Day 20

Day 20 05/13/10:

Hi All,

Today is day 20, in the 100 day period between the San Francisco
and Nova Scotia retreats.

(Evening for me already, in Kyoto right now; early morning in California)

The last couple days I've used the 9-sec reminders each quarter of an
hour in a very simple way: each time I just asked myself "how can I
play as Being"?

It's one of these things: when you slow down and really look at one
thing with great attention it seems to keep changing beyond recognition
and you become unsure of what it is, or whether you ever knew it;
if that makes any sense :).

So many questions!
Once I start playing as Being, where am I and what is this I?
How to play as Being?
For starters, perhaps just let yourself be seen in all possible ways
from all possible directions, inner and outer, without trying to hide
into an ego fortification?
Instead of you seeing, letting Being see?
Not identifying with your (own limited picture of your) body and/or mind?

Just letting go of the tendency to clamp down, to centralize, to shrink
wrap the whole world of awareness around the little self-in-the-center.

I was reminded of the dzogchen quote that Trungpa sometimes used:

    Since all things are naked, clear
    and free from obscurations, there
    is nothing to attain or realize.

    The everyday practice is simply to
    develop a complete acceptance and
    openness to all situations and emotions.

    And to all people -- experiencing
    everything totally without reservations
    and blockages, so that one never
    withdraws or centralises onto oneself.

and of the Zen quote by Shodo Harada, a Zen teacher, still alive:

     As Rinzai said:

    ``In this five-foot lump of red flesh there is a true
    person of no rank always coming in and going out;
    if you have not seen it yet, see it now!''

    . . . It is always coming and going in and out of our body.
    When it goes out, if we see a flower, we become a flower;
    when we hear a beautiful bird's song, we become a singing bird.
    When we go within, we are hungry, sleepy, hot, and cold.
    There is a true master like that within each of us.

I look forward to hearing from some of you how you are playing with
the 100-day count down (or count up)!

Cheers,
Pema