The Gospel of Jesus

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Recently I listened to the 7 disc audio book, The Gospel of Jesus, read by Garrison Keillor. It’s a great way to get the whole story in a fairly succinct telling. It’s not nearly as repetitive as the Bible, though I’m sure Bible scholars would argue that this is a messy and at times misleading interpretation of its contents. That’s OK… I’m not a Bible scholar, and I’m pretty confident it captures the gist of things.

Listening to this reminded me of being in grade school, when my parents used to make me attend a Christian church. The story never really jived with me. And listening to it as an adult who hasn’t thought much about Christianity in a long time, it’s weird to me that this is the basis of religion for the vast majority of Americans.

Having read Buddhist scripture and books for so long, a few things about The Gospels struck me as particularly foreign. Here are some of them:

The need to believe. It seems like half of what Jesus says is about how people should believe in him. It’s hugely important to Jesus that people believe he is the son of God. This content provides no insight or teaching value whatsoever, and really seems to get in the way of what I’d consider his teachings. I guess I was just surprised how much the very fact of believing is stressed here as the foundation of the teaching. In many ways, Christianity really is at its core about believing Jesus was the son of God. If you were the son of God, would that really be so important to you compared to, say, people being at peace with themselves and each other? The latter is definitely part of the message, but it sure feels secondary to believing.

The miracles. He performs all sorts of  miracles to make people believe in him. But then when the shit is really hitting the fan, he doesn’t. If he really wanted to make people believe with miracles, all he had to do was something really spectacular in the middle of Jerusalem. All he really does in town is heal people. This goes back to the idea that people should have to believe, and that’s what is important. But if that’s the case, why perform miracles at all? The motive for and inconsistency of the miracles doesn’t make sense to me.

Down with the rich. I was surprised at how literal and extreme the hating on rich people is. Jesus really lays it on them. Personally, I prefer the Buddhist slant on this idea, that wealth causes suffering (clinging, worry and inevitable loss) as a reason not to hoard wealth. Hating on rich people comes across as dualistic (there wouldn’t be poor people without them) and perhaps a little petty. Why exactly is it bad to be wealthy, in and of itself? You can argue that if nobody was wealthy, everybody would be well off, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily true – ask an economist. Being a wealthy person who uses their wealth to help people feels like a more realistic and beneficial model to me.

The context of the Jewish scripture. I hadn’t realized how much this story consisted of an accounting of all the little old-testament scripture predictions that Jesus was fulfilling. Weird stuff like the fact that he was poked in the side while on the cross. Again, it’s the whole believing thing, striving for legitimacy among the people who are damning him.

Down with the scribes and pharisees. Jesus spends an inordinate amount of time hating on the scribes and pharisees. These folks represent the establishment of the Jewish religion at that time. I can see why he does this – they’re total hypocrites and, just as it was then, its easy to find corresponding roles in the modern Christian establishment. But after a while it just feels like political maneuvering, and it adds up with all the rest to make the teachings of Jesus about peace and neighborly love that you always hear about amount to a very very small percentage of what the man is recorded to have said by the Bible. Woe indeed.

I hope this post doesn’t offend anyone. I’m not a Christian but also don’t have any beef with Christians. I comment on this as a relative outsider trying to understand and come to terms with it, not someone just negatively judging it to get a rise out of anyone.

Goldstein on Equanimity

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Hey there – excuse the prolonged absence. I’ve been suffering from acute workaholism. More accurately, I’ve trying to do three jobs at work. It’s awesome. And today, one of my direct reports quit, so let’s go ahead and make that four, mmmkay?

Anyway, I listened to this Goldstein talk on Equanimity during a recent commute. Not to be missed. Brought me right back.

Mindfulness & The Space Between

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Basic mindfulness practice tends to focus on polarized moments. When the shit is hitting the fan, mindfulness – when applied – rises above the pit of worry and angst that would otherwise make things worse. It is what it is, and to be with it in the moment is to live it as it is, nothing more. When shot with an arrow, first remove the arrow. But what then? And when everything is perfect, mindfulness provides recognition and enjoyment of what life has to offer, allowing whatever happiness is found to become meaningful and deeply appreciated. But such joy is exceedingly fleeting. And what then?

How does mindfulness apply to that space between, those times when life just moves along without much notice. This is when its too easy to let mindfulness go. Buddha classified the human response to experience into three categories of like, dislike and neutral. The neutral is often the hardest part of life to pin down as it doesn’t call out for a response. It just slides by like a lazy summer river.

Mindfulness diligently applied to these neutral moments can show more and more refined levels of like and dislike, making neutral moments increasingly rare. Without careful attention, a very minor dislike may not trigger the response that one catches with mindfulness as negative. And simple or ordinary joy may not be appreciated as such with sufficient attention.

With consistent application of mindfulness, something unexpected happens. The continued refinement of like and dislike, and the replacement of these reactions with equanimity, results in increasing frequency of neutral moments. This is the goal of mindfulness, and equanimity is associated with the end goal of Buddhist practice.

For me, this post is a reminder to pay attention during those days when it hasn’t rained in a while, and the river of life is sauntering on, unnoticed.

A Four Step Mindfulness Process

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I’ve tried many times to maintain mindfulness throughout the day, but let’s face it, it’s not easy. Especially when I’m at work all day (with my job often following me home), it’s pretty hard to not zoom through the day on an adrenaline-induced stress buzz.

