Tonight in Oakland--confrontation

Hearing that some women were called "faggot" yesterday at an intersection near my house by supporters of California Prop. 8 (the referendum to make an amendment to the California constitution to ban gay/lesbian marriage), I headed out to see if I could help tonight. I spent two and a half hours at that intersection today, but the bigots did not show up. Instead, a small group of us waved signs against Prop. 8. All different kinds of people supported us. I felt like a I should run for Congress.

Then we headed down to MacArthur and High, where it was another story. The Pro Prop 8 people were there, as were many anti. I'm so curious about who the anti-gay people are, that I took pictures of them. They could be identified as the same people who were verbally abusive yesterday. Most look to be Samoan or Tongan, perhaps one big clan. Then there were a few African American people tonight.

The lesbians were particularly adorable tonight. I will keep those pics for my personal enjoyment.

P.S. Yes, I bought a new camera.

Blessings

I remember hearing from classmates in high school that the first couple of times smoking marijuana one did not get high, then suddenly the third time or so, the drug would take effect. It seems that way with Vajrayana empowerments for me. The blessings of these Dudjom Lingpa wangs get more and more powerful with each passing day, seemingly a cumulative effect. I never understood why people wanted to receive these big cycles of empowerments, until I revieve the Dudjom (Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje) Wangs last year, and now this group.

I won't describe the sensation, for fear of disapating it, but it is palpable.

Today, after the wangs, I went out to lunch with a friend, then up to the Oakland Hills to walk as the sun went down. When I got up to the top of the MacDonald trail hill I found several wildflowers in full bloom, including groupings of the pink flowers above, with the fern-like foliage. They looked a bit like me--I had actually worn pink lip gloss today for the first time in my life. So, pink was the theme, I guess. Spring, flowering, fresh, clean, pristine.

On the way down the hill, this beautiful golden light.

Oakland Dharma Bum Routine

Friday walk with Ellen in the Oakland Hills

Tonight at the Lake (and some iphoto fiddling)

I've developed a daily rhythm of breakfast ngondro and housekeeping until noon, then lunch and whatever project I have, then my time on the Shitro mantra garland from three to four. Next I walk, hike or climb for an hour(with or without company), then snack. Sometimes socialize, sometimes projects in the evening, then a tiny bit of practice again, then sleep. That's quite a life! Soon I will start getting up earlier so I am a bit more productive.

So, you can see why I haven't been posting. Not much excitement until the Dudjom Lingpa Empowerments March 16 - 27 at Orgyen Dorje Den. No, it's not on their website, but you can sign up for their email list there, and they send out frequent updates. Scott from ODD allowed me to develop some materials for him about Dudjom Lingpa, the great terton of the 19th century--so that he could condense it for a paragraph description on their forthcoming publicity.

Physical Support for the Dharma

Oakland Stairmaster

The sad fact that meditation practice has to be balanced with exercise. Prostrations are the general exercise prescription of our lineage, but a lot of middle aged sedentary people who start doing prostrations can lack the core muscle strength to protect the spine from the impact of prostrations (especially done on a prostration board) and can injure their backs that way. Then we stop doing prostrations and do nothing but sit sit sit. The abdominal muscles that support the spine become deconditioned, and one develops back, leg, and even abdominal pain. Pretty soon we have to lie down to practice.

So, in my own case I have started to reverse the process. Starting with one hour of walking a day for general conditioning, along with specific core muscle strengthening exercises, and stretches. I can't tell you how much better I feel. I can sit on a cushion straight up for two hours, what a relief.

Today I progressed to stairs, using the above stairs (that go way beyond what you can see in the above photo). Up and down and up and down.

Today's Sky

The fingerlike tendrils of clouds
crisscross the blue range.
who builds them there, the workers of instantaneous arisings?
If we swerve to see them
they swerve out of vision just as fast,
leaving particles of white flotsom
of the white ideas they had injested.




you can click on most photos on my blog to make then bigger.

