Recent Thought Sampler

…some of the things running through mind lately:

• a lot of good things happen around here, lots of work gets done, without my ever having to do anything. these are gifts, the gifts of community/communal living. i understand this as a bigger kind of family household. it must be true of larger community as well, though we don’t often notice it this way, clouded as we are so often by transactions.
• there is a sect in japan, many decades old now, of people who’s spiritual practice is cleaning, especially cleaning bathrooms. they go out door-to-door and ask to clean for people. some have been born into this community and grown up in it. remarkable. that really is a lifetime of service. must be very satisfying. i know the cleaning i’m doing here at jamyang is informing inner, outer and cyber cleaning for me.
• it might be that learning anything, even how to clean a place like this, or how to navigate a city — anything — has the same inner sensations of satisfaction, flow. as long as the learning curve keeps extending itself, flow only requires that demands and skills be matched. and it seems that that really can happen anywhere.
• words, thoughts, stories are outer expressions (or repressions) of inner feelings that are themselves constructed on (of?) sensations. there is a space still beneath the sensations. something flows through it. and it might not be so different from the flow of learning.
• what if the recent run up in housing prices, and other assets, financed by excessive consumer borrowing is actually a new form of a run on the banks? mostly it’s a security-driven movement by individuals, seeking to assure their own individual safety, to withdraw their assets from productive lending and stuff it under the mattress in the form of new carpet, a new living room, a pile of vacation pictures, whatever. but how can so much withdrawing be re-deposited and re-applied to productive purposes?
• it feels good to work so hard at outer and inner and cyber involvements, at all hours, that scheduled days off generate deep, long, entirely guilt-free afternoon naps and other kindnesses to self.
• geshe tashi, resident teacher here, has been taking a little time between teachings after lunch to build cabinets for the library. ikea specials, easy to build. been wondering a bit at the focus and care he brings to this work. and the in-out, on-off switch that lets him work for 20 minutes and then leave the project in whatever state, until tomorrow. or next life. focus and care not separate. been testing same on emails and weblogs, with partial success. it is my habit to work until it’s done, rather than only so long as ease and circumstances allow.
• Time for the next thing…