Notes

With palms together, Good Morning Everyone, Yesterday I offered my second teaching on meditation at the Mesilla Valley Hospice. We discussed chanting meditations and the practice of Tonglen, a Tibetan practice that helps us to create compassion and equanimity in our lives and the lives of others. The teaching was well attended and the participants were excellent students. Offering tools to others is a wonderful practice. Moses Maimonides taught that the highest form of giving was to assist others toward taking care of themselves. And many Zen teachers offer a teaching in very short order, then shuts up. A good teacher offers and then recedes. I am not such a good teacher, I suspect, as I tend to talk WAY too much. I will work on this. Divergent thinkers are like that. We tend to begin on "X" and before we are done, not only have we gotten to "Z", but we've touched on "A" to "W", as well. This can be delightful from an artistic or spiritual POV, but has the ability to drive others crazy. And, of course, it doesn't help with clock watchers, either :) ! OK, time to shut up...or as Rev. Brad Warner, that strange renegade monk suggests in his book by the same title, "Sit Down and Shut Up!" Be well. On a personal note: This morning I drove My Little Honey to the airport to catch a flight to Cleveland. Her Aunt Pearl is 96 and her kidneys are failing. She is in hospice.