The Cute Coots

Some kids paddling, and singing on Lake Merritt today.

Coots in the lake.

Circumambulating the lake again today, I noticed children paddling a skulling boat, and kind of singing a rowing song.  Cute.  But birds are the movie stars of Lake Merritt, which has the oldest bird sanctuary in the U.S.   I never knew that these diving birds are called American Coots.  I thought I was an American Coot, but now I see I am no where near as cute as a coot.

If I had remembered my text and my mala or electronic counter, I would have "opened" my practice, reading up to the mantra part, then accumulated my mantra while walking, then "closed" the practice by finishing up the rest of the sadhana.  One of my lamas allows me to count mantras accumulated while walking towards my practice goals.  I am not a body-oriented person, and exercise is excruciatingly boring for me, so practicing while exercising is good for me, plus the exercise brightens up the practice for me.  But I forgot the text and the mala, so I just said 21 seven line prayers, did my 3.4 miles, spent a few brief moments abiding in awareness, and called it a day.

I found Jesus in Chinatown

After searching Kelly Paper store for the perfect paper for our new Shitro text late in the day, I headed to Chinatown looking for something quick to eat.  After grabbing a few things from a take out store for dim sum-like items I headed to the most delicious Chinese variety store to look around.  In each of these stores there is a section for confucian shrines, taoist mirrors, and the occasional Buddha.  I have never seen Jesus before, but Hallelujah, there he was!  Among with the Virgin Mary, etc...  In the Bay Area, everything is all wrapped up together, but usually you find this style of candle in a Latino Botanica.

Later, as I walked back to my car, the plastic takeout bag broke and my dinner ended up on the Harrison Street sidewalk.  I hope the birds enjoyed it.  

Yes, the thing hanging in the window in the bottom photos appears to be the later half of a pig.

Circumambulating Lake Merritt

I am making the intention to walk around Lake Merritt at least once a week.  It's a pleasant 3.4 mile walk.  Lots and lots of birds, and a fair number of humans.  I tend to like the wilds of the Oakland hills more, because I am a hermit, and I encounter few humans there.  However, the thing about Lake Merritt is that it is 3.4 miles around, making it a full hours walk for this old slow poke.  That's good for the body!  So, I walked it yesterday evening.

Today I spent the day in puja and discussion with the folks from Osel Thegchog Ling, up at Christine's house in Marin.  It's looking like we are going to start borrowing Arjia Rinpoche's Mill Valley center to hold some of our practices in, we are outgrowing people's living rooms, and they have been kind enough to make it available to us.  That will be a steeping stone towards our own center, someday.

This coming weekend, Anne Klein from Houston is coming in to teach some practices from A _ Rinpoche.  We are renting Orgyen Dorje Den in Alameda for that.

If you don't live in the Bay Area (or New York City) you can't begin to imagine how much space rentals are.

A Room of My Yome

Going to evening practice in my Yome

My meditation room is a kind of cross between a yurt, a dome, and a tent, called a Yome, in my backyard.  It has been a huge success, I am really glad I chose this structure.  It is hexagonal, with a high peaked rook inside, and the coolest thing about it is its translucency.  There is something about being able to see the fine detailed shadows of moving trees, squirrels and cats outside that is just so sweet and lovely.  Sometime I'll show you a daytime view, but I'm redoing the shrine, so I'm not quite ready for an internet open house.

I have been spending a lot of time out there lately, catching up on my projects (this week the Shitro text work, mainly) and my practices.  I'm finishing up the very end of one ngondro, and because I really need some exercise, starting a new ngondro before I am done.  The ngondro practice sequence typically has prostrations that are done in the beginning and not at the end.  I have injured my back doing prostrations in the past, so I am starting very slow with small numbers--trying ten a day and seeing how it goes, then 20 and so on.  Practitioners in the Nyingma tradition pretty much practice ngondro daily until we die.

