Just the Facts, Ma'am

Loon before the Mist, Tucker Pond, September 2021

So I've started meditating again, out on the deck of our camp, early in the morning.  What an amazing time to be awake and outside.  The rest of humanity (at least around the pond) has yet to stir.  But the wildlife is buzzing and serenading me.  It really helps one get back in touch with nature, with life, with reality.

We had some family friends visiting us for a couple of days, and had some interesting conversations, one of which somehow, in that alchemic way, sparked this poem.  It's called "Just the Facts, Ma'am" from that old TV show Dragnet, where the unflappable (and largely unemotional) detective wants the witness to just give the essence of the matter, not irrelevant commentary, like our minds so often do.

So anyways, here's what emerged after one of those meditation sessions.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

This thing called "life" sure is interesting, if nothing else

And there’s always something else

Life is a gift — it’s all of existence

The who-what-when-where-why of it

And yet, Life is nothing of the kind

It’s non-duality … simply the wholeness of being

Life is this moment, and only this moment

Constantly refreshed, nothing is fixed

The stillness of dawn’s light, and

The effervescence of hummingbird wings

Ever humming, flowing, emerging, creating

This impermanent dance of Lila

Sunlight dances across a misty pond

Dewdrops glisten upon Indra’s net

Ripples of consciousness itself

Are but the footfalls of so many water striders

That loon’s mournful morning cry really is

The sound of your original birth

Everything is, just as it is, enfolding and unfolding

Thirteen billion years of causes and conditions

No this or that, no good or bad … no separation

When in doubt, simply remember, “not two”

All of it, the sublime and the ridiculous

Right here, right now … **snap**

Thou art That  

Thou art That!

Windswept Lover

Sitting together on the lanai

With eyes closed

At the dawn of a new day

Calm, peaceful and still 

We meditate while

Birds sing to the rising sun

And then you touch me

Tussle my hair, tickle my skin

And caress my face

Suddenly your all around me

Rippling over my clothes

Bringing a smile to my lips

Oh, my silent lover

So unpredictable and blustery

Sometimes cool, sometimes warm 

Yellow Oleander branches quiver

Flowers dance in delight

Grasses sway to and fro

And then, still toying with me

You go breathless

with an energetic stillness

Until the whispers and currents

of your loving embrace

Caress me once again

Why must you keep yourself hidden

So shy … yet available to all

Invisible, like the pulsing of Life itself

Such a precious offering

For those who are willing

To simply quiet their minds
... and observe

...................... Yes, We're ... Connected ....................

... the title really says it all ...

... though we lost touch a while ago ...

... first Vipassana Meditation Retreat complete ...

... and it blew my mind ...

... many experiences I hope to write ...

... in a while, for some time to come ...

... today I found this song for you ... 

... plus the lyrics to help you see ...

... have a glimpse of my last 10 days ....

... and see that we're connected ....

... yes, we're connected ...

"Connected" 
Luke Dick 
9/16/12 

While I turn the pages of my book 
Across the world the author cooks 
She pours the wine, while I break the bread, 
Because we're connected 

Roots beneath my family tree, 
Deeper than the eyes can see, 
All tangled up like spiderwebs, 
Connected 

Drums in the darkness 
You can feel the pulse 
First there was star dust 
And now there's us 
All I ever was, 
All I'll ever be, 
Connected 

Can you still hear that cosmic spark, 
Cannons blasting in the dark, 
When we blew out like grains of sand, 
Connected 

Drums in the darkness 
You can feel the pulse 
First there was star dust 
And now there's us 
All I ever was, 
All I'll ever be, 
Connected 

So, pour the wine, I'll break the bread, 
We're all tangled up like spiderwebs, 
And here we are, still grains of sand, 
Connected.

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”  -- John Muir

Running Meditation

Running Meditation, Portland, Oregon, May 2008, Nikon D40 with 18-200mm VR lens, Focal length 50mm, Exposure 1/13 sec @ f4.8, ISO 800, exposure bias -1/3 stop, no flash, circular polarizing filter © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Step 2. Nurture Peace in Yourself
{continuing the series, by Susan Skog}
"The first step is to come home to ourselves. You don't need to become a Buddha. You need to become yourself." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

It's hard to stay peaceful if we're overwhelmed by life. Find some peace, calm, and stability in your inner world so you can be kinder in your outer world. Do whatever soothes you, daily. Spend time in nature, meditate, sing, dance, play, chill on the couch. Do yoga, read by the fire, eat good chocolate while watching an entire sunset. Disconnect from conflict and just breathe for a while. Center yourself and tap into the peace you already carry within.

For me, it is not the cushion, but simply time alone.

Walking or running, especially in nature, usually does the trick. I notice that a few things happen.

Sometimes I work out problems -- things that didn't seem clear or resolvable before, now I see a way ahead.

Sometimes my mind is elsewhere, and I am just part of the rhythm of my breath and my steps. During those times, I may just feel the eventual euphoria called the runner's high (which is pretty nice by itself).

But many times, I have little "aha" moments. When my mind is clear and not focused on anything, and then a new idea, disconnected from anything else, just pops into my head. It's a creative inspiration, and then my mind can take that and run with it.

Othertimes, what I'll call "deep thoughts" appear and I spend time examining them. Not looking for answers to questions, but twirling the issue around so that I can see all sides of it. I like to challenge my own biases and cultural prejudices, and see if I can examine it from another's point of view. I like to blend the "us vs them" perspectives, and help uncover how there is only "all as one".

So this is my approach to nurturing peace within myself. What's yours? Whatever works best for you -- just give it time.

Meditation

Industrious, Chiang Saen, Tailand, November 2005, Pentax Optio 555, Exposure 1/250 sec @ f4.5, ISO 64, no flash © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Meditation - a poem inspired by Thoreau

by Amy Belding Brown

For starters,
lie face down in the grass
and watch the industry
of ants
as they hunt and gather
endlessly.
They are relentless
in their pursuit
of affluence
and will attach themselves
to wreckage
twice their size;
they'll spend their whole afternoon
struggling to bring it
home to their
dark tunnels.

Then think --
does this remind you
of anyone
you know?

Next,
turn over
and face the empty sky.
Let your eyes rest
in that high blue field.
Notice the thousand variations
in that color
and how one sky
can hold them all.
Imagine yourself weightless,
falling upwards
drifting with the birds.

Then think --
does this remind you
of who you want
to be?
Cloud Ripples, Amherst, NH, September 2007, Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, Exposure 1/320 sec @ f16.0, ISO 80, no flash © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]