic con 2015 show?
Get Each Week's Tiny Drops in your email box
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In addition to a monthly email you can also subscribe to the following weekly series:
One Minute Meditations
Tiny Drops (Photography series)
Compass Songs (My Favorite Poems)
Dialectic Two-Step
Modern Koans (interesting questions)
Sunday Morning Coming Down (Music Videos)
Relics (Timeless Republished Articles)
Say What?
Quotes
Verse Us (Poems I Write)
FIVE LIMITLESS THOUGHTS
May all living beings have happiness and its causes
May all be free from unhappiness and its causes
May all dwell in equanimity, free of attraction and aversion
May all quickly find the great happiness that lies beyond all misery
May all enjoy inner and outer peace now and forever
NAMO AMITOFO
The post The Floor – Tiny Drops (Photography) appeared on Andrew Furst.
