Thankful, but sad…

I have been working as a Security officer now for about 7 months. It is not that I hate it, however it is boring as all get down. So much time I put into getting educated, skilled, trained, yet here I am walking around a parking lot. It could be worse, others are far far worse off. So I must remember to be grateful. It is a bit of a spirit lift when someone out of the blue says thank you for being here, it is scary in the dark, early in the morning. I have had that happen at least 3 or 4 times. I feel worthwhile suffering in the cold and dark of the early morning. Later the drab sets in and I get once again depressed I am not making any head way with life plans. One thing that I really do not understand about this job is, there are security booths setup that can see the whole parking lot, where the guards can be seen, but we are not allowed to use them, they, the company has them in use for keeping boxes. Boxes are more important that their workers to have shelter? Anyway the most troubling about this work is my spirit fades a little everyday. What they say about losing something you do not use, I feel happening to my artistic creativity. I am thankful to be working …at all, but sad, my spirit is fading as is my confidence to be any better than where I am. However on the bright side, I can use the time getting off early to job hunt, work on the boat, sail or whatever. Even though usually I need to take a nap from the lack of sleep. Yet still I have most of the rest of the day to do something. Also I get to get some exercise to help stay healthy and fit.  I need to keep looking on the bright side…

 

Is this Zen? All earth path lead to the same place…death

 

EcoFlag: Zen, Martial Arts, Enviroment & the GSA

I have stated in many other posts about Zen’s philosophy about interdependence of all things and life. In case you have been undersea or on the moon all this time briefly it goes. There is no duality, we are all dependent on everything else in this world somewhere down the line we need everything to survive. All life is connected, even non-life rocks, etc. There is the Chinese 5 elements of nature dependents. The more we destroy other species the closer we come to destroying ourselves. This includes the earth itself, it is alive, and we who are suppose to be the caretakers burn, pollute, gas it continually. Yet we depend on it to recover and sustain us with little or no care to it’ s needs.

Climate change is heavy upon us, yet some make light of it, or deny it all together, even in the face of facts. The waters we depend on for food, drinking, fun…life are daily used as dumping grounds for our waste. This same waste ends up in our food, and bodies and those of our family and friends.

For those who follow the path of Buddhism and vow help to ease suffering of beings, part of that elimination of suffering is doing your part to ease the suffering from pollution. Reuse, recycle, reduce. Those of the Christians, Muslims, Jewish path we are our brother’s keeper, God made everything. Showing respect and gratitude is not dumping waste into the waters, side of the road, etc… reduce, recycle, reuse. No matter what your faith or lack of it, the cold facts are the earth our only home, we are connected to it’s health. The earth health is our health, it’s sickness is our sickness. SAve the world, Save ourselves. There is no duality, this is the mind of Zen.

Those who have followed this blog know that since it’s birth I have slowly been working on sailing from San Francisco  to Osaka. During the course of this Sail I will be flying the EcoFlag with hopes that the journey will bring some attention to our need for thoughts and action on oneness with the world. We ARE the world.Reuse, Reduce and recycle. As much as possible of the refit of s/v Zen will be reused, recylced items. As a 1967 built boat s/v Zen herself qualifies as Reused, and Recycled.

As team Captain for my local GSA/ Ecoflag chapter I have been in touch with our USA leadership to help promote this effort. There is currently a book out called Champions for Change , this is about other athletes who did their share of bring the public awareness to our planet’s need for care. The Global Sports Alliance is there for all peoples all athletes to help spread the word of Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. Sailors, Martial Artists, Kyudoka, Tennis players, all.  The Global Sports Alliance USA (GSA USA) is a coalition of athletes and sports fans working together for environmental awareness and action.

For those who sail, even flying the EcoFlag for others to see your support is something to help. When someone asks what is that?

Whip out a brochure for them to read, tell them you support Reduce, Reuse, Recycling. Then do not just show it, do it. Carry your trash away, use recylced products, do not dump stuff into the water, reduce your use of small plastic bottles, use biodegradable soaps and products. Help the world , help yourself.

Martial Artist, put the flag on your bag, sew it on your sleeve, fly it at your events. Show your support, educate. We martial artist are about protection of the weak, doing the right thing, The earth needs our protection now more than ever. This is a fight worth the effort.

