Hummingbirds!

This morning we were meet by a huge commotion as we were about to take our breakfast on the back porch. There was a flock of hummingbirds at our feeder. The nests must have fledged as we have not seen so many hummers at the feeder yet this summer. A few hours later the feeder had to be filled again.

Confluence of the Grande Ronde and the Snake Rivers
Oregon, Washington and Idaho

I’ve become more and more aware that the quality of life is a reflection of the focus of attention. Also, attention and intention seem to be deeply related. When an intention is expressed, attention is naturally directed towards it. Clarifying intentions focuses attention. Focused attention is quality of life. From a Zen perspective, attention doesn’t lead to a good life — attention is life!
 
Dave Pollard is a creative being who, by sharing his intentions, has motivated me to look closer at my intentions. Dave has put aside the notion of “the resolution” and taken up expressing his intentions, ten every 6 months. He has developed a three step process for clarifying and stating these intentions.  
 

So preparing the Intention List becomes a three step exercise:
 
   1. What is your intention, in order to become who you really are, and be and do what you were intended to?
   2. What’s holding you back? What obstacle is blocking you from realizing that intention?
   3. What One Thing will you do remove or work around that obstacle?
 
So, for example:
 
   1. I intend to learn to be present, live in the moment, be aware, attentive, appreciative.
   2. I am blocked from doing this by my inability to quiet my mind and avoid distractions.
   3. The One Thing I will do to remove that obstacle is to study and practice meditation, regularly and diligently.

 
Dave’s experience with this has pointed him to the notion of the “One Thing”. Often our intentions are a bit nebulous in just how we are going to actualize them. Identifying just one thing that is an obstacle to success then putting attention on the obstacle’s antidote creates movement. Don’t get hung up on “The One Thing”. It can be a trap where we feel we have to come up with the best or right one thing.  There can be lots of blocks and each has an antidote. The idea is to pick one block and focus on the antidote. If the first one doesn’t work pick something another.  
 
So enough jabbering about the process and here are my intentions.  
 

• Evolve to become more attentive to the present moment, more attuned with those around me, more expressive of gratitude, more aware of where my attention is focused, and more conversational.
• Move more.
• Live simpler by owning less, consuming less, desiring less, doing less, and having more fun.
• Develop my creativity by playing in the woodshop.
• Reduce ’screen time’ — increase ‘nature time’. With what screen time remains, focus on sharing by + blogging, + posting photography, + help on #ubuntu, + Zen shanga website support, and + raven communication.
• Mentor myself at work to apply professional development techniques including improved delegation, improved training, improved documentation and practice “one kind thing”.

 
Well, there you have it. My attempt to bare myself a little more nakedly. I’ve ordered these intentions by relative importance to me and I have been vague about how I’ll actualize them.  
 
Now I can start the process of looking at each one and see if I can identify ‘one thing’ that blocks these intentions from existence and coming up with an antidote.
 
I’m not worried that I only have six intentions. I feel I’ve thought pretty big here. What a ride this would be if the blocks for my six little intentions where dissolved.  I feel free to modify, add or drop any intention at any time. I’m not stuck on reviewing these in 6 months or a year, in fact, a much more frequent, even weekly, review and reset will keep my intention in the focus of my attention.

From Grandmother Mountain Looking East towards Widow Peak

The New York Times has a wonderful presentation of a few of Ansel Adams photographs with audio commentary by Andrea Stillman, a former assistant. The presentation is great, the commentary is great but mostly this shows an alternative method of displaying photographs. This dovetails nicely with Brooks Jensen’s recent discussion of Folios. (Search for LW0421-LW0425) Brooks also presented yet a different method of presentation of photographs in his “Made of Steel” podcasts. (Search for LW0384-LW0389) All total maybe an hour of superior quality photography instruction. Three different means of presentation, all heartfelt and fitting to the goals. Check them out.

I’ve been making a few wooden spoons and finally got around to photographing them. Stay tuned as I’m having a blast with these and more are in the works.

Pacific Yew
Overall Length 7.75″

Pacific Yew
Overall Length 7.75″

Pacific Yew
Pair

Pacific Yew
Overall Length 9.5″

Pacific Yew
Overall Length 9.5″

Pacific Yew
Hook Knife by Del Stubs

White Birch Spatula
Overall Length 12.25″

White Birch Spatula
Overall Length 12.25″

White Birch Spatula
Overall Length 12.25″

White Birch Spoon
Overall Length 11.75″

Lynn Harbaugh an American musician living in Canada (my old country) used some of my photos to create a little video expressing support for Barack Obama. It was inspired by Barack’s speech in Philadelphia on March 18. “There is a field……” features original music (by Lynn) + a Rumi poem + gorgeous photos of wheat fields in Washington (by Will).

