Contemplify NonRequired Reading List Email for February 28, 2018
The February NonRequired Reading List
Contemplatives,
Zen Master Dōgen coined the term dōkan, which translates as ‘circle of the way’. I’ve been geeking out over this concept of dōkan as the journey towards enlightenment (or realized meaning, ideations of heaven or the snack aisle at Trader Joe’s) is a circle; present and unfolding. In fact, I’ve been casually dropping this term ‘circle of the way’ into as many relevant conversations as possible to see if it elicits the same giddy response in others. So far I have yet to receive as much as a raised eyebrow in response. I blame only myself for not understanding or embodying it adequately enough to relay it.
There is a common saying attributed to just about every Catholic saint, ‘All the way to heaven is heaven’, which has a similar accent to Dōgen’s ‘circle of the way,’ or an Owen Wilson ‘wow’. But what really flares my nostrils about Dōgen’s concept is the lack of arrival point, with the emphasis on the way; the infinitely present all-you-can-eat metaphysical buffet that continuously travels with you*. It is present and unfolds. That is on the personal level, but the ‘circle of the way’ implies a communal plane too. If I am understanding Dōgen correctly, he is basically saying that my practice--and your practice--of the way actualizes the practices of all awakened ones across time and space. And the practice of awakened ones actualizes the practice in us! One might call this interconnectedness, quantum entanglement, or the communion of saints.**
I can tell that I am not there yet on clarity of expression of the ‘circle of the way’. No matter, I’ll keep on the path...and since its a circle I’ll have another shot down the line.
* Ok, that metaphor falls flat because I’ve never been to an all-you-can