If you do woodworking - because you enjoy it - you've probably
experienced
the "Zen Thing". You get into doing something this "thing" happens
where
stuff just happens and you're just part of whatever "it" is. Evertyhing
does what it's supposed to do effortlessly - just so. Ambient noise
just
disappears, time stops, things just happen - and though you're a part of
whatever this thing is - you're just that - a part of something -
somehow
linked to something unimaginably larger- and older - though relative
time, or
time itself is anything other than a human construct to mark our
individual
comparitively brief existence.

But the "Zen Thing" is like a dim star in the night's sky. If you try
and
focus on it and really try and see it - you can't. But - if you can put
it
in your field of vision - but not focus on it - it's there to see - but
not
directly.

Most of us live in a night environment filled with streetlights and
signs
and car lights, man made attempts to conquer darkness, to impose our
will on our environment. The price tag of course is that often those
lights hide the wonders of a clear "dark" night's sky - and all the
amazement of all those little points of light out there - and perhaps
the realization that what we can see is just a tiny part of an
inconceivable whole.

For me, it's when "I" get out of the way "we" tap into something that
can't be explained but only experienced. It doesn't happen very often,
but just often enough to act as a reminder that Me/Not Me, Them vs
Us keep me from being part of that Zen Thing. And that carries over
into other daily things which makes life, this manifestation of a minute
part of the whole, fun.

charlie b
taking off his robe, hanging up his meditation beads
and heading off to play WITH some wood, make a Shellac
Shake - and maybe, just maybe Get In The Zone - again.

In article , says...
If you do woodworking - because you enjoy it - you've probably
experienced
the "Zen Thing". You get into doing something this "thing" happens
where
stuff just happens and you're just part of whatever "it" is. Evertyhing
does what it's supposed to do effortlessly - just so. Ambient noise
just
disappears, time stops, things just happen - and though you're a part of
whatever this thing is - you're just that - a part of something -
somehow
linked to something unimaginably larger- and older - though relative
time, or
time itself is anything other than a human construct to mark our
individual
comparitively brief existence.

But the "Zen Thing" is like a dim star in the night's sky. If you try
and
focus on it and really try and see it - you can't. But - if you can put
it
in your field of vision - but not focus on it - it's there to see - but
not
directly.

Most of us live in a night environment filled with streetlights and
signs
and car lights, man made attempts to conquer darkness, to impose our
will on our environment. The price tag of course is that often those
lights hide the wonders of a clear "dark" night's sky - and all the
amazement of all those little points of light out there - and perhaps
the realization that what we can see is just a tiny part of an
inconceivable whole.

For me, it's when "I" get out of the way "we" tap into something that
can't be explained but only experienced. It doesn't happen very often,
but just often enough to act as a reminder that Me/Not Me, Them vs
Us keep me from being part of that Zen Thing. And that carries over
into other daily things which makes life, this manifestation of a minute
part of the whole, fun.

charlie b
taking off his robe, hanging up his meditation beads
and heading off to play WITH some wood, make a Shellac
Shake - and maybe, just maybe Get In The Zone - again.

For me, not Zen but "Flow," the state of mind described
by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mih%C3%...ntmih%C3%A1lyi

S.

charlieb wrote:


For me, it's when "I" get out of the way "we" tap into something that
can't be explained but only experienced. It doesn't happen very often,
but just often enough to act as a reminder that Me/Not Me, Them vs
Us keep me from being part of that Zen Thing. And that carries over
into other daily things which makes life, this manifestation of a minute
part of the whole, fun.

It's kind of funny that you posted this on the day I returned from a
Jack Kornfield retreat. G

On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:55:40 -0700, charlieb
wrote:

If you do woodworking - because you enjoy it - you've probably
experienced
the "Zen Thing". You get into doing something this "thing" happens
where
stuff just happens and you're just part of whatever "it" is. Evertyhing
does what it's supposed to do effortlessly - just so. Ambient noise
just
disappears, time stops, things just happen - and though you're a part of
whatever this thing is - you're just that - a part of something -
somehow
linked to something unimaginably larger- and older - though relative
time, or
time itself is anything other than a human construct to mark our
individual
comparitively brief existence.