Well Lynn, your very welcome. Remix deluxe.

Working Ants

Be strong and use the sword of insight.
It’s blade is sharp and bright as the vajra,

it severs confusion
and the pride of shining beings and demons.

Here we are encouraged to develop insight and use it to clear confusion and remove delusions. Insight is the antidote for pride. Pride in ourselves and the pride of others.

Sheng-Yen says “If you have genuine wisdom, please do not expound your ideas in uncontested monologues (including uncontested internal monologues). Unsheath your vajra sword (insight) and accept the challenge. If it is hacked to pieces, it obviously is not a true varja sword (insight). You must put your practice and attainment to the test.”

My knowledge is less than perfect. I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.
Will

Here is where you can get a copy of the Song of Freedom as translated by Yasuda Joshu Roshi and Anzan Hoshin Roshi.
If you want a copy of this poem with Robert Aitken’s translation intermingled, I have a PDF that I will email to requesters. It is always interesting to see how other practitioners translate these texts. It can shine fresh light on the poem. I can also recommend two other translations, both by seasoned practitioners and both with commentary. These are both books that are readily available.
Buddhism and Zen by Nyogen Senzaki and Ruth Strout McCandless
The Sword of Wisdom by Chan Master Sheng-Yen

The Danish Poet is a 7 minute short animation that shows both the interconnectedness of life and power of Youtube to spread love. Put this down as one of the noble uses of the internets.

With beautiful Liv Ullman’s voice telling me a simple tale, all the way
from Denmark. A tale of a Danish poet. Oh, go ahead. You have time for
a sweet story, don’t you?

Mony’s Woods Moth

Ignoring the treasure of Reality and losing the merit to Awaken self and others
is due to the eighth, seventh and sixth consciousnesses.

With direct insight into these, practice Zen
and realise the Unborn with Radiant Intelligence.

Sheng-Yen’s translation in The Sword of Wisdom helps clarify this for me.

Loss of Dharma wealth and the extinction of merits,
Are all caused by the mind consciousness.

Through the Chan door, understand the cutting off of mind,
And suddenly enter the powerful view of the unborn.

When the mind moves and makes distinctions, wisdom and merit are lost. Still the mind and suddenly —

Blackbirds crowd the feeder
On this snowy morning.

“The mind in motion is the destroyer of Dharma wealth and spiritual merit. If you mind does not discriminate or judge, you will immediately enter the Dharma gate of non-arising, but the instant your mind moves or seeks, you have already suffered losses.”

Sheng-Yen
The Sword of Wisdom

Sheng-Yen points out that this was Emperor Wu’s problem. His mind wanted to claim merit for his deeds and Bodhidharma tried to point out to him, with mind “no merit”. He demonstrated the unborn with his “no knowing” when ask how was standing before the emperor. Poor Emperor Wu.

My knowledge is less than perfect. I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.
Will

If you are joining us in progress, you can catch up by reviewing the first part of this break down of the Song of Freedom by looking at the discussion over at Jordan’s blog and my earlier posts.

Here is where you can get a copy of the Song of Freedom as translated by Yasuda Joshu Roshi and Anzan Hoshin Roshi.
If you want a copy of this poem with Robert Aitken’s translation intermingled, I have a PDF that I will email to requesters. It is always interesting to see how other practitioners translate these texts. It can shine fresh light on the poem. I can also recommend two other translations, both by seasoned practitioners and both with commentary. These are both books that are readily available.
Buddhism and Zen by Nyogen Senzaki and Ruth Strout McCandless
The Sword of Wisdom by Chan Master Sheng-Yen

Storm Clouds

To reject delusion and grasp at the truth
suits perfectly the mind of like and dislike.

Students who practice this way,
it’s like mistaking a thief as your son.

The operative words here are “reject” and “grasp”. There is no benefit in measuring delusion against truth. The rejecting and grasping attempts to make delusion and truth into something that they are not, fixed in time.

My knowledge is less than perfect. I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.
Will

I welcome comments, but I may integrate them into this commentary. If you are joining us in progress, you can catch up by reviewing the first part of this break down of the Song of Freedom by looking at the discussion over at Jordan’s blog and my earlier posts.

Jordan’s Blog
Jordan’s Song of Freedom Posts
Will’s Song of Freedom Posts

Here is where you can get a copy of the Song of Freedom as translated by Yasuda Joshu roshi and Anzan Hoshin roshi. I may attempt to post something that helps everyone find each passage.