Gaia Community: ~C4Chaos' Blog

90 Days of Sitting is Just a Beginning

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:33:38 GMT

I joined Tricycle’s 90-day meditation challenge called The Big Sit back in February. Although I’ve been already practicing formal meditation since January, I felt that it was a good idea to join a group of virtual meditation practitioners as part of my Open Practice to keep my momentum going. I’m glad I did.

Today is day 90 of the Big Sit. I’m happy to report that I’ve completed the challenge, and then some. Geeky as I am, I even kept a log of it in my (hyper)stream. (See my #bigsit Twitter stream on Friendfeed.) As you can see in the stream I have two practice sessions daily. I practice in the morning and in the evening, 1.25 hours each session, for a total of 2.5 hours a day. Each practice session is a mix of sitting and lying down meditation. I’ve described the details of my meditation practice in my previous post, see Algorithmic Approach to Meditation.

For experienced and expert meditators 90 days of dedicated sitting practice may seem to be a piece of cake, but I’m neither experienced nor an expert. CONTINUE READING >

Tags: Open Practice, big sit, meditation

What questions have you been asking in your life recently?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:53:45 GMT

Who am I? What am I? And Why am I asking these questions.

Tags: QaR, questions, life, wondering

If you were enlightened, how would your life be different?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:00:26 GMT

Then I won't be chasing after the notion of "enlightenment", and yearn for meaning and purpose no more. I think. Right, Adyashanti? Back me up here, bro.

What Is Enlightenment?

Tags: QaR, enlightenment, enlightened, spirituality, Adyashanti

Why Shinzen Young is my kind of kick ass dharma teacher

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:15:52 GMT

Zero and One - Part 1

more videos here: http://videos.gaia.com/tagged/shinzen+young/

Enjoy!

Tags: Shinzen Young, videos, dharma, zen, buddhism, vipassana, meditation, expansion, contraction, consciousness

One Sweet Fable

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:29:49 GMT

I was sitting in meditation a couple of days ago and for some reason I kept seeing images of ants popping in and out with the Ten Ox Herding Pictures. The images dominated most part of my one-hour sitting so I took this as a sign that I needed to flush them out into the open.

Here’s the result. I can’t think of a good title. So I’ll just call it, “One Sweet Fable”.

CONTINUE READING >

Tags: dharma, One Sweet Fable, Open Practice

Open Practice: Demystifying and Secularizing the Path

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:42:43 GMT

Prologue

I am sitting in front of my computer staring at a blank page. A faint recollection of a dream I had last night bubbles up in my awareness. I dreamt of a black expanse where everyday reality is projected. It was like watching a movie in a very dark theater where the only thing you can see is the movie screen. But the movie screen was not the typical rectangular wide screen. The screen filled my entire field of vision but I was somehow still aware of the background. I was disoriented. I was not in the movie but the movie is inside me, and I couldn’t even remember what was playing. Then I attempted to analyze—“is this the nondual?” There was no answer. My awareness dissolved in the abyss of slumber, and all that was left was the impression of the experience.

Just like web pages, our awareness comes and goes within the vast expanse of cyberspace.

I wrote the above account during my early days of blogging. It was from a lucid dream I had a few years back. It serves as a reminder why I continue to blog my heart out.

CONTINUE READING >

Tags: Open Practice

How do you know when you're on the right path?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:13:58 GMT

When you have complete realization that there is really no path.

Tags: QaR, flow, path, calling, life

What do you think you're supposed to learn in this lifetime?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:23:59 GMT

Mindfulness and Equanimity.

Tags: QaR, lessons, learning, life, living, mindfulness, equanimity

Review: Shinzen Young's The Science of Enlightenment

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:44:39 GMT

I just finished listening to Shinzen Young’s The Science of Enlightenment audio CDs. I ripped all 14 CDs into MP3s, synced them to my iPhone and listened at home, on the road, at the gym, and even at work. I have high expectations, and I was not disappointed.

(Tip: If you don’t care about the CDs and nifty packaging, you can download the Science of Enlightenment on iTunes for less than half of its original price).

Aside from being a Buddhist monk, scholar, meditation teacher, mathematician, and science geek, Shinzen is also a linguist, so he’s very particular and precise with his use of words, pronunciation, and diction (especially with foreign languages). He likes to define and clarify any ambiguity in the terms he uses in his discourses. He doesn’t go into too much philosophical conjecture and speaks in a friendly matter-of-factness tone. The more I listen to him the more I become certain that Shinzen Young is my kind of kick ass dharma teacher.

The Science of Enlightenment was originally published in audio cassette tapes in 1998. Sounds True published the unabridged audio CDs in 2005. So keep in mind that the recorded talks are more than ten years old (that’s ancient time in cyberspace). However, that’s one of the reasons why I find this series so compelling to listen to. Even though Shinzen delivered the dharma in his own contemporary style and science-based lingo, with the advancement in science, his style of teaching apply more today than when he made the recordings ten years ago.