Also, everyone in our sangha is now doing Shitro practice daily, so that's no secret.   I have been very surprised how different the practice is now that I am doing it daily instead of at tsok once a month.  Anyone else been kind of blown away by the power of it?  My, my, what they say about the Dakini's breath still being warm.  Now I don't remember why I was so resistant to getting started.  Just an American who doesn't like being told what to do, I guess.  Now, I'd be happy to do two sessions a day and "finish" in a year.  But, I had other plans, so we will see how it all pans out.

I just feel so happy to be alive, and to be able to pursue my own quirky purpose in life full time for the time being.

Hiking and Hopping

My friend, actually ex-wife, Deb and I went for a walk on Sequoia-Sunset trail in the hills today. Deb is a personal chef and fundraising consultant. Deb's the best conversationalist I know, meaning she listens very intently and it makes one feel oh-so-interesting. I am trying to do as many of my social activities as I can while on the move these days. Yes, a fitness kick is underway.

The next step of my fitness kick will be to find someplace to dance. Yes, the dharma nerd likes to dance. I was in the best condition of my adult life when I went through a time when I was swing dancing three nights a week for a year in my thirties. It is also an opportunity to touch human beings, and listen to good music.

So, I've started looking at the internet to find out where to go. It seems lesbians have a few options in the Bay Area:

"Cream"
supersexy lesbian dance party with rotating DJs spinning hip-hop, old-school, funk, Latin, and disco

(Oh my goodness no. This makes me feel very old.)

"Ladies' Night with Burnin' Bush"
w/ Ital Hi-Fi spinning dancehall, reggae, & hip-hop

(That one makes me feel very... white)

Hot to Trot Women's Dance
Beginners are welcome to learn and participate in two-step, East and West Coast swing, salsa, waltzes, nightclub two-step, some Lindy and line dances.
Price: $10-$20 sliding scale, includes lesson
Time & Date: Fridays, 7:30-11 p.m.
Glenview Performing Arts Center
1318 Glenfield Ave.
Oakland CA 94602
Oakland: Glenview
510-763-1343, hot2dance@aol.com

That sounds more up my alley. Although it's still a sexual metaphor, it a nerdy middle-aged one. Unfortunately, they have Valentine's party this weekend. Yuck. I've decided I'm allergic to relationships. I'll wait until the following week.

Leading and following are completely different in these dances, and with women I learned to lead because I am tall and look silly trying to follow those little butch women.

That's if I want to play it safe and stick to women's events. Should I dare learn to follow? If we open up the whole wide world of Bay Area swing dance, the best options I see are:

Trip the light fantastic
Allegro dancers

Then the big picture:
Lindylist

What is swing dancing you ask? Well, there are different styles, here is a video of some good Lindy-hop dancers. Lindy is most popular out here in the Bay area, but I prefer the Jitterbug,
Why? Because it's easier, I couldn't even get the basic steps down of the Lindy, last time I tried.

Now, I'm loosing my nerve before I even start!

I Like Lichen

Today in Redwood Park

I had a nice relaxing day today, practicing, moving ants out of the bathroom, and corresponding with the new friends I have made on this blog.  In the afternoon I slipped out and went for a walk in Redwood Park, in the hills above Oakland.  The spotlight was on moss and lichen that beamed forth green light from trunks, branches and stones.

My ex, D, emailed me on New Years, reminding me that it has been 13 years since we pulled our Uhaul and my Ford Festiva off at the High Street exit, then sideswiped a parked car on our way up the hill to our new rented home.  Although it didn't turn out as we'd planned, I am so happy we landed here.  And I'm so glad you are still my friend.

The first year here, a few things I remember: a) being broke b) volunteering binding books at the Nyingma Institute's TAP bookmaking project (the Kangyur or the Tengyur at that time) c) answering phones at the Berkeley Shambhala Center, d) how beautiful everything looked/smelled/felt, and e) these fabulous East Bay Parks that we discovered soon after we arrived.