Visit our website for more information on how to get involved:
http://www.gsa-usa.org/index.php

Sign up to be an ecoplayer and recieve our monthly newsletter:
http://www.gsa-usa.org/ecoplayer.php

You can also help to support this non-profit organization by donating at the following site:
http://www.gsa-usa.org/donations.php

visit us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19306826161

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Here are some ways you can help today:

*    Become a GSA USA Corporate Sponsor for as little as $20 per month – your company
will receive regular mention as a GSA USA Sponsor.

*     Become a GSA USA Individual Sponsor for as little as $20 per year.

*     Purchase a copy of our new book Champions for Change.

*     Become a GSA USA volunteer.

Blog a grout…

And now for something completely different…

You are wondering, why does Zen have a picture of men’s urinals on his blog. Well my inquisitive minded friend (s) this is what it is a grout.

This is the men’s room at one of the Halls at UC Berkeley. We have our East Bay Chan ( Zen) Group meetings here. Well not HERE in the Loo, but in this building. This Loo is on the 3rd floor.

It looks like a plain Urinal wall from a far, but up close are examples of the wit of the future leaders of America. In between the tiles written in the grout are re-grouted saying such as…

It’s a grout time…

I’m coming grout…

To grout or not to grout…

Grout of the closet…

Grout me in…

The Grout depression…

Grout cho marx

I thought it would be something different to blog a Grout 🙂

…and now back to our regular programing

Joy to the world…

Happy And Joyous whatever you celebrate !!

Peace on Earth, good will to ALL…

Let’s carry it into everyday!!!

Happy Holidays from the Zen Clan to you…

Chirstmas Eve on the Island

It is not the size of your Christmas but the size of your gratitude that matters

Namaste

_/|\_

Go Ju Ku Kai…Konnichiwa Tanjoubi…Renaissance

The Dalai Lama -Renaissance..a new birth

Ahhh, it was just starting to warm up when I returned from my Sampo. So the walk back got a little heated. I grabbed a morning shower. Said “Ja” to LZ as she went off to work…kiss kiss.  I had had a protein drink early after , Zazen but now time was moving on so I was in need of a pickmeup.

After checking Facebook, tweeter and emails, ( FacetweeterEing) with the appropriate replies I lite some incense , an make ready to grab a snack .  I purchased this Serious Local honey the other day to help with LZ allergies and as an aid to our health in take.

With added kick from additional added royal jelly, pollen and propolas(sp)…sweet…for real. I picked it up over in Oak-town ( Oakland ) from an area that was so “America”.  Or maybe so California… From a Middle Eastern Muslim Lady, running a store in a Korean area, inside a Black neighbourhood…

I made a drink of green tea, apple cider vinegar, and raw honey,  with hot water, added a Tanjoubi day brownie for the munch factor and had a seat to hear what His Holiness had to say to the Brainiacs.

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Tanjoubi … afloat

Gently I float
Wind whispers I type
Yin /Yang balance

I had been thinking when I started viewing the DVD  Dalai Lama – Renaissance that maybe I was suppose to get something important from this movie. Now I have thought in the past when I was in another life, if I had one, I was a shaman, medicine man, healer, sorcerer priest kind of guy. I’m always looking for signs, messages from God, the Tao, etc. With all that said I had another flash today how I was reading signs. Lets look at this DVD for a prime example.

When I was in LA visiting, training, I was told by two people about this movie. The second one gave me the DVD after going back to his car to get it. I was pretty busy upon my return and did not get a chance to view it. It worked out that I viewed it this weekend. I started to watch it on Tues. I watched part of it and got this strong sense to hold off until today to finish it. So at the end of a chapter I stopped before going into the next section.

Now I had been getting these signs about new beginnings, coming back from a hard times from the new life coming in on my plants. It is late summer not spring the traditional growing time for major growth. I was getting major new growth on my plants, a rebirth , new birth of sorts. I was taking it as a sign of change for me, being my Tanjoubi and all. See there is the looking for signs thing, the voice of God… ( I never said I was not weird)

I start the movie again today after saying things here and there about growth, new birth, birthday etc. The chapter I stopped at, starts with, has dancing and talks of new life, new birth, new beginning. Not changing the world, changing oneself, living from the heart, having a personal Tibet that needs work and caring for.  New beginnings, ideas for the long term, and no matter how brilliant one mind is several dull minds can create a better solutions.

