Secular Buddhism and Conceit

A discussion of the word "secular" from the Oxford English Dictionary

There are the main categories in which the word is used sense the word is used in 

1. of or pertaining to the world
2. of or pertaining to an age or long period

In the first sense from a religious sense it includes:

• people not living in monastic seclusion 
• belonging to the world and its affairs as distinguished from the church and religion; civil, lay, temporal. Chiefly used as a negative term, with the meaning non-ecclesiastical, non-religious or non-sacred
• of literature, history, art and the writers or artists not concerned with or devoted to the service of religion; not sacred; profane
• of education, instruction; relating to non-religious subjects - often implying the exclusion of religious teaching from education
• of or belonging to the present or visible world as distinguished from the eternal or spiritual world; temporal, worldly
• caring for the present world 

In the second sense it includes:

• occurring or celebrated once in an age [a period of existence] century or very long period
• living or lasting for an age or ages

So for me I'm a person of the modern world. I do not live in a monastery and nor do I want to. I'm generally happy in the "secular" world with all its trappings and seductions; food, drink (in great moderation), movies, video games, scuba diving, quilting, etc. I have struggled in my past with internal demons and have, what I consider to be, normal friction with my everyday life, including my almost 35 years of marriage and the father of 2 sons. I do look for guidance on how to be a better person in my explorations of Buddhism as a body of ideas and practices and more recently Greek philosophy or specifically Stoicism. 

 

A discussion of the word "conceit" from the Oxford English Dictionary

1. after the conceit discussion describe how I might or might not be conceited.
2. go point by point through Kevin Knox's blog post - especially around my distaste for the Buddha's non-egalitarian stance ... why is this a virtue?

Week 1 Reflections on The Seven Factors of Awakening

 From week 1 on a course on the seven factors of awakening.

• What supports you to feel at ease? 

Dharma talks, discussions, and readings. Meditating, nature walks, exercise, quilting, cross stitch are part of my practice. 

 

• How do you conceive of the journey towards awakening?

The old adage that it is more about the journey then the destination, really applies for me. The potential for awakening is what motivates me. The brief glimpses and moments of clarity are the sukha.

 

• Do any of the awakening factors interest you in particular: mindfulness, investigation of states, energy, joy, tranquility, unification of mind, equanimity?

The most difficult to understand and apply for me is equanimity. I always have to work to remind myself that this a heavenly abode. But I'm always starting from a place that this is a place of aloofness or selfishness that doesn't sound very liberating. 

• What supports you when practice is difficult?

Again it is about the journey. My faith, saddha, is a strong part of my practice. So if today I'm not feeling it I know I have tomorrow. I know deep down that the process and practice is good for me and my intimate and social relationships. I also try to embrace this reality of impermance and uncertainty.

• What does freedom feel like?

A mind at peace. I feel into my body, follow my breathe and then concentrate. From this I can arrive at a space that while expansive is still grounded. In a intimate or social setting it is slowingdown, making eye contact mostly listening and purposefully making appropriate responses. 

Morning readings

I have started a practice of reading philosophy each morning in bed as I wake up for up to a half-hour. 

This includes passages from Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius and a book by Luc Ferry, called A Brief History of Thought. 

My interest in Stoicism has been mainly aroused by Stephen Batchelor. However other sources have also had a strong influence on me. In particular, Sam Harris's app, Waking Up has a stoicism section with lectures/sermons/talks by William B Irvine which I find very interesting and helpful.

I read two passages from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. I use two translations. I contrast and compare each of them, especially the footnotes, which are often quite different. As each footnote tends to refer to another passage or footnote, I occasionally link to other readings in the Meditations. The two books I'm using for the Meditaitons are 

• The Penguim Classics version translated by Martin Hammon, with introduction by Diskin Clay
• The Basic Books version by Robin Waterfield

Luc Ferry's book is working its way through the history of ideas from early Stoicism onwards. I'm currently struggling through his description of Nietzche's philosophy. 

This makes for a wonderful way to start most days. 

Thanks to all Authors

I'd like to thank those people that write things down. Those that author books. I'm an avid reader. I love to learn. This love is supported by those people that also love to learn and want to share their learnings with others through the transmitted word. I love reading non-fiction and fiction.

It is important to learn the mistakes of the past else we are doomed to repeat them. I'm interested in people that have had outsized effects on our world; leaders, influencers, nurturers.

It is also important to be able to fantasize about the possible. While this is escapist it can also help us think of what we might want to aspire to or move away from.

I'm always reading many books at once. Right now I'm reading the following books

• Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein
• A biography of George Washington
• Non-Zero Sum by Robert Wright
• The Art of Flourishing
• Articles from the New York Times
• Articles from the Washington Post
• Chernobyl 01:23:40
• The Clearing 
• Practicing Meditative PsychoTherapy

Thanks to all authors!

Pithy Saying: Exercise enlivens my whole being. Every day I plan on spending some time exercising my body.

Father's Day Thanks

9:49

Thanks to all Fathers! Thanks to my father! Thanks to my mother's father. Thanks to their fathers!

My father died at 50. I'm now approaching my 60th birthday. He struggled with what he wanted to "be", all his life. For the last part of his life, he made some choices that were difficult for me to understand and remain so. As for the rest of his life, he was an inspiration and a role model; a father, a doctor, a US Navy Officer, an above average piano player (he said he had aspirations to be a concert pianist), always thin, kind to others. Thanks Dad!

A lot of fathers struggle with what their role should be; macho, kind, strong, emotional, loving, disciplined. I know because I struggled as a father. But all should know, that each of us is trying to the best of our abilities.

Thanks to all Fathers!

Pithy Saying: By expressing my feelings and experiences in writing, I can cope more effectively with the challenges in my life. Start a journal .... heh I'm kinda doing this one!

Thank you Sandee - My Root Guru Master Yoga Teacher

Today I'd like to thank my yoga teacher, Sandee Versace (here on Facebook).

I take her yoga classes four times a week. She is an inspiration. I know she is not perfect, but she keeps herself in fantastic shape. She always changes up her classes so they never get boring. After class, we talk about our children, our partners (a little), and our lives. She pushes me to stay physically fit. She loves my ujjai breath. She tells me that she misses me when I miss her class. I am one of her only male regulars, there are one or two others, though. I tease her by saying she is my Root Guru Master Yoga Teacher ... each time the title gets longer.

thanks Sandee! (especially for the nice hugs, when we know we won't see each other for awhile!)

Pithy comment: Watch a sunrise at least once a year. (From Life's Little Instructions)

Thanks to all workers

This thought of gratitude came into my mind as I was reflecting on my dive yesterday with a dive master that I paid to be my guide. The guide was a young lady who had got her degree in Ocean Science. She wants to get a Master's Degree in Environmental Policy, which re-affirmed my faith in our youth doing the right thing despite our current presidential dementia. While I did pay her for her guiding job, she performed the job with professionalism, joy, and vigor. So I'd like to thank all the guides and dive masters who have helped me on dives where they have been around.

Even though people are paid to do their jobs, most people do the jobs with a positive attitude, with an idea of "no harm to others" shall come from my work. A meditation I've been pondering is to reflect on all those people who held me for the first 48 hours of my life here on Earth. From my mother's womb, nurses, midwives, doctors, and my mother held me gently, swaddled me, fed me, cleaned me and soothed and cuddled me. From then until now countless people have assisted me in my daily living without me even being conscious of it.

Thanks to all the workers and others who make my life possible.

Pithy statement: By expressing my feeling and experiences in writing I can cope more effectively with the challenges in my life. Begin writing in a journal. (Well I am trying to do this gratitude blog daily <grin>)