Andrew Furst's Blog, page 131
May 10, 2015
Sunday Morning Coming Down – Tiny Dancer
Sunday Morning Coming Down is an ongoing music video series. The songs fit my definition of music for a lazy couch bound Sunday morning.
The month of May is being curated by my eldest son Ian. This is Elton John’s Tiny Dancer (fairly old school)
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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)
Tiny Dancer
by Elton John
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you’ll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she’s in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad
Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows, the tune she hums
But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you’ll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she’s in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand
But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
The post Sunday Morning Coming Down – Tiny Dancer appeared on Andrew Furst.
May 9, 2015
Say What? – Do We Need a Reason To Be Happy?
Say What? is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip.
This shirt is dry clean only. Which means... it's dirty. - Mitch Hedberg
Do We Need a Reason To Be Happy?
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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 Say What? – Do We Need a Reason To Be Happy? appeared on Andrew Furst.
Verse Us – Rejoice – A Poem
Verse Us - Poems I write: haiku, senryu, mesostics, free verse, random word constructions, I might even use rhyme or meter once and a while.
There are arithmetics,
Not of this world,
Fielding observations, or
competing insights to our own.
While insalubrious to assume them,
It would be disastrous to leave their riddles undone.
Like furry trousers worn
on a violet mammoth
ladybug.
The company we keep
to adjoining mathematics
imposes liberating borders on our own.
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One Minute Meditations
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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 Verse Us – Rejoice – A Poem appeared on Andrew Furst.
May 8, 2015
Dialectic Two-Step – What Is a True Buddhist?
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 Paz
What Is a True Buddhist (or Christian, Muslim, or Atheist)?As I’m writing this, it’s early morning. I’m a sleepy guy who hasn’t had his coffee yet. In a half hour, I’ll be a different guy; awake, caffeinated, and sociable. All of these descriptors – awake, caffeinated, and sociable – are time bound and shouldn’t be mistaken for who I am. I think this tells you a great deal about how fleeting our identities are and how ridiculous the idea of being a true Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, or Atheist is.
When we assert that we are Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, or Christian, we have to be careful about what we mean. They do not identify who we are. I’m Buddhist. But, in the future, it’s not impossible that I won’t be very “Buddhist” at all. I could steal a car, attack someone, or become a suicide bomber. If this were to happen, people who know me would be surprised and say “this was such a shock, that’s not the Andrew that I knew.”
There is no such thing as a true Christian, a true atheist, or a true Muslim. Anyone who claims to be or points to an example of such a beast is mistaken. This is especially true of the people around which these labels were created. Jesus was Jewish, Buddha was a Vedic practitioner, and Mohammed was Hanif (a form of Abrahamic monotheism).
I think this flaw in how we view the world is at the root of the vitriol in politics and religion that’s out there. Our egos build up a cocoon of identity – we’re a Buddhist, a hipster, a traditionalist, or an ascetic. We take pride in this identity. When someone criticizes some aspect of our identity, it sparks rage. “We” – meaning our identity – is being attacked. When we’re attacked, we defend ourselves.
But let’s try something. Let’s take a statement religious identity with modify it to one about caffeine level. Try this:
All Muslims are crazy.
Now replace the descriptor Muslim with caffeinated
All caffeinated people are crazy.
The first statement carries with it an attack on the fastest growing population in the world. We look at the term Muslim as identifying.
The second is an observation about how people act when they’ve had coffee. It also implies a hypothesis, that perhaps people should drink less coffee (yeah, crazy right). But it implies a temporary state – when we’re under the influence of caffeine.
Maybe we should look at religion in the same way. People do wonderful things AND crazy things under the influence of religion. People get crazy when they strongly identify with one. People tend to be reasonable when they hear a positive religious message and decide to incorporate a little of it in their lives. Let’s not be Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, or Atheist. Let’s act that way.
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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 Dialectic Two-Step – What Is a True Buddhist? appeared on Andrew Furst.
May 7, 2015
Quote – James Baldwin on the Concept of God
about James Baldwin
The post Quote – James Baldwin on the Concept of God appeared on Andrew Furst.
One Minute Meditation – Surprises
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.
Surprises can often be received poorly. Many of us become averse to them as we get older. Even to pleasant ones. Why is that? One reason has to do with our accumulated experiences. If someone were to have negative experiences tied to surprises, you can imagine they would be conditioned to be averse to them. They’d flinch. They might recall past experience and project similar causes and effects. They’d be programmed to avoid and dislike surprises.
If the converse were true, that person might adore surprises!
SPOILER ALERT:
This weeks one minute meditation has a surprise.
PAUSE SPOILER
I filmed this video on Eisenhauer’s Pond in North Reading where I live. It’s a small pond my kids call the frog catching pond. Being spring, I was out searching to record the sound of the peepers. They’re one of the tell tale signs of life emerging from the cold.
