Tuesday, May 3, 2011
My zazen practice
Sitting zazen for 15 minutes is very easy for me. That is because I have practiced zazen in the morning and night for 15-20 minutes every day since two years ago. Therefore, zazen practice becomes an essential part of my daily life.
During today’s zazen session, I visualized a path in a beautiful city in my mind. It was so comfortable and energetic with a lot of greenery and beautiful sunshine. It looked like Pleasant Hill. I didn’t think of anything, but I only enjoyed the beautiful scene and relaxed in it. During the session, I lost my time sensation and I found myself that 15 minutes already passed…
The reason why zazen practice is helpful in my daily life is that zazen makes me aware of being now and lets me relax. Now, we tend to be surrounded by too much information, for example, internet, TV, mobile phone, and magazines... There is a lot of information in our life, which we can’t handle, and is flooded into our mind. As a result, we are apt to lose the sense of being now and feel busy and uncomfortable. I suppose that zazen practice gives us the wonderful opportunity to restore the sense of being now. Even if we live in a rush, we will obtain the feeling of freedom, calmness, comfortableness and relaxation if we have only to sit zazen for 15 minutes in a day.
For my experience, in the beginning of starting zazen practice, I couldn’t sit zazen for less than 15 minutes. Practicing it every day, I became able to sit zazen for long minutes little by little, and I sometimes continued practicing for 40-60 minutes. The hardest part of anything is taking the first step. However, once you build up the habit of zazen in your daily life like brushing of teeth, you can achieve a true inner peace.
My life is training to satori: Comparing the Theravada with Mahayana
Although both of the Theravada and Mahayana have strict monastic traditions, there are differences between them in the following points. The Theravada is called “Teachings of the Elders”, and the aim is to help only a few people who went through rigorous trainings. On the other hand, the Mahayana is called “Great Vehicle”, and the purpose is to help all animate beings.
For me, the Mahayana is more attractive than the Theravada. That is because I suppose that the Theravada focuses on the rescue of individual, but the Mahayana pays attention to others with altruistic love. Please look at a lot of serious problems in the world now, for example, global warming, disastrous war, and economic crisis... Why these problems were happened? I know that there are various complicated reasons in these problems, but I think that one of the reasons is lack of thoughtful consideration to others. It is true that the quality of our life is improving day by day. However, how about is the wealth of our heart? Do we become egocentric too much? Do we need to be more worldcentric? Please remember the teaching of the Mahayana, altruistic love. Therefore, I believe that the Mahayana has greater wisdom to offer the world right now.
Regarding to the personal and social transformation, please ask yourself this question: “Who is Buddha?” Buddha is me? Buddha is you? Buddha is he or she? I suppose that all the answers are right, because Buddha is the universe and we are the universe. Therefore, all of us are Buddha.
Of course, we need severe trainings to become Buddha. However, our life is full of ups and downs. Can anyone deny the idea that our life is not full of strict ascetic and spiritual trainings? In my view, our life is the journey of training in itself, and we walk along a path to satori every day. I’d like to live my life mindfully being aware of the idea that my life is a kind of training to satori.
Monday, May 2, 2011
The differences of work style between America and Japan
Now, I research the differences of work style between America and Japan for my paper in Research Writing class. When I worked in Japan, some of my foreign colleagues said to me “There are some difficult points to understand in Japanese business culture.” I’m interested in what he said. Also, I want to work in America in my future, so this research will help me a lot. As a famous proverb says “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” it is important to grasp the four quadrants in American business world. I’ll cover the points of the above chart in my research paper, but I want to have more ideas…
Reference:
1 A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science and Spirituality
2 Competitive Business, Caring Business
Arts for me: into another reality
Yesterday, I went to an art gallery in Berkeley. I like not only arts in itself but also the space and time in an art gallery. It takes me to a non-ordinary state of consciousness. Standing in front of a picture, I feel that time stops... and then an picture leads me into the world of its work. Next, I start some dialogues with me, and feel various feeling and emotions. Perhaps, seeing arts will be a kind of a good shadow work. Now, I become interested in arts therapy.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Fast & Furious: Fast Five
Tonight, I watched a movie “Fast & Furious: Fast Five” in a theater. By chance I could watch it in 3D. It was so exciting! While watching, I felt calm, anxiety, excited, joyful, funny, thrilled and free. I understood the meaning of “almost all movies contain at least one of four universal stages of transformation” (Tav, 2009). I moved from the safe zone to the trapped zone, war zone and free zone… A movie lets us experience “death and rebirth.” I'm intrigued by "Movie Yoga", so I want to learn it more from the book.
The cast includes Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Elsa Pataky, Joaquim de Almeida and Dwayne Johnson.
Individual and Group Transformational Practice List (Chronological Order)
This list shows individual or group transformational exercises (various types of shadow works), which I learned from my class or my friend (study group) at JFKU. Before coming to America, I had a few shadow works such as 3-2-1 shadow work, but I experienced and learned many shadow works not only individual works but also group works. I appreciate my instructor and my friends. In the future, I’d like to share them in Japan.
| Date | Practice | Memo |
| 4/5 2011 | Self Reflection Writing Practice: What does spirituality mean to me? | Psychosynthesis class @JFKU |
| 4/6 | Loosh Dialogue | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/7 | Dream Work: Dream Sharing | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/7 | Dream Writing | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/9 | Group Psychotherapy | @JFKU Berkeley Campus |
| 4/12 | Self Reflection Writing Practice: Authentic Unifying Center in my life now | Psychosynthesis class @JFKU |
| 4/13 | Bohm Dialogue | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/19 | Dis-Identification Exercise | Psychosynthesis class @JFKU |
| 4/19 | Soul Letter Technique | Psychosynthesis class @JFKU |
| 4/26 | Subpersonality Exercise | Psychosynthesis class @JFKU |
| 4/27 | Hot Seat Dialogue? | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/28 | The Combination with Bohm Dialogue and Dream Work | Study Group @JFKU |
| 4/29 | Movie Yoga | Study Group @Friend’s house |
Movie Yoga
Today, I practiced “Movie Yoga” with my friends. I’ve never heard “Movie Yoga” before. I was intrigued by it and it was fantastic for me! It’s a new kind of Yoga. However, the discussion between my friends was difficult to understand. A lot of unknown words were flooded into my mind, so I panicked… I’m used to face to face conversation in English little by little, but it may take more time to grasp the group conversation or discussion. I hope that I will enjoy a group dialogue soon.
Oh, I was sorry that I didn’t explain about “Movie Yoga.” Haha. Movie Yoga is put forward by Tav Sparks, which is a kind of transformational exercise watching a movie. The author said "Movie Yoga shows us how to celebrate the grand sweep of life in all its manifestations as being part of a great mystery and wholeness that we will always be moving toward. And to watch a hellava lot of movies while we’re at it."
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