Mindfulness immersed in the body

From GBOF - Gay Buddhist Fellowship Yahoo Group

"Furthermore, the monk reflects on this very body from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin and full of various kinds of unclean things: 'In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine.' Just as if a sack with openings at both ends were full of various kinds of grain — wheat, rice, mung beans, kidney beans, sesame seeds, husked rice — and a man with good eyesight, pouring it out, were to reflect, 'This is wheat. This is rice. These are mung beans. These are kidney beans. These are sesame seeds. This is husked rice'; in the same way, the monk reflects on this very body from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin and
full of various kinds of unclean things: 'In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine.' And as he remains thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, any memories & resolves related to the household life are abandoned, and with their abandoning his mind gathers & settles inwardly, grows unified & centered. This is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Kayagata-sati Sutta (MN 119)

Body Contemplation: A Study Guide prepared by Thanissaro Bhikkhu at www.accesstoinsight.org (probably the definitive source for Theravadan teachings)
"

BP-mood

Mood - 6

I would rate my current mood at 6. I feel peaceful and calm perhaps slightly depressed. I can attribute at least part of this to events in my life. I am studying Buddhism in several ways - Reading, practice, videos (not strictly Busshist perhaps, but related). My sister has been away for a week now so I have been able to be at peace with nothing to get worked up about. I believe that I am on the path where I do not let myself react so much. I believe this because it had started to happen last week when I had a little epiphany and just surrendered to my life. This doesn't mean that the struggle does not go on of course.

A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey

"Knowing yourself deeply has nothing to do with whatever ideas are floating around in your mind. Knowing yourself is to be rooted in Being and not lost in your mind."

bp-mood

Note: I will start using a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being suicidal depression and 10 being fantastically elated

Mood Scale # 7 - I feel pretty good. It is a little after 10 and I have accomplished several things already that I can feel good about accomplishing. I look forward to therapy. I am watching the Oprah/Tolle series on youtube. It is quite helpful. Almost nothing that does not agree with my Zen practice. Perhaps nothing at all.

the present

From Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle's Series, "A New Earth".

"Nothing has happened in the past that can prevent you from being in the present now - and if the past can not prevent you from being in the present now, what power does it have?"

Eckhart Tolle


How can this not be true by anyone's thinking?

bp-mood

My present mood is one of anxiety and sadness and a ray of hope. I feel afraid, low-energy, and lonely. I have been thinking that, since it is still early in the day, that I would walk across the street and sit for a half hour in the site there. I am surrounded by nature animals and plants but I stay buried in this rv. Just one step outside will be a start.

Moods

This blog's main purpose (and its "purpose" will probably be redefined often) is to study Buddhism, Zen and therefore myself. Part of who I think I am is, in psychological terms a "bi-polar man seeking healing".

To support that kind of healing it is important that I track my moods - since bp is a mood disorder. I will start nothing them at fairly regular periods and I will tag and title them with "bp-mood" to keep them seperate from other posts.