My buddy and rockmate Terrorence just told me he had a great idea for our website and also purchased more equipment to outfit our studio.  This guy's discipline is very inspiring at times - especially when I find it difficult myself to sit down and write songs at times.

I was taught, in a Catholic setting, that there are probably some things out there that are really good.  Things to remember when things don't "seem" all that good.  This has been helpful.

Zaadz, Gaia - same thing, right? 

I'll try to remember this site exists for a little bit now.  The overall feel of it has become a little less "new agey" and that can only be a good thing since it was burstin at the seems with "good feelings" "awareness" and "presence".  All good things to be sure, but hopefully rooted in some sort of rational thinking and skillfull means.

So with I'll just say hi to everyone for the 2nd time.  I've been away loving my job, my lady, and the travels we have been taking.  Come to think of it that is pretty much what I was doing last we spoke.

cheers,
bob

I remember reading a recent post by Dan Millman urging folks to remember the simple courtesy of using your turn signal when driving.

In these philosophical and "what's it all really mean" circles we folks tend to dabble in, why do we constantly find some of the leading-edge teachers and gurus referring to everyday events for examples of life's enduring truths?  Can simply using your turn signal somehow be a correlate with ultimate reality, peace, and liberation?  Isn't it just another arising aspect in the ocean of Samsara to be overcome somehow?

nah.... it relates.  And I like the example of driving especially.  I'm not sure why but I've always been curiously interested in transportation in general.  Perhaps it is due to the rich aviation history that is found in my family.  Perhaps it lends much to growing up in car saturated southern California (and all the joys that come with that :)  I just find myself fascinated with the many ways us people move from one place to another.  What we prefer, why we prefer it, and whether or not we even realize what we are doing and why we are going there!

The point is that it sure is something we all, or most of us, do everyday.  We all go somewhere physically.  I'd wager than many of us use vehicles.  My morning radio guru, Adam Carolla, discusses driving quite often.  He is mainly coming from a frustrated place with his arguments, but I find myself agreeing on one major point that I've also found can be related to life in general. 

Carolla makes a point that he has what he calls "hyper-vigilance", especially when it comes to driving.  He argues that his awareness is quite above that of the average driver.  He notices EVERYTHING when he is on the road including the speeds, where cops are, and the tendencies of drivers next to him.  This "hyper-vigilance" provides him the ability to drive faster and more efficiently.  Now this is where I'll come in with the relation to life in general...

Typically we all face daily life, at least the physical side of things, immersed in our perspectives much like a fish in water.  That is, the fish is so used to the water it swims in that if you somehow had the ability to ask the fish "what do you think of this water you're in?" the fish would reply, "what water?"  Much the same for us folks living in our own "fishbowl water" of cultural contexts, religions, societal rules, biochemical tendencies, etc.  We are all conditioned to a certain degree by outer and inner variables that we literally live our lives based upon while at the same time we are rarely able to acknowledge they are even there.

Take the typical response to driving and driving safety.

(as an aside, my current profession lends me unique credibility to make the points I'm about to make, although I'm sure they are so basic most of you will agree.) 

The mantra of all government agencies, law enforcement, and concerned community members is SLOW DOWN!  DRIVE WITH CAUTION AND SLOW DOWN!  DRIVE 55 AND STAY ALIVE! 

In other words our general society emphasis is a series of worried proclamations made in an emotional state of fear.  In my humble opinion this strategy does nothing but reinforce fear in drivers (especially those uneasy behind the wheel in the first place), allow cops to write chickenshit tickets, and has little to ZERO effect on the overall goal of improving safety on the roads.

My point is this:  Rather than convince everyone that slowing down 10 mph will save our society it would be greatly more beneficial to focus on INCREASING AWARENESS of drivers in general (as in life of course).  Of course details of HOW to do this would be necessary, and available, but would also be absolutely unnecessary unless the culture of paralyzing fear and overburdening safety is first dealt with.

I offer to you that someone driving 25 mph over the speed limit on the freeway but who is aware of what is going on around him/her is infinitely of more benefit to public safety than the average driver with the death grip on the wheel, who drives with the fear of god in them, and who can't wait to get home to call law enforcement and the government to reduce speed limits to the point that will bring (and has brought) our average commuting society to a near standstill. 