On a recent morning walk I started formulating a process that I thought might help. I tried it today, and was definitely more relaxed and present throughout the day. I’m not pitching this as some magic pill, but the combination of steps has been handy. I think as a side dish to my regular meditation practice that it will bear real fruit if I keep it up.

1. Check in

This is the moment of “coming to” that anyone who practices mindfulness knows – realizing I’ve lost mindfulness and am worrying, regretting, listening to internal gossip, obsessively planning, you know the drill. Then – oh yeah – mindfulness. Back to the present. But it’s not enough. If left by itself, this is usually replaced within seconds by the next obsessive thought.

2. Breath, Gravity

In order to grab onto the present moment, I bring attention to the breath and gravity. Breath because it’s how my mind is trained to come to mindfulness. Gravity because it helps bring on an additional sense of embodiment and being grounded (literally) and, like the breath, it is always there.

3. Let go

Now that I’m present, mindful, embodied, I return to what I was thinking about before step 1. If there’s anything remaining that I’m holding onto at all, I let it go. I try and make this letting go a visceral act. And I stay with it until I’m satisfied I’ve really let go. Letting go is core to, if not the core of, the Buddhist path, as I’ve already written about.

4. Aloha

Finally, I end with “Aloha” – the Hawaiian word meaning affection, peace, compassion, mercy and also used as a greeting. This could be replaced with Metta, Namaste, or whatever. But I like Aloha as it brings on positive feelings, a universal sense of welcoming and compassion. Its kind of like Metta on the beach between good friends. What better mindset to leave myself in until the next check in?

Doing this has definitely kept me more relaxed, more mindful and feeling a lot more positive throughout the day. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Letting Go

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If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.

If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.

— Ajahn Chah

Crosses

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This is a great song with great lyrics, and as a Buddhist they speak to me of suffering – the crosses needlessly borne out of delusion.

Don’t you know that I’ll be around to guide you
Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you
Returning nightmares only shadows
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright for now
Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders
The sirens inside you waiting to step forward
Disturbing silence darkens your sight
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright for now
Crosses all over the boulevard
The streets outside your window overflooded
People staring they know you’ve been broken
Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces
Ignore them tonight and you’ll be alright
We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright

Crosses, Jose Gonzalez

Fasting for 36 hours

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This week I decided to extend my habit of not eating dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays to skipping food altogether (water only) on Tuesdays. This results in what is called a 36 hour fast – I eat a normal dinner on Monday and then don’t eat again until breakfast on Wednesday.

I’m not even sure why. It just feels like the right thing to do. All the available reasons are good reasons, so why wouldn’t I?  Here are some of the reasons people do this:

  • Fasting provides the digestive system – one of the most energy-consuming functions of the human body – a much needed rest. There are a lot of side benefits to this:
    • You feel really light and at peace- I found myself unexpectedly smiling several times today. It’s hard to describe, but it feels great.
    • Meditation is notably improved in a way that is, again, hard to describe.
    • You sleep really well – at least I do. Some people report feeling too hungry to sleep, though I strongly suspect this would pass as the body adjusts to fasting regularly (and it does, rather quickly – trust me).
  • Fasting allows the body to use its impressive built-in cleansing/detox system that otherwise never gets used unless we’re too sick to eat.
  • Weight loss. I could stand to lose 20 pounds or so. If done regularly, intermittent fasting (combined with healthy diet and exercise) is a proven long-term weight management technique. Just skipping dinner twice per week, I’ve seen a slow but steady decline in weight.
  • It’s liberating to experientially realize that hunger is just a feeling. It doesn’t mean we’re going to expire if we don’t eat. Ignoring hunger, at least for this period of time, is surprisingly easy and inconsequential. I worked a normal day today without any difficulty. I don’t feel any more tired or spacey, etc. than I ever do at this hour of the evening.
  • The sometimes strong urge to eat during a fast is a great exercise in mindfulness, patience, and letting go.
  • Multiple studies have shown a strong link between intermittent fasting and substantial life extension – as much as 30% in animals who fast intermittently vs animals that eat every day.
  • You find yourself with some extra time and money on your hands. I went out for a walk in the woods today instead of eating lunch at my computer.

I haven’t found any scientific evidence for why it would be bad for you if you’re otherwise healthy. And so, any one of the reasons above are good enough for me. All of them together makes it a no-brainer.

The first time you skip a meal or three, you seriously wonder if you’re going to live. Not because you feel like you’re going to die, but because our culture has pounded the idea that we need 3 meals per day (with healthy snacks) into our collective conscious to the point where it’s a real ah-hah moment to realize it’s simply not true.

Turns out, the human body is built to thrive on intermittent periods of fasting. From my reading, 36 hours seems to be a sweet spot, and it feels right. It allows the body to slow down the digestive system enough to engage the detox system without going overboard. A much more occasional and long fast (say, 5-20+ days annually) can also reap tremendous health benefits if done properly, but I’m not there yet.

What amazes me when reading about fasting on various websites is the vehement opposition it seems to bring out in people who have never done it and who, judging by their comments, don’t know what they’re talking about. The very idea seems to be threatening to a lot of people – something I don’t understand.

Any way, I’m writing this with an empty belly, about to sit down for a very peaceful and quiet meditation. Care to join me?

Life in a Day

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For the first time in a couple of weeks, I decided not to work after putting my daughter to bed. Instead I watched Life in a Day on Netflix, something I’ve been meaning to do for some time. YouTube collected 4500 hours of footage taken on July 24, 2010 by people all over the world. The resulting hour and 30 minutes is beautifully edited and surprisingly interesting. But most of all, it is an incredibly moving snapshot of the human condition.