One of the most learned and highly trained American-born lamas in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. He is a meditation teacher and author.
So — SOS! Stop meditating.
LOL
On a more serious note:
Ultimately you must be a light unto yourself, as Buddha said, and make and experience your own choices.
Solitary spiritually-focused time is much rarer these days than professional work or creative arts time, and should not be easily let slip by or taken for granted. It is transformation and enlightenment that counts, not the actions themselves. Rocks and frogs too sit all day, but who knows what they are accomplishing, spiritually speaking.
Time is of the essence. Time is life — what else is there? Quality time is the thing, not just quantity. As Buddha said: One moment of true (nirvanic) peace is better than a life lived one hundred years. And one word that brings such authentic peace is far better than a thousand words which simply stir up emotions and ideas.
Stillness and calm is not the ultimate state of mind, but is a good place to start and try to develop. Yet don’t mistake mere silence or quiescent stillness for inner peace and contentment, which is beyond the polarities and dichotomies of noise and quiet, stillness and movement, action and inaction, etc. The Great Peace of awakened awareness-wisdom when realized is available amidst and activity, at any decibel level, anywhere and anytime… It’s beyond any of us yet immanent in each of us and in every moment, every place, every finite thing. The whole may move and change is the law, yet mysteriously enough each part is as if totally still.
Creativity and imagination may very well be part of the spiritual life, and need not be suppressed; rather, it can be channeled constructively and integrated into the entire dance of being. For example, writing and teaching are both part of my practice. Yet I am someone who has probably logged as many hours of contemplative TUSH ON THE CUSH in this life as any American and like to meditate every morning as well as outdoors in nature during the day.
Lightening up while enlightening up, Buddhas have more fun. Ya’ just can’t believe whatever you think, Buddha’s not pretending. Practice is perfect. Live to love and learn to love. The heart is an organ of perception.
Have you serious seekers and existential questers ever unleashed your inner genie and tried Laughing Meditation? Graveyard Walking and Tombstone Reflecting? Music Listening? Film Meditation and Cinema Samadhi? Lucid Dreaming? Relational Mindfulness? Nature Merging? All these are part for the essential practices of American Dharma, I truly believe. (I’m not joking.)
Our greater altruistic mission and meaningful purpose is dedicating ourselves to the future through the present. This is where Buddhist awareness and the practice of nowness comes in handy.
I like to remember what Tony Blair said at Davos Economic Summit in spring: Idealism is the new realism, given our currently increasing understanding of interdependence and interconnectedness.
Why become a mere Buddhist when you can become a Buddha?
Or as we say in Texas: Remember the Bodhi Tree!
I think you mean “alter,” unless you’re playing with words.
Interesting you should mention “graveyard walking” and “tombstone reflecting.” I have always loved cemeteries, have never bought into the creepy myth about them, but they are really awesome places where I can look at the tombstone that is the culmination of that person’s life and possessions, and think about how it was to be them in their time, how brief our time is here in the scope of things.
I’ll stick to being Tom for now but thanks for the Buddha invitation. Maybe next time around they’ll be enough room in the Buddhas’ body.
Humble opinion re: Tony Blair comment; it’s called “Social Dependence”, caused by dishonesty, avoidance, unrealistic expectations & projection on the downhill slope that lies make of life. 🙂
I do things I enjoy and call it work so I can mix my spiritual time with my work. Not always successful but I have a realistic expectation of myself and life goes on. We all have the same quantity of moments, it’s the quality of our choice that make a moment what it is; an experience.
On another note, thought you might find this site interesting: http://home.trbailey.net/trb titled My Past Life Weblog
A link would be nice if you feel it’s appropriate.