Here is my review and summary of the breadth and depth of The Science of Enlightenment.

CONTINUE READING >

Tags: Buddhism, Dharma, meditation, Shinzen Young, science, enlightenment

Do you try to love unconditionally?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:00:59 GMT

trying to love unconditionally is still conditional.

Tags: QaR, love, unconditional love

Shinzen Young is My Kind of Kick Ass Dharma Teacher!

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:47:20 GMT

I’ve recently took a deep interest in Shinzen Young after listening to his interview on Buddhist Geeks. I’ve heard of him a long time ago (more than ten years ago in a Thinking Allowed interview) but he didn’t register on my radar. I almost missed a once in a lifetime opportunity. Serendipitously, I had a second chance to get to know Shinzen at a much deeper level.

Shinzen Young Mt. Carmel Talk #1

Why am I interested with Shinzen Young? Let me count the ways...

CONTINUE READING >

Tags: Buddhism, Dharma, Shinzen Young

My Kind of Kick Ass Dharma!

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:14:54 GMT

I’m currently re-reading my paperback copy of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram. The paperback had just been released in the U.S. but the e-book has been available for free on Ingram’s site as PDF download and in “blook” format.

I finished reading the “blook” version on my iPhone but I still purchased the paperback so I can read and re-read it offline. I think this book will be an instant cult classic, especially to those people who are into hardcore, no-nonsense dharma.

Here’s my rundown of the contents of the book.

First of, unlike other mainstream politically-correct spiritual authors, Ingram breaks away from political correctness and egalitarianism by claiming he had already achieved Arahatship, meaning, that he is already “enlightened.” Depending on your notion of “enlightenment” Ingram could either put you off and make you stop reading the book, or it could pique your curiosity and keep you reading. I read the book from cover to cover, and I’m glad I did.

Ingram makes it clear what his intentions are in the opening of the book. He even warned the readers about his social commentaries on Buddhism in particular and mystical traditions and spiritual teachers in general. Along the way he also makes his bias transparent to the readers. Ingram’s flavor of Buddhism is rooted in the Theravada tradition, particularly from Mahasi Sayadaw school of meditation.

I’m no scholar of Buddhist literature so I’m not sure whether Daniel Ingram is representing the dharma in its purest form. However, I understand enough about Buddhist teachings and concepts to recognize that Ingram is pointing to pragmatic truth on the Buddhist path by simplifying the language and removing the dogma, cultural baggage, narcissism, and metaphysical hubris surrounding both Eastern and Western flavors of Buddhism.

The core ideas in the book which I find very powerful are: The Three Trainings, The Three Characteristics, and Models of the Stages of Enlightenment.

CONTINUE READING >

Tags: Daniel Ingram, Buddhism, enlightenment, meditation, books, reviews, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, dharma, kick ass dharma

Pause for a moment. What do you notice?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:57:35 GMT

Breathing in, breathing out.

Tags: QaR, presence, pausing, meditation, immediate, noticing, life

Painting with Light @ Space Needle Series

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:08:23 GMT

more here. Enjoy!

Tags: kosmicaperture, Space Needle, fireworks, painting with light

Change begins with me. I commit to…

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:07:14 GMT

My entry for The Case Foundation: Change Begins With Me campaign:

http://www.c4chaos.com/2009/01/change-begins-with-me-i-commit-to/

Happy New Year to all!

Peace, Love, Happiness, and Divine Discontent.

Tags: change, affirmation, Case Foundation

Reflecting on Our Kosmic Story This Christmas

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:41:58 GMT

Tags: cosmology, Brian Swimme, videos

What is your wish for tomorrow?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:09:13 GMT

May we all be lucid while sleepwalking. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Tags: QaR, tomorrow, wish, possibility, gift, dream, dreaming, life, Christmas, holidays

Winter Blues

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:31:49 GMT

Icy winter in the Emerald City. Feeling bluesy. Inspired me to compose “Winter Blues“.

Tags: Insomniac Blues, Winter Blues, guitar, music, kosmicaperture, Emerald City

What question made the biggest impact on your life?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:40:30 GMT

WHO AM I?

Tags: QaR, questions, change, world, perspective, difference

What is your idea of heaven?

http://coolmel.gaia.com — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:48:26 GMT

I don't need no one to tell me about heaven
I look at my daughter, and I believe.
I don't need no proof when it comes to God and truth
I can see the sunset and I perceive
~ LIVE

But since I don't have a kid yet, my idea of heaven is being aware in the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states.

Tags: QaR, heaven, afterlife, imagination, perfection, world