a buddhist carnival – 9th edition, part 2

a small buddha in natureand here is part 2 of this month’s buddhist carnival. part 1 is here.

exercise as practice
unapologetic genius discusses exercise as meditative practice, something i also enjoy tremendously. being present to my body, my body who is present to me at all times, can bring an exquisite experience of reality. in fact, i think it’s a fascinating topic, and am putting it on my (admittedly rather long) list of things to blog about. at any rate, here is a little excerpt:

instead of a scattered mind, fear, and unconsciousness, i bring consciousness with me to the gym. i close my eyes, focus on my body, being in it, the movements, and my breathing (which is usually the yogic ujjayi breath. but that’s not nearly as important as simply watching the breath). i’m there, moving and feeling my body and breath, present to each breath and movement.

what are you soaking in?
my twitter friend lisa rokusek has this interesting entry:

buddha said, “what you think, you become” what we soak in really makes a difference.

i can feel something changing inside me. this week i breathe easily, relax more fully, laugh with a deeper appreciation, and am feeling less angst.

it isn’t a lack of stress, i mean i have leapt from the cliff and there is no safety net in sight. the bills have to be paid, food must be purchased, and i forgot to put the wow account on hold and paid 15 bucks for an account we aren’t using. life goes on and a lot is sitting on my shoulders. it is scary – but i am starting to defrost from the panic i felt. i have to hustle, i have to pick up the phone, i have to connect with people in a very competitive business. so i do it. but, there is a seismic shift happening deep inside me and i honestly didn’t see it coming.

find out what she was marinating in, on her blog, the rhino and the buddha.

attachment and projection
“marinating” is such a great word to use to understand the related topic of attachment, which is something that urban monk talks about. in fact, come to think of it, “marinating” might be an even better word. “attachment” conjures the image of object A connected to object B with some sort of string, or if it’s stronger, perhaps through velcro. attachment is stronger still, though. most of the time we are completely entangled in it, steeped in it. and what keeps us in this marinade is often our projections:

when we become attached to something or someone, we do not see it or them as they are. often, all we see are our projections. we see them for what we think they can provide, or more accurately, what we think we lack. through a mansion, we seek the respect we feel we lack. through wealth, we seek security. by finding a lover, or by having endless sex, we think we have love and attention.

but a mansion is just a mansion, money just money. they only have the value we give them, and very so often, we project on to them a false and disproportionate importance. this is even worse when we project our needs on human beings – no longer do we treat them as human beings, but as objects to be used.

… and what does non-attachment look like?
go here for a famous zen story.

well, friends, that’s it for this round of the buddhist carnival.

what do you think? what’s your experience with all of this – with attachment, projection, practice? let me know, let’s talk!

and please come back for the next buddhist carnival, on september 15. any articles you’d like to see? submit them here.

(image by oceandesetoiles)

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