tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post114415843557088174..comments2023-08-11T10:04:41.498-05:00Comments on Sandalstraps' Sanctuary: A Couple More American Zen StoriesSandalstrapshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16303641009581382217noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144218732685476402006-04-05T01:32:00.000-05:002006-04-05T01:32:00.000-05:00Ha :-). Riding the bike of zazen sounds a lot li...Ha :-). Riding the bike of zazen sounds a lot like contemplation (or falling in love) ... time stands still, you forget yourself, there's no distiction between you and what you're doing.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144185114310268222006-04-04T16:11:00.000-05:002006-04-04T16:11:00.000-05:00Crystal,I forgot to mention that Robert Aitken is ...Crystal,<BR/><BR/>I forgot to mention that Robert Aitken is a recurring character in Murphy's book, showing up (by my rough count) 12 (or so) times. Murphy quotes him as saying:<BR/><BR/><EM>Zazen is just like learning how to ride a bicycle. You have to steer, pump, keep your balance, watch out for pedestrians and other vehicles - all at once. You are riding a pile of parts with your pile of Sandalstrapshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16303641009581382217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144184422647188152006-04-04T16:00:00.000-05:002006-04-04T16:00:00.000-05:00Crystal,Thanks for the link. I enjoyed reading it....Crystal,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link. I enjoyed reading it. And I'm with you about the quieting of the mind.<BR/><BR/>One thing which helps with that is to understand that you cannot quiet your mind by any act of the will, nor by any amount of effort. In fact, will, effort; these are mental noise which compounds rather than solves the problem. So instead of trying to quiet the mind, merely Sandalstrapshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16303641009581382217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144183589239064052006-04-04T15:46:00.000-05:002006-04-04T15:46:00.000-05:00I found it interesting that many eastern religions...I found it interesting that many eastern religions such as buhddism have the same values as that of the early Christians in terms of humbleness and servanthood.annabanana5https://www.blogger.com/profile/16264849646838834639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144178718518327472006-04-04T14:25:00.000-05:002006-04-04T14:25:00.000-05:00One could put together the two stories and saying ...One could put together the two stories and saying that reading is essential, but only as preparation for the celebration of our own arrival.Liamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17265036866243982434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18491098.post-1144177743400832352006-04-04T14:09:00.000-05:002006-04-04T14:09:00.000-05:00I was lucky to have for a short while Robert Aitk...I was lucky to have for a short while Robert Aitken as a roshi. I mentioned a little about it in a <A HREF="http://povcrystal.blogspot.com/2006/01/that-zen-thing.html" REL="nofollow"> past blog entry</A>crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.com