Andrew Furst's Blog, page 66

Spring? – A One Minute Meditation

In New England

nothing tugs on expectations

like the weather.

April 4

snow meets me at the door.

Collins Pond

without grudge or disappointment,

Reminds me of peace.

Spring?

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 Spring? – A One Minute Meditation written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Stillness – Tiny Drops

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 Stillness – Tiny Drops written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

The Oldest Book In The World

You can now view, for free, the oldest book in the world.  No it’s not the Gutenberg Bible.  It is a woodblock printed copy of the Buddhist Diamond Sutra printed and preserved centuries before the west had paper and the printing press.

Click on the image to view the sutra at the British Library Turning the Pages site.

 

The post The Oldest Book In The World written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

April Rain Song – Langston Hughes – Compass Songs

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night

And I love the rain.

 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 April Rain Song – Langston Hughes – Compass Songs written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

There Is No Self – Dialectic Two Step

Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)

Question: How can I understand that “self” is just a result of dependent origination and self doesn’t really exist?

Response: There Is No Self!

April Fools!

Probably the most common misunderstanding in Buddhism is of emptiness and the existence of self. The self exists. It exists in the same way that anything else exists. It is empty of inherent “selfness”, but it exists. Let the absurdity of the question be your guide when asking “Does the self exist?”

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 There Is No Self – Dialectic Two Step written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

A New Mantra?

Here is a new mantra that I suggest we all spend some time with.  Enlightenment is this…

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.

The post A New Mantra? written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Fools Rush In – Sunday Morning Coming Down

On the theme of April Fools Day, here’s UB40’s reggae interpretation of an Elvis Presley classic

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

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post Fools Rush In – Sunday Morning Coming Down written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Got Gratitude? – 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 Got Gratitude? – Say What? written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Peace Be With You and Goodbye

Well, I’ll just come out and say it.  I have crossed over to the other side.  I have set the raft and all worldly worries aside.  There will be no more Andy. While the shell, the delusion, of me appears before you, I have dissolved into peaceful and eternal bliss.

To my faithful readers and friends, I wish to offer a few words of encouragement and insight into the experience of “the other side”.

First, – and yes, even in my state of pure equanimity, I think this is peculiar,  – there are a lot of chickens over here.  I never knew how literal these little cultural memes are.

Second, all the candy bars and junk food are the same over here.  I thought maybe it would be like going to London and everything would be just a little different.  But no.  Ho Hos and Reeses are all here in plentiful supply.

Also, I haven’t really lost any weight.  Turns out before and after enlightenment, your the same size, shape, weight, everything.  Yeah the hair is still profusely blossoming from my nose, ears, etc. Getting lighter is totally unrelated to en”lighten”ment.  I kinda thought this, but you know, you can hope right?

I can see you all still.  Sure that sounds spooky, maybe even creepy, but it’s true.  Unless of course you leave the room.  then I can’t see you at all.  Maybe that comes with time.  I’ll keep you posted.

Abe Vigoda is nowhere to be seen.  Can you guys check again, I’m thinking he’s still on your side.  No sign at all.  Oh, and I guess good news for you guys, Kanye West and the Kardashians are all here.  I’m really happy for all of you.

Obviously, since you’re reading this, there’s internet here (actually can someone email me and let me know you got this, cause maybe it’s a separate internet).  I can keep up on what you’re all doing on facebook and twitter.

Oh and cats are still better than dogs on this side.

Anyway, I’ve gotta get back to Nirvana, my hot pockets are sizzling in the microwave.  I wish you all a speedy enlightenment.  Wish you were here. Bye now.

Oh, BTW, what’s today’s date?

The post Peace Be With You and Goodbye written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

What Good Is Judgement? – Modern Koans

Question: I saw a Buddhist nun window shopping in a mall. Is it deplorable of me to judge her for it?

Response: Deplorable, inexcusable, judgemental, and so on. Meditate on and feel the weight of those words I’ve written.

How does your heart feel right now? To me it has the sensation of suffering. A hot ember burning a hole in me.

Your question is such a good one. Everyone deserves to ask it and feel their way through to the answer. The Buddha taught that we can find ways to reduce our suffering by examining our tendencies toward greed, hatred, and delusions.

This was a moment for you to reflect on what you felt when you saw the nun window shopping. If you find traces of greed or delusions in your response to the situation, then it’s an opportunity to practice.

Where did that feeling arise from?

What effect did it have on me?

What effect did it have on the nun?

What about the particulars of this situation caused your response?

Was it a natural response or was it based on your preconceptions about the situation?

What would a child who had never seen a nun before do in the same situation?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Modern Koans is an ongoing series that recognizes that good questions are often more important then their answers.

The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man. ― G.K. Chesterton

Get Each Week's Modern Koans In Your Email Box

If you enjoyed this post,  please like and share.

The post What Good Is Judgement? – Modern Koans written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.