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Dialogue for Lodging - A Zen Story

A traveling Zen monk can earn lodging at a temple if he is able to win an argument about Buddhism, but if he is defeated, he has to move on.

In a temple in the northern part of Japan two brothers monks were dwelling together. The elder one was learned, but the younger one was stupid and had but one eye.

A wandering monk came and asked for lodging properly challenging them to a debate about the sublime teaching. The elder brother, tired that day from much studying, told the younger one to take his place. '
Go and request the dialogue in silence,’ he cautioned.


The young monk and the stranger went to the shrine and sat down. Shortly afterwards the traveler rose and went in to the elder brother and said: 'Your young brother is a wonderful fellow. He defeated me.'

 'Relate the dialogue to me,' said the elder one.

'Well,' explained the traveler,' first I held up one finger, representing Buddha, the enlightened one. So he held up two fingers, signifying Buddha and his teaching. I held up three fingers representing Buddha, his teaching, and his followers living the harmonious life. Then he shook his clenched fist in my face, indicating that all three come from one realization. Thus he won and so I have no right to remain here.' With this, the traveler left.

'Where is that fellow?' asked the younger one, running in to his elder brother.

“I understand you won the debate.'

'Won nothing. I'm going to beat him up.'

‘Tell me the subject of the debate,' asked the elder one.

'Why, the minute he saw me he held up one finger, insulting me by insinuating that I have only one eye. Since he was a stranger, I thought I would be polite to him, so I held up two fingers congratulating him that he has two eyes. Then the impolite wretch held up three fingers, suggesting that between us we only have three eyes. So I got mad and started to punch him, but he ran out and that ended it.’

From Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

Chocolate Thoughts, Zen Thoughts!

Recently, I've allowed a love for chocolate to get out of control. Everyday, around 3 pm, I have one thought going through my head: CHOCOLATE. I then make a quick trip to the gas station to satisfy the craving and then spend the next hour wondering why I did it because I feel gross. I believe with anything you do in life, you should do it with a zen mind. My current out of control chocolate eating does not in any way exhibit a zen mind.

How to tame the desire? Is it necessary to tame the desire? How do you actually tame a desire? These are my first thoughts as I try to reconfigure a perception that is bringing me down. There has been some weight gain and other unhealthy foods justified because of my gateway drug which is chocolate. I feel like I could save a few bucks or put them to better use by not buying a treat everyday. I could list all the reasons why this eating obsession is causing me grief, but I'd rather share my resolution.

Observe the picture below:

Why do I like this? How come this brings me so much clarity? Can rocks and sand bring clarity? It does. This picture has overcome obstacles by gently flowing past them. It is clean and crisp bringing about thoughts of organization and focus. This is the result of a zen mind. This mind is what I will apply to my chocolate desires. Do I need to be extreme and eliminate all chocolate, sugars, sweets, or anything chocolate brown? No. I need to be more aware of the cause and effect and become more mindful of my body. I'll only have this body once during my tiny duration on our tiny pale blue dot in the middle of no where, so I'd better take care of it and be careful. 

I plan on becoming more strict about eating chocolate, other sweets, and junk food. I will need to eliminate the unnecessary and make better choices from my diet. I will incorporate knee friendly exercise back into my life and I will report back once I'm done. I owe it to myself as human being who appreciates life, a husband, zen practitioner and iaidoka for life. 

For now, I leave you with this zen thought by Suzuki Roshi:

“In fact, the truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act; not merely to reflect.” 

Wisdom from the Wise

We learn about sayings and deeds of the men of old in order to entrust ourselves to their wisdom and prevent selfishness. When we throw off our own bias, follow the sayings of ancients, and confer with other people, matters should go well and without mishap. -Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Deplorable Actions and the Media

My heart goes out to those dear children who had their lives brutally taken from them yesterday morning. To the brave faculty and staff dead and alive, and anyone else who was doing what they do everyday at that school when mayhem struck.
Many around me felt the need to begin dialogue about gun control and all the things that they wanted to do to the shooter. These are natural thoughts to have in this terrible moment, but save them for later. Instead of taking a political stand on Facebook or Twitter, pray for the victims and their families who have one less family member this holiday season.

Morgan Freeman shared his thoughts on this tragedy:

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.
It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations­, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

10 Steps to Declutter Your Mind

I walked into the kitchen this morning, turned around immediately, then groggily went back to bed where I decided to sleep in a bit longer and avoid the dishes altogether. Laying there for a moment I decided that I must attend to even the little things, and the sooner I get it done, the better I'll feel about the situation in the sink.
I pulled out my laptop, turned on a DJ Kutski hard dance playlist and began washing like a madman. When did my wife and I acquire all these dishes? What is this pink stuff, we've not eaten anything pink recently? Who knew cheese was really a cheap epoxy glue?
Finished. It took me 40 minutes to wash, scrub, chisel, sandblast, and place into the dishwasher all of the dishes that I'd helped make their home in the sink in the first place. Relieved.
How did I let all these dishes build up like this? Currently, I am finding many things in my life a cluttered mess like those dishes. I let a busy work and school schedule overwhelm me and fail to remain organized and plan out my days. It's time to declutter immediately and to simplify my life.

Here are the ten steps I will be using to overcome the clutter.

1. Breathe. So simple, and yet so effective. Sit down and focus on your breathing whenever you can.

2. Now. Forget about the past, stop worrying about the future. Keep your focus on today, this second, now. Live for the moment and never let a precious second go to waste.

3. Write it down. When it seems like you don't have enough time and you have too many things on your plate write it all down and plan from there. Organizing our thoughts on paper will allow us to relax and keep our hectic lives less chaotic. Your goal is to identify essential tasks and eliminate things that can really wait.

-Identify the essential. Identify what is most important for you to do today and what you must focus on right now. Make a short list and put your planner or that $1.99 app you bought months ago to good use.
-Eliminate. Remove the non essential tasks that can be done another day or break them up so that they become more manageable.

6. Sleep. Are you getting enough sleep? Are those late nights on Facebook or trying to study last minute for an exam really helping your cause? Sleeping allows your body to rest and recover. When you don't have enough sleep your health suffers. Some people require 7 hours, others need 9, so know your own body and what it requires to feel energized and revitalized each day. Hit the sac sooner than later.

7. Exercise. Become aware of your physical abilities and exercise daily. If this means lifting 5 pound dumbbells or walking for 15 minutes because that is all you can do then DO it. Make exercising a priority and see how much it can change your life. See my wife's blog for some great exercise ideas and tips: coachtiasorensen.wordpress.com. 

8. Appreciate the world around you. Next time you're out walking to a destination or taking the trash out, STOP! Stop and appreciate the world around you and take a minute to appreciate the beauty of this world. Gaze at the stars in the night time sky, watch a bug crawl around, or spend a moment observing the way the neighbors tree is growing. When you begin to appreciate the beauty of the world at large, all those little things you stress about or that cause you anxiety aren't such a problem anymore.

9. Let go. Worrying about something? Angry or frustrated with someone? Digging up the past? Harboring a grudge? While these are all natural emotions and thoughts, none of them are really necessary. Do your best to let go of them. This can be very difficult, but is very rewarding.

10. Declutter the external. Clean and organize your home. Put things away or find places for them. Like the dishes in my sink, I felt much better when they were clean and put away. Do this to your home and you're more likely to be productive, rid yourself of procrastination, and succeed at many things.

Iwayama Blog - Hiatus

I apologize for the long hiaitus from the dojo blog! New posts coming soon!