I was pleased to see his Holiness , was saying to the group as well , get over your personal ego and agendas. This is not about me or you it is about Humanity. We need to work together. Wow, deep or is it me again reading stuff. I need to watch this second half again. Perhaps even here, I brought the DVD with me. I could watch, listen and learn, as I wait for it to cool bit before setting sail, everything boat-wise has checked out. Either way the DVD is interesting enough to watch again on it’s own. You should check this DVD out!

my office

I am writing this from s/v Zen, the boat, or yacht, depends on where you are from. After I had a small lunch I came here to prepare her for the trip on Friday. Good Grief it is warm here. Sitting in the Apt was much cooler, but I needed to get out and not feel like I wasted a day. So I got a few things done on the boat and hooked up the Laptop to finish this blog section.

It is very peaceful here. I have the stereo on, the fan (hot remember). Oh yes I do have electric on the boat, for you non-boat site readers. To sailing or not to sail, that is the question…

A breeze springs
Whispers a gentle promise
Flags vote

2012

The other night (a few nights ago) I watched a show about the predictions of Nostradamus. I like watching those shows, kind of…

I have read the Book of Hopi years ago… Interesting,

I have also heard about the predictions of the Mayans also interesting…and scary.

New Testament..yup, been there read that, born again, had the J.C. T-shirt.

There are several groups, that have the same or similar predictions. Yeah, some are pretty off the wall… yet with the world as it is, perhaps not so far off the wall.

However…beyond all the false darkness, myth, rumors, media hype, and BS there is the underlying theme…We are messing up and we (not them we) humans need to get our act together.

Now with worlds economic governments falling apart, perhaps, just perhaps, we, I mean we as a whole not we as a few weirdos like myself, should give some SERIOUS thought to what we are doing, to the other life forms of the planet, to our food supply, to the earth, the air, water to OURSELVES! I mean we as a whole not we as a few weirdos like myself.

It is said that nothing ( man-made) is forever. All governments fall, those who do not learn from history will repeat it. What goes up must come down…Egypt, Greece, Persia, Rome, China, so many many civilizations, much much much older than ours, had their shot at being great… and now…

What makes us think we will be different if we do the same things as others did in the past. The definition of insane is doing the same things over and over and expecting it to turn out different.

Jheez, people WTF ( what the fudge) , is anyone paying attention?

We can put people on the moon, talk to anyone anywhere in the world in an instant, travel faster than the speed of sound, grow animals ( and people) from test tubes ( still have not got that common cold thing fixed yet though) but we can not get along for the most part or agree that we are drowning in our our waste. So many are lost in the illusion that it is all about how much money, things, land, toys, stuff we own or want to own. Fighting over, words ( this books says this, that book says that), skin color ( when we are dead our bones will be the same color) , rocks and dirt, sigh. None of which will matter when we are dead.

We’ve had these “date” things before, but doesn’t it seem a little different this time…with the world collapsing around us. Will it take yet another world war and wiping out most of human kind before we figure out, the path we are on is not the way…

Crimanny, with the world shrinking around us, can we not see what we do to others we do to ourselves. There is no them there is only US,… WE.
We are our brother’s keeper, we are interdependent on each other, The global economic  have have put that in our face!

Cut the crap, together we stand, divided we die. WE ARE THE WORLD. No one will save us, but us.

Hell is where everyone is starving because the spoons are too long to feed ourselves.
Heaven is where we feed each other with those long spoons.

Anyway, so much for this pointless rant, because the only ones who will read this post, already know this.

But maybe , just maybe, if we who know this, stick together, keep adding some positive Chi to the Universe, Meditate, Pray, Chant, Burn Incense, Drum circles,  write those blogs, talk to our kids, drive less, walk more, turn off that extra light, help that person who needs a blanket, a meal, a smile …
maybe…MAYBE…

We can make enough of a difference… to save the world.

Maybe we can all be Heroes…

Ganbatte! ( do your best )