Impermanence

Last post here. I may or may not start a new blog.
I feel this one no longer represents “my” practice.
If it has helped you, made you laugh or cry or feel something you thought you had lost or glimpsed at something bigger, that’s great. Move on. There is nothing left to see here.
If I start a new blog I will provide a link to the left. Here and now I don’t think I will.
I will continue to update the shakuhachi files when I can.

Be well and happy
Gassho!
Jordan

A Quarterly (sort of) Review.

Like with practice I do not want to judge things on a good or bad level but just look back at what I have learned for myself since I have started this “blog Experience”

1. How you feel pain is relative to how you feel about pain.

2. Warming up before practice makes the practice a bit more bearable.

3. Find a good Councilor. Not easy but well worth it.

4. First impressions are not always correct. Try not to judge.

5. I really need to find a good teacher for the Shakuhachi.

6. It is all about you!

7. Every thing is impermanent. Even mountains and rivers.

8. The mirror principle

9. Being compassionate is part of the practice. It can take time.

10. An Elephant will Squash a Tiger to protect its herd.

11. There are some amazingly good people out there.

12. I really need to find a good Shakuhachi Teacher.

13. Some people like to jump in front of rifles.

14. having fun has consequences.

This journey has been a learning experience for me. Thank all of you for your comments and support. May you be well and happy!

Gassho
Jordan

MY PRACTICE

After the tone of my last post I thought it was time for something fun, to the tune of any other Marine practitioners should be very familiar with….

MY PRACTICE
THIS IS MY PRACTICE, THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE. MY PRACTICE IS MY BEST FRIEND. IT IS MY LIFE. I MUST MASTER IT AS I MASTER MY LIFE. WITHOUT ME IT IS USELESS, WITHOUT MY PRACTICE I AM USELESS.

I WILL PRACTICE TRUE, I MUST PRACTICE STRAIGHTER THAN MY DELUSION WHICH IS TRYING TO CAUSE SUFFERING, I MUST PRACTICE CESSATION BEFORE I SUFFER....I WILL. MY PRACTICE AND MYSELF KNOW WHAT COUNTS IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT ENLIGHTENMENT, THE NOISE OF OUR CHANTS, NOR THE SMOKE WE MAKE. WE KNOW THAT IT IS PRACTICE THAT COUNTS. WE WILL SIT...

MY PRACTICE IS EVEN AS I, BECAUSE IT IS MY LIFE. THUS I WILL LEARN IT AS A BROTHER, LEARN ITS WEAKNESSES, ITS STRENGTHS, ITS PARTS, ITS ACCESSORIES, ITS CERIMONIES AND ITS PRAYRS. I WILL EVER GUARD IT AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF SAMSARA AND DOUBT. I WILL KEEP MY PRACTICE CLEAN AND READY, EVEN AS I AM CLEAN AND READY. WE WILL BECOME PART OF EACH OTHER. WE WILL...

BEFORE MYSELF I SWEAR THIS CREED, MY PRACTICE AND MYSELF ARE THE DEFENDERS OF MY UNIVERSE, WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR SELVES, WE ARE THE SAVIORS OF MY LIFE. SO BE IT, UNTIL THERE IS NO SAMSARA BUT PEACE.


Gassho!
Jordan

I fire my weapon

When I fire my weapon, weather or not in the sitting, kneeling, standing or prone position, some things remain constant. I look through the rear sight aperture, line up my target with my front site tip to ensure the front site tip is centered in the rear site aperture, and ensure the front site tip is center mass on my target. Focusing on the target, and not the front site tip, a slow steady squeeze of the trigger. The round will travel down range and either hit or miss the target. If I miss the target I will adjust the windage and elevation knobs of my sights and fire again.
Some people I have come to care about give the impression not to know the function of windage and elevation.
Taking the same stance with the same sights over and over, not making adjustments, and continue to send rounds down range with the same result, missing.

The target is in front of you.

Gassho
Jordan

Shakuhachi Files up

For anyone interested there is now a link to the left for my shakuhachi files.
I can only upload 30 second clips for now and I don’t know what the cap will be when I am done with the probationary period.

No perfect sounds from me. I am still getting to know the 2.2 and my embroshure is leaving me wasting some breath.

