Mike Monson's notes on nothing

"Master Sekiso said, "You are at the top of the 100 foot high pole. How will you make a step further?" "

Hmm-- I never heard that rendering. The one I'm more familiar with is: 'Take one step off of the 100-foot pole, and show your whole body in all directions.' Which says something entirely different, to me. What about you?

"Hmm-- I never heard that rendering. The one I'm more familiar with is: 'Take one step off of the 100-foot pole, and show your whole body in all directions.' Which says something entirely different, to me. What about you?"

to me the one you quote seems like a possible answer to the one I quoted
it's an instruction rather than a question

Yeah, I always heard it as (very insistent) inspiration: Just Do It. Think non-thinking. If you ask, "How?" you're already falling.

Please bring your vehicle to a complete stop
Before proeceeding, and
Note that the earth will continue to spin
And turn
And revolve
And hurtle through space
As you pause to check left and check right

The delusion is that you are driving. That YOU are driving. That you are DRIVING.

"
The delusion is that you are driving. That YOU are driving. That you are DRIVING.

"

Stop beginning to stop stopping stopping

"A lot has happened in my practice in the last 10 days.
Something is opening up -- just a sliver, I t hink, but enough to give me a possible preview of what may be to come, you know? If feels like there is so much more to come and that it is endless.
The change that created what seems like rapid progress is this:
I went from a motivation in which I was strongly seeking specific states, stages and experience to one in which I wanted a point of view that would give me composure no matter what was going on inside me or aound me.
Unless I'm missing something (pretty likely!) the four noble truths are about the truth of suffering and the ending of suffering, and that is key to me -- ending suffering NOW. Anything that does that for ME, I want to do, anything that just increases suffering, I am highly motivated to eliminate.
I'm really tired of suffering.
And, if there is a way out I want to go there.
Now, it is possible that I may in the future have amazing experiences and go to cool states of mind and achieve developmental stages. But, I only want those to happen if they are a by-product of my practices to elminate my suffering. Otherwise, **** it.
"

Awesome, Mike.

"Awesome, Mike."

Thanks.
It's still working. I'm still motivated in that same way.

D-28? D-18? J-45?

"A lot has happened in my practice in the last 10 days.
Something is opening up -- just a sliver, I t hink, but enough to give me a possible preview of what may be to come, you know? If feels like there is so much more to come and that it is endless.

The change that created what seems like rapid progress is this:
I went from a motivation in which I was strongly seeking specific states, stages and experience to one in which I wanted a point of view that would give me composure no matter what was going on inside me or aound me.

Unless I'm missing something (pretty likely!) the four noble truths are about the truth of suffering and the ending of suffering, and that is key to me -- ending suffering NOW. Anything that does that for ME, I want to do, anything that just increases suffering, I am highly motivated to eliminate.
I'm really tired of suffering.
And, if there is a way out I want to go there.
Now, it is possible that I may in the future have amazing experiences and go to cool states of mind and achieve developmental stages. But, I only want those to happen if they are a by-product of my practices to elminate my suffering. Otherwise, **** it. "

-Mike Monson

Thanks for sharing this breakthrough, Mike. This is what I live for.

In gratitude,

Kenneth

"Thanks.
It's still working. I'm still motivated in that same way.

D-28? D-18? J-45?"-telecaster

80-20 rule. I got a D1 for a few hundred that does everything I need. But if you've got the cabbage, it's gotta be D28.

""Thanks.
It's still working. I'm still motivated in that same way.

D-28? D-18? J-45?"-telecaster

80-20 rule. I got a D1 for a few hundred that does everything I need. But if you've got the cabbage, it's gotta be D28."

J Groove is playing "old time" and they often go with the GIbson.

"J Groove is playing "old time" and they often go with the GIbson. "

Recording King RD-27 (not enough cabbage for a D28!)

Are you guys talking in code?

R2 D2?

"Are you guys talking in code?

R2 D2?"

Guitars!
Martin D-28, etc. OK, off topic! Sry.

"Are you guys talking in code?

R2 D2?"

Sorry, Nick. We were waxing indulgent with guitar talk. Just having a little off-topic fun. All those numbers are model numbers of acoustic guitars.

Kenneth

You guys remind me of my dad. Mad musos!!!!

"Are you guys talking in code?

R2 D2?"

