2012.01.14 _ 26

Chanting practice in the morning, in the form of wordless reciting of one of my favorite chants. An ancient way to invite the mind to drop its habitual discursive thinking.

2012011413:13
On waking up in early morning, I keep my eyes closed, scanning my awareness. There is a kind of familiar basic drone: a diffuse anxiety. I recognize the tiny drumbeat crystallized in my nervous system: I listen to it for a short while. And I choose to let it go. I don't need that anymore. I breathe deeply. When I wake up again, hours later, I feel refreshed and rested. #timestamp

Too late in the day again. 20 minutes of sitting in the evening.
Came back to the "catch your thought before you articulate it" exercise. There is something there that you articulate, and then you fit the words to it. This articulates and refines the thought, but it also molds, and probably skews, the thought.

Pema: "Wordless reciting": how do you do that? edited 23:03, 14 Jan 2012

Spent hours setting up a new computer monitor. Tricky with my weak hands and arms but I managed it. Seeing how often I think some situation 'should' be a certain way, but able to let go of it more easily and just work with the way it IS.

Noticing some loss of need for 'stimulating' conversation which then allows for a lot of pleasure in the whole of an encounter. This is not exactly contrary to my usual sensibility in which looking out over miles of sand some things sparkle out as though asking for further inquiry; there is both the sparkle standing out and the sand as worthy. Tastes of equanimity of appreciation which doesn't dull distinction. edited 01:45, 15 Jan 2012

Woods walk in the unnaturally green and snow-free environment. As my feet touch soft earth and face feels breezes and nose smells and I pause to chat with the red squirrels inhabiting the middle arboreal levels I notice not-often used ways of being waking up. Me and my world are mutually multi-modal shape shifting. I recall how our dog Tara used to perk up with so much more life when out for a walk.