Every new shakuhachi I get I seem to have to start from the beginning learning all the lessons over again just to be comfortable with the flute.

Gassho
Jordan

The beneficiary of greatness

The beneficiary of greatness

Today I am still concerned for the tiger.
I would like to thank him; he has helped me clarify something I had not been thinking about.

On to more important things! I have been the recipient of a magnificent act of non-attachment.

I have removed the name and edited the e-mails at my benefactor’s request.

I came across your blog from your comments on Brad's blog which I read upon occasion. I am ex-military stationed on the OMITTED and am also a Buddhist among others things. I also occasionally save turtles (most of mine were during a solo bike ride I took from OMITTED to OMITTED earlier this year, though they were considerably smaller than your turtle). As part of my Buddhist practice of non-attachment I like to give away things that I have to people I think would make better use of them. I have two shakuhatchis that I had made for me back in grad school in 98 when I first encountered the instrument and became interested in learning to play. Since then, while I still love the sound, I have not had the time to really pursue my interest in the instruments nor am likely to anytime soon. Rather than continue to gather dust I would rather have them used by someone who will appreciate them. The pair cost me about $700 back then, custom made by someone in the OMITED area who, while not a master, had been making them for about 10 years at the time and so while they are not concert quality they are better then something you are likely to pick up in a music store. The larger one is in the key of B and the smaller one D (if I remember correctly). They larger one has a hairline crack in the top which I have filled in with beeswax though since both have cast resin inserts it does not affect the sound as far as I can tell. If you will send me a mailing address I will ship them both off to you gratis with the following stipulations:

1: you enjoy playing them.
2: If you record any songs with them you send me a copy occasionally as I sometimes like to meditate with shakuhatchi music in the background.
3: if you get a $20 million recording contract playing them you give me a cut so I can pay off my student loans this incarnation.
4: if you know a secret to sitting zazen all day long without legs falling asleep or kneecaps catching on fire you let me in on it.

Gassho,

OMITTED

And my own response:

Gassho! Of course I am the turtle I spend most of my efforts trying
to save. The one in the picture is a desert tortoise I met while in
29 palms playing OPFOR (the bad guys) during my last MEUEX. He was
crossing the dirt road when we were headed back to main side, when I
saw him we stopped and waited for him to go on his merry way. I was
grateful for the opportunity to meet such a rare and magnificent
being.

I am sorry to here that you are unable to play and would be happy to
be the beneficiary of your non-attachment.
I will put my address here because I know I would enjoy them and they
would be played (poorly but lovingly) but before I do this I will also
recommend that you may want to consider placing them on E-Bay and
donating the money to a worthy cause?

If you decide to pass them on to me I will certainly play a rendition
of my three songs and some Suizen as soon as I am able to put a
microphone on my computer.

To answer your stipulations:

1: I would enjoy deepening my practice with these flutes.
2: I will make a special effort to ensure you get a recording of my
playing, I will likely even practice more knowing there is someone
listening.
3: In the unlikely event that I get any money from playing Shakuhachi
I will ensure you get a cut. Although after I send you a recording
you may see that it is not likely.
4: This one I can actually help with. For the legs falling asleep try
to only sit on the edge of your cushion. That should prevent
the circulation from being cut off, for preventing your kneecaps from
catching on fire try this,
A: do not try and sit Zazen all day, try
to keep it between 30-40 minute intervals.
B: Between sitting intervals, do some walking meditation or even better some basic Yoga stretching.
C: in the morning before you sit try the exercises outlined here:
http://membres.lycos.fr/zenmontpellier/Lotus-english.html some of the
translation is a bit dodgy but if you just follow the pictures it is
enough.
I find a huge difference in my own practice when I make time to do
these exercises and when I do not. I hope it works for you as well as
it has for me.

Be well and happy!
Jordan

The flutes came Thursday and they are beautiful. The larger produces a booming Ro that is truly amazing. I have a Microphone for my computer and will begin trying to figure out how to do a recording soon. If anyone out there reading this knows the “skillful means” of putting sound files on blogger please let me know and I will post sounds up here on occasion.

One last thing, my benefactor asked to remain anonymous for fear it may swell his ego.

If your ego can encompass the whole universe it is just big enough not to exist.

I was going to write something about non attachment, but I think this is fine for now.

Gassho!
Jordan