LOL
I literally laughed out loud when I read what Nick said.
Star Wars, eh Nick?

Awesome that there's so many musicians here at KFD!
I only know about B.C. Rich Warbeasts, Gibson Les Paul, and guitars of that nature (my son is a guitarist - metal/hardcore stuff)

When I heard Vince's great BG interview with Adyashanti today, I couldn't help but think of Kenneth's comment about how important it is to not be a "complacent slug" who just accepts a practice plateau as his lot in life. I also thought about Mike's uncompromising attitude of questioning, questioning, questioning...

Adyashanti: Where this really started for me was a very, very sort of eye-opening and in some ways sobering, chilling moment, after a Sesshin that I sat, on the retreat. I was sitting there, and at the end of it, people were having breakfast after it was over, and talking, and I heard a group of old-time students who'd been at this, like, 20, 30'”a couple of them'”40 years. They were talking, and they were all talking about how when they were young, they remembered getting involved in Buddhism, and they wanted enlightenment and to awaken, and now that they'd been doing it for 30 or 40 years they'd kind of just let go of that. They hadn't really found out what that was, but they'd found'”they kind of found peace with not finding out what this enlightenment thing was about. So they had a peace about that. And they actually did have a peace about that. You know, like, well maybe it's not going to happen but it's okay. And I could see, for them, it was okay. And that it was okay. [cont. below]

But for me, at 23 years old, and I suddenly look over and I go, 'That could be me in 40 years.' I could be sitting there saying, 'Well, the enlightenment thing didn't really work out, but, you know, I'm really at peace with that.' And something about me, at 23 years old'“I literally had to bite my bottom lip. I literally dug my teeth into my bottom lip, otherwise I just would have screamed out this huge, 'No!' Like, it cannot end that way, that's what I thought. That can't happen. That's not acceptable. It was fine for them, so it wasn't a judgment for them. But for me, it scared the hell out of me. And that's the day when I thought, 'Okay, that's it.' I realized I was on my own. Because I realized you can't just follow the tradition, because it might not work out. Just doing what you're told because someone says that's the way to do it, and that's the way they've always done it'“I thought, 'Okay, I don't have that luxury. I've got to prove everything true or false for myself, and it's up to me.'

jgroove:
A lot of the people I've seen at well-established zen centers seem to have become more into a sort of "zen-lifestyle" than maybe becoming a light unto themselves. they enjoy being part of the community, they enjoy the "zen' trappings (some of those places are just gorgeous in their simplicity and attention to detail) they are into moving up in the hierarchy, etc. I'm sure it can be a nice life. And, I don't think being original and "questioning questioning questioning" are considered attractive qualities.
What's weird is a lot of them just love to say how they like zen because "it's NOT a religion." So funny to me.
Don't get me wrong, I like the trappings too -- the restroom at the Berkeley zen center is SOOOO lovely -- always fresh flowers, incense burning, I always want to stay forever.

"the restroom at the Berkeley zen center is SOOOO lovely -- always fresh flowers, incense burning, I always want to stay forever. "

my bathroom is more like a horrifying charnel ground--you want to disembed from that situation as quickly as possible!
Guess this is why home practice works for me. LOL!

I wrote this on Saturday:
"i just sat. i think i noticed something new: that the feeling or awareness of me watching or feeling something is actually a lightning quick created image in my brain done out of years of habit to create a false sense of, maybe, continuity?"

Okay, so I keep noticing this and now, of course, it seems obvious. Basically, any time I think about "myself" wonder about "myself" think about who is watching or "who" is aware this image will be created. It's very convenient, isn't it?
It's fascinating.
Can it be stopped? What is there before the image/feeling thing is created?
It's kind of like Dorothy seeing the truth about the Wizard of Oz as just a man behind some curtains except there is no wizard back there anywhere - at least not that i've found yet.

Keep going!!!

"
Keep going!!!

"

What is this thing writing these words?
I know it likes to breathe and to eat and to have sex and to care for its offspring and be important to others and to get pleasures and to avoid pain and that it is powerfully and instinctively opposed to dying. It can hear and taste and touch and see and smell.
That's about all I know for sure.

Keep looking, looking, looking......swinging on the rope getting more height!
When I started becoming aware of those images progress sped up. The images didn't stop for me so they became part of the practise.
Like Chris said....keep going!