Andrew Furst's Blog, page 39

Alive – Tiny Drops (Photography)

Click on an image below to view in the lightbox

Lets Try This Againseed pod 3tree berries

Get Each Week's Tiny Drops In Your Email Box  

All Tiny Drop photos Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.

The post Alive – Tiny Drops (Photography) written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Chance – 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.

Get Each Week's Poems In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Chance – Verse Us (Poems by Me) written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Five Things About Mindfulness At Work – Dialectic Two Step

Mindfulness is joining the workforce.  From Google to Goldman Sachs, companies are welcoming mindfulness into their culture. This feels like a good thing, right?  My answer is a cautious maybe.

The fact that successful companies are offering mindfulness and meditation classes is a good thing.  Regardless of the motives, being exposed to them increases quality of life, makes us more resilient, and so on. I’ve lead meditation groups at companies I’ve worked for. So I’d be a hypocrite if I said that mindfulness in the workplace is a nefarious co-option of this age old wisdom.

But I think that we should at least be aware of the implication of the corporate sponsorship of mindfulness. To make my point, I’ll borrow from ancient Indian and Roman history.

History Lesson

Buddhism and Christianity would probably be unknown today if it weren’t for two great emperors. These emperors are well known for two reasons.  First they were highly successful military strategists.  Second they dramatically altered the religious landscape.

Ashoka the Great

He was the emperor of the Maurya Dynasty from 268 –  232 BCE. He ruled from Afghanistan to Bengal; almost the entire Indian subcontinent. Ashoka was a convert to Buddhism whose policies allowed for a plurality of religions. In support of Buddhism, he built numerous stupas and temples that remain standing today. He supported the expansion of Buddhist proselytization as far west as Alexandria and Greece. It’s entirely possible that without patronage of Ashoka, Buddhism wouldn’t exist today.

Constantine the Great

Constantine was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337 AD. He was the first emperor to stop Christian persecutions and to legalize Christianity. Like Ashoka, he made a place for all religions and cults in the Roman Empire. Eventually he made Christianity the state religion. In one of his most important contributions, Constantine called the council of Nicaea, which set the path for Christian orthodoxy going forward.

Both Ashoka and Constantine transformed their respective religions from cult status to state religions. By doing so, they forever altered their courses. But, it would be naïve to think that these decisions were made without political motive.

Five Things To Consider

Ashoka and Constantine had political motives for their support of religion.  If we were to examine the motives of companies adopting mindfulness today, it should come as no surprise that they’re looking for a benefit. So here are a few pointers and recommendations on looking at mindfulness at work with eyes wide open:

What’s the Goal? – If companies are going to support Mindfulness at Work, they’re going to need to receive a benefit. Is it productivity? Is it employee retention?  Make sure the mindfulness program you attend at work offers something you need.  For example, do they help you reduce anxiety or stress.
Format – I’ve attended lunch and learns about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). While learning about MBSR and other mindfulness programs is a good first step, it’s not really a practice.  If your company is serious about mindfulness they’ll invest some dollars towards regular (weekly) courses and practice.
Yoga vs Mindfulness – While yoga and mindfulness complement each other beautifully, one is not a substitute for the other. One important distinction is that mindfulness is available to everyone regardless of physical ability. I would encourage companies to expand beyond letting employees offer yoga classes to offering regular meditation or MBSR classes. The audience and impact could be larger.
Expectations – What happens if you’re enlightened at work? What if you accidentally transcend mundane reality sitting in a conference room? Of course, if you’re Buddhist, you know you’re already enlightened. But don’t plan on getting a longer lunch break if you achieve the transcendent bliss of Nirvana.
Right Understanding – Mindfulness is just part of the Eightfold path. Sure, take advantage of mindfulness benefits at work. And, you should show your gratitude to your employer both verbally and by being a better, more resilient, relaxed, and conscientious employee. But remember that there is more. The Buddhist path offers us a way to reduce suffering; to find love, joy, compassion, and equanimity; to find bliss; and to be a light to the world.

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

Get Each Week's Dialectic Two Step In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Five Things About Mindfulness At Work – Dialectic Two Step written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

A Closed Mouth – Quotes

Quotes -The path to right view is an arduous walk through fields of manure.

Get Each Week's Quotes In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

A Closed Mouth

The post A Closed Mouth – Quotes written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Brought To You By… – 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

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Brought To You By… – Say What? written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Cook Canyon Falls – A Two Minute Meditation

Offered without comment, please click play to enjoy this two minute meditation video.

Cook Canyon Falls

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

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.

Get Each Week's Minute Meditations In Your Email Box

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 Cook Canyon Falls – A Two Minute Meditation written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Bonsai – Tiny Drops (Photography)

Click on an image below to view in the lightbox

Bonsai purpleBonsai red yellow blueBonsai poster

Get Each Week's Tiny Drops In Your Email Box  

All Tiny Drop photos Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.

The post Bonsai – Tiny Drops (Photography) written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

November by Helen Hunt Jackson- Compass Songs

.

This is the treacherous month when autumn days

With summer’s voice come bearing summer’s gifts.

Beguiled, the pale down-trodden aster lifts

Her head and blooms again. The soft, warm haze

Makes moist once more the sere and dusty ways,

And, creeping through where dead leaves lie in drifts,

The violet returns. Snow noiseless sifts

Ere night, an icy shroud, which morning’s rays

Will idly shine upon and slowly melt,

Too late to bid the violet live again.

The treachery, at last, too late, is plain;

Bare are the places where the sweet flowers dwelt.

What joy sufficient hath November felt?

What profit from the violet’s day of pain?

Helen Hunt Jackson

 

 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.

Get Each Week's Compass Song In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post November by Helen Hunt Jackson- Compass Songs written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Mindfulness In A Nutshell – Dialectic Two Step

People often ask what the fast track is in Buddhism. How do I cut to the chase and avoid suffering? One take is keep it simple.

In that spirit, here’s mindfulness in a nutshell. Go do this…

Of course the catch is this.

If someone were to tell us, stop acting in such a way that causes suffering, AND we were able to spontaneously change to do this, we’d be done.

But, that’s not how it works. We’re wired to do otherwise. We have to wake up every day, remember this important fact, AND act on it.

Post this on your wall and live it!

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

Get Each Week's Dialectic Two Step In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Mindfulness In A Nutshell – Dialectic Two Step written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Self Made What?- 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

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Self Made What?- Say What? written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.