It takes a little effort to break out of the winter shell and the habits formed from avoiding the discomforts of cold weather. I’ve found that my routine of heading to my computer in the morning is nearly impossible to break. Yard work beckoned, but it took a while to get outside. But once I was out and the work done, basking in the sun and blue sky gave way to a feeling that was like emerging from a cocoon.
Getting out and listening to the evening sounds of life is just as invigorating. Listen and enjoy.
I’ll talk more about the spoiler after the video
Frog PondSpring called on its phone
Ringing in my heart, birds bugs
I simply answered
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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)
UNPAUSE SPOILER
At about 47 seconds into the video you can hear a splash. What was that?
Here is a little glimpse into my neurotic mind.
When I go out on a video adventure, it can be both an enlightening experience and the cause of suffering. Where I live, near Boston, the sounds of machines and people are ever present. If I’m in the office early in the morning, I hear the building as it heats or cools itself. The lights have a low, but noticeable buzz. I live a few miles from an interstate highway and less than a mile from a state highway. There is a sand and gravel pit not far from my house that winds up about 5:00 AM everyday with a low and persistent din. Silence is a rare commodity in this part of the world.
So when I go out to take video, I’m looking for those quiet, tranquil places. The kind of setting I encourage meditators to find when just beginning their practice. Very often I end up taking 5 to 10 shots of the same scene, because over the course of 60 seconds the machine tends to assert itself. A car drives by or some people walk by chatting. This is a perfect meditation opportunity for me. Do I fly into a quiet rage when a shot is contaminated with an unwanted sound or do I let it go?
At about 47 seconds into this video, I was presented with an opportunity. There was a splash. I kept my cool and let the video run. But my mind was less than tranquil. Was it some teenagers chucking rocks into the pond, ruining my shot? Arggggh. I hate surprises. I’ll have to shoot this one AGAIN!
But keeping quiet paid off. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I caught a glimpse of the offenders. There were three of them, periodically splashing the water in a way that sounded like a heavy rock breaking the surface and hitting the bottom a split second later. They were sticking close to a little shelter that they had probably built over the last few years. Others may have started it, but it was theirs now.
The three seemed a little bothered by my presence, but continued on playfully swimming around the lodge, diving, and splashing. Perhaps they were searching for sticks or maybe they were just playing. The family of beavers provided me with a half hour of non-stop wonder. I don’t recall if I’ve ever seen beavers in the wild before. I smiled from ear to ear and soaked up the experience with absolute delight.
Ah, surprises!
The post One Minute Meditation – Surprises appeared on Andrew Furst.
May 6, 2015
Verse Us – Urges of Spring
Verse Us - Poems I write: haiku, senryu, mesostics, free verse, random word constructions, I might even use rhyme or meter once and a while.
In the sputtering throws of winter’s white flurries
The vernal urge to procreate offers only tail feathers to the old man’s passing.
The sharp coldness of this long and deep season
has only amplified the bird songs and urges.
One can only hope we’ve moved past the silent springs
and heeded our mother’s counsel.
This poem was inspired by the first day of spring this year. I walked out the door to a surprise mix of snow flurries and a cacophony of bird song. While there was a bit of cognitive dissonance associated with the experience at first, the whole thing landed on a smile.
It also triggered a connection to the book that I was reading at the time, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. A moving and important book, that has put a frame around my childhood experience. Born in the 60’s, I have memories of of a much depleted population of bird life. So much so that the increasing commonness of egrets and eagles is an incredible wonder to me. So much was learned from that book. Unfortunately much has to be relearned against the relentless deception of the Monsantos of the world.
I hope that our grandchildren will be blessed with the joy of these noisy vernal awakenings.
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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 Verse Us – Urges of Spring appeared on Andrew Furst.
Tiny Drops – Composition in Grass & Sky
Tiny Drops is an ongoing iPhoneographic series. The images represent moments of noticing on my part. For you, they are an offer to pause, observe, and take that noticing into your life. All photos are mine unless noted otherwise.
These works by Andrew Furst are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
First Name:
Last Name:
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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 AMITOFOThe post Tiny Drops – Composition in Grass & Sky appeared on Andrew Furst.
May 5, 2015
Say What? – A Few Words On Success
Say What? is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip.
This shirt is dry clean only. Which means... it's dirty. - Mitch Hedberg
A Few Words On Success.
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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 Say What? – A Few Words On Success appeared on Andrew Furst.
Compass Songs – I Know My Soul
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.
by Claude McKay
I plucked my soul out of its secret place,
And held it to the mirror of my eye,
To see it like a star against the sky,
A twitching body quivering in space,
A spark of passion shining on my face.
And I explored it to determine why
This awful key to my infinity
Conspires to rob me of sweet joy and grace.
And if the sign may not be fully read,
If I can comprehend but not control,
I need not gloom my days with futile dread,
Because I see a part and not the whole.
Contemplating the strange, I’m comforted
By this narcotic thought: I know my soul.
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