I realize that in today's world of ever-increasing technological distractions such as cell phones, texting, etc in the car that increasing one's awareness will be that much more challenging.  However I would argue that is essentially why it is so important.

Practice attention while driving!  Focus on what is before you!  It is a tremendous spiritual exercise to drive on a freeway and be effortlessly aware of details, patterns, and trends in the cars around you.  This is not as radical an idea as you might first think.

DRIVE LIKE A CHAMPION!

well I finished that ol' goal of finishing an album.  A little celebration tonight for the release of it and then on to the next one.  

I'm one of those integralists who, at one point at least, felt guilty for not being completely blown away by Genpo Roshi's Big Mind process.  I REALLY REALLY wanted to FEEL something while going through the process but it just wasn't there.  I realize that in that initial "wanting to feel something" lied perhaps the reason I didn't feel the transformative power of this practice that has been documented by so many integral thinkers. 

that's neither here nor there.

Who knew this would come in the book version of this process?  Simple signifiers written in a simplistic fashion? 

Well I've been blown away by the glorious simplicity of Genpo's recently released book on his wonderful process.  Especially attractive to me was his own admittal that at one point he realized he was too tied up in the idea that the peopel who went through this process had to "get it"  I am among those who didn't at first, after all. 

It was only when he gave up this wanting, that people had to "get it", that he noticed the greatest benefits being produced to those who undertook the practice.  This is exemplified by Genpo's decision sometimes to tell people at the beginning of a Big Mind session that "I really don't care if you get this or not, just have fun."

Well that's how I approached this book and, woop woop, there it is.  The clear ever present non-dual freedom that comes in being a free flowing, fully-integrated human being. 

This is fun. 

the value of a powerchord ringing through a hall....

Swimming the ocean that is. 

ah summer in San Diego.  

How does that koan go, "when you realize the nondual nature of existence you can drink the pacific ocean in a single gulp"?

Yeah, it's like that.

These are the months that I leave my job around 11:15 and go down to the beach and swim for an hour.  There's a public shower right by where I park so I can clean off and be back at work just in time.  It's a glorious benefit of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Today was a reminder of just how beautiful San Diego is.  Good god was it nice out.

Walking towards the beach today I noticed a couple in front of me.  The woman was carrying a wheel chair and her mate was walking on his hands towards the spot on the beach they had picked out.  He had no legs.  Just one of those moments, ya know...

Just stopping for a moment earlier today - dropping past and future for a sec.. a rare sec - to realize everything is about what I could dream it.  We all have dreams of how our ideal outer forms look like, through relationships, friends, jobs, dwellings, etc.  I'm pretty sure i couldn't dream it any better than I have it right now. 

How do I know that?

There is not a strain of 'wanting' in me at the moment.  This might change tomorrow morning, who knows.  But right now I am absolutely in bliss.  So rare does the external match up with the brief moments of internal satori that you experience in those rare blissful moments of reflection and meditation.  I guess that's happening right now.  But I don't really mind if it isn't.

I mean jesus fucking christ!  I'm sitting in an office listening to great music, helping people with their strange problems (rewarding to help people regardless of the nature of the problem), am completely in awe and grateful for my relations, and I get to go home and do whatever the hell it is I want in a climate many people dream of.

Why even question why I'm so lucky, right?

cheers.

I've been away from these parts for quite sometime. I know you've all been biting your nails waiting for some sort of input from yours truly.

Well I've had some great times as of late. That coupled with the continuing theme of "living with less" has been at the root of my sparce attendence. Please forgie me.

I went to Seattle! What a beautiful part of country up there, even the downtown area. We stayed in the heart of the city and found plenty to do over 3 days. The people were warm, the weather was nice, and above all it completely took us to another place of awareness for a few days. A nice repreive from the norm.

In terms of "living with less," well I've decided there isn't much merit to sharing my opinions about random things on the internet. Save this site, I've pretty much deleted all of my musings and narcissistic ramblings on other community websites. I see nothing wrong with these sites inherantly, I just find myself at a different place creatively.

But I'm back here now and again to see whats goin on with all of my integral thinking colleagues and buddies.

Be well