I discovered Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki at a second-hand book store when I was 15. I loved it. But probably more on a romantic, aesthetic level: I couldn't meditate to save myself, and at that age -- and beyond -- more hedonistic and ego-driven pursuits prevailed.
I got back to it many years later though. Actually decades. The interesting thing about music, whether playing or listening to it, is although it can be this very self-expressive, cathartic, healing activity, it can also be a bit like drugs: avoidant, escapist, dissociative. What meditation can do, and especially the solitude and silence that comes with it, is return you to everything that's hidden and suppressed.
I've been reading Zen and the Brain recently by James Austin. He's both a neurologist and a meditator. It's a dense, hefty book, but fascinating. It's interesting to see how neurology correlates with different states of consciousness.
Wonderful thoughts again for today! Thank you for all these reminders and for your compassionate and gentle way with words!
And thank you for your compassionate and gentle treatment of lyrics!
I don't know much about Buddhist philosophy, but this certainly is a powerful reminder that anxiety need not rule you. Gracias.
I discovered Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki at a second-hand book store when I was 15. I loved it. But probably more on a romantic, aesthetic level: I couldn't meditate to save myself, and at that age -- and beyond -- more hedonistic and ego-driven pursuits prevailed.
I got back to it many years later though. Actually decades. The interesting thing about music, whether playing or listening to it, is although it can be this very self-expressive, cathartic, healing activity, it can also be a bit like drugs: avoidant, escapist, dissociative. What meditation can do, and especially the solitude and silence that comes with it, is return you to everything that's hidden and suppressed.
I've been reading Zen and the Brain recently by James Austin. He's both a neurologist and a meditator. It's a dense, hefty book, but fascinating. It's interesting to see how neurology correlates with different states of consciousness.
Right at this moment in my life, this writing heals me. While I am aware of all of it, this reminder was necessary for me right now. Thank you.
Wonderful advice which I practice as a matter of daily life. I also listen to Louis Armstrong
Thanks for this, Bret. Excellent advice. Perhaps Dan Quayle was right when he said, “The mind is a terrible thing.”