But the "Zen Thing" is like a dim star in the night's sky. If you try
and
focus on it and really try and see it - you can't. But - if you can put
it
in your field of vision - but not focus on it - it's there to see - but
not
directly.

Most of us live in a night environment filled with streetlights and
signs
and car lights, man made attempts to conquer darkness, to impose our
will on our environment. The price tag of course is that often those
lights hide the wonders of a clear "dark" night's sky - and all the
amazement of all those little points of light out there - and perhaps
the realization that what we can see is just a tiny part of an
inconceivable whole.

For me, it's when "I" get out of the way "we" tap into something that
can't be explained but only experienced. It doesn't happen very often,
but just often enough to act as a reminder that Me/Not Me, Them vs
Us keep me from being part of that Zen Thing. And that carries over
into other daily things which makes life, this manifestation of a minute
part of the whole, fun.

charlie b
taking off his robe, hanging up his meditation beads
and heading off to play WITH some wood, make a Shellac
Shake - and maybe, just maybe Get In The Zone - again.


CharlieB:

Check out a much studied Psych phenom called, "flow".

Not that it explains all, but there is a developed language.



Regards, Tom.

Thos. J. Watson - Cabinetmaker
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:48:36 -0400, Tom Watson
wrote:

CharlieB:

Check out a much studied Psych phenom called, "flow".

Not that it explains all, but there is a developed language.



Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

"In his seminal work, 'Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience',
Csíkszentmihályi outlines his theory that people are most happy when
they are in a state of flow— a state of concentration or complete
absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. The idea of
flow is identical to the feeling of being in the zone or in the
groove. The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation,
where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. This is
a feeling everyone has at times, characterized by a feeling of great
freedom, enjoyment, fulfillment, and skill—and during which temporal
concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored.[citation
needed]

In an interview with Wired magazine, Csíkszentmihályi described flow
as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego
falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows
inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being
is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." [2]

To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the
challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is
too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur.

The flow state also implies a kind of focused attention, and indeed,
it has been noted that mindfulness meditation, yoga, and martial arts
seem to improve a person's capacity for flow. Among other benefits,
all of these activities train and improve attention.

In short; flow could be described as a state where attention,
motivation, and the situation meet, resulting in a kind of productive
harmony or feedback."



(Of course some people are just more...viscous...than others.)








Regards, Tom.

Thos. J. Watson - Cabinetmaker
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet

charlieb wrote:

If you do woodworking - because you enjoy it - you've probably
experienced
the "Zen Thing". You get into doing something this "thing" happens
where
stuff just happens and you're just part of whatever "it" is. Evertyhing
does what it's supposed to do effortlessly - just so. Ambient noise
just
disappears, time stops, things just happen - and though you're a part of
whatever this thing is - you're just that - a part of something -
somehow
linked to something unimaginably larger- and older - though relative
time, or
time itself is anything other than a human construct to mark our
individual
comparitively brief existence.

But the "Zen Thing" is like a dim star in the night's sky. If you try
and
focus on it and really try and see it - you can't. But - if you can put
it
in your field of vision - but not focus on it - it's there to see - but
not
directly.

Most of us live in a night environment filled with streetlights and
signs
and car lights, man made attempts to conquer darkness, to impose our
will on our environment. The price tag of course is that often those
lights hide the wonders of a clear "dark" night's sky - and all the
amazement of all those little points of light out there - and perhaps
the realization that what we can see is just a tiny part of an
inconceivable whole.

For me, it's when "I" get out of the way "we" tap into something that
can't be explained but only experienced. It doesn't happen very often,
but just often enough to act as a reminder that Me/Not Me, Them vs
Us keep me from being part of that Zen Thing. And that carries over
into other daily things which makes life, this manifestation of a minute
part of the whole, fun.

charlie b
taking off his robe, hanging up his meditation beads
and heading off to play WITH some wood, make a Shellac
Shake - and maybe, just maybe Get In The Zone - again.

I have tried to discuss this very phenomena with many people. It
is true of music also. When the groove happens, it is cosmic, man!

What did the Bhuddist ask the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

In article ,
Robert Allison wrote:

What did the Bhuddist ask the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

But when the Buddhist asked about the rest of his fiver, the hot dog
vendor replied, "Change only comes from within."

And yes, flow it is, not zen. And yes, flow is a great place to be.

--
"Keep your ass behind you."

Australopithecus scobis wrote:
In article ,
Robert Allison wrote:


What did the Bhuddist ask the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.


But when the Buddhist asked about the rest of his fiver, the hot dog
vendor replied, "Change only comes from within."

And yes, flow it is, not zen. And yes, flow is a great place to be.


Actually it is the Tao, not flow. And with Tao, you can't help
but be in it, you just sometimes can't see that you are in it.

As a wise man once said; The Buddhist god is so powerful that he
does not even need to exist.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

On Aug 5, 11:33*am, Robert Allison wrote:
Australopithecus scobis wrote:
In article ,
*Robert Allison wrote:

What did the Bhuddist ask the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

But when the Buddhist asked about the rest of his fiver, the hot dog
vendor replied, "Change only comes from within."

And yes, flow it is, not zen. And yes, flow is a great place to be.

Actually it is the Tao, not flow. *And with Tao, you can't help
but be in it, you just sometimes can't see that you are in it.

As a wise man once said; *The Buddhist god is so powerful that he
does not even need to exist.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

*flicking on my Allan Watts CD*

Robatoy wrote:
On Aug 5, 11:33 am, Robert Allison wrote:

Australopithecus scobis wrote:

In article ,
Robert Allison wrote:

What did the Bhuddist ask the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

But when the Buddhist asked about the rest of his fiver, the hot dog
vendor replied, "Change only comes from within."

And yes, flow it is, not zen. And yes, flow is a great place to be.

Actually it is the Tao, not flow. And with Tao, you can't help
but be in it, you just sometimes can't see that you are in it.

As a wise man once said; The Buddhist god is so powerful that he
does not even need to exist.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX


*flicking on my Allan Watts CD*

That's Alan Watts. Ain't he a hoot?

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

An answer to What is the sound of one hand clapping? is obvious
to any bald person (he said, clapping one hand on his/her forehead/
five head/six head.

A young zen buhddist monk is given a coan by his master, not
knowing that by intent, the question has no answer. It's purpose
is to wear out/wear down the ego enough to get it out of the
way of enlightenment.

The young monk meditates for an entire week - no sleep,l no food
and only a sip or two of water each day - the whole time he's really
leaning into it trying to come up with The Answer.

At the end of the week he asks his master for permission to commit
suicide, having failed so miserably and disgracing his master, his
monastary, hhis family and village. His master suggests he try
again - just for a day. If, by the morning of the second day, he still
hasn't gotten "it" he would be permitted to jump of the tall monastary
water tower - at sunrise.

The young monk returns to his cell and redoubles his effort to
answer the coan. As each hour passes he strains harder and harder,
stretching his mind and body beyond what he had thought were
their limits. Nothing.

In the cool crisp morning air the young monk begins his climb to
the top of the water tower - meditating for all he's worth trying
to come up with an answer.

Sitting on the edge of the water tower, waiting for the first
morning rays of sun to crest the mountains on the far side of
the valley from him he meditates for all he's worth - covered
in persperation and shuddering in the chilly air - grateful for
the slight breeze which cools him a little. The sounds of the
village below begin to reach him as the first cock crows,
anticipating the sunlight by moments.

The young monk tries desperately to find The Answer, realizing
what he's about to give up - to no avail.

And just as he's stepped off the tower - he got it!

- end of Zen joke -

As science explores the very small and the very large it's becoming
more and more apparent that Everything Is Everything might actually
be true - different manifestations of the whole.

So when one's ego gets sidetracked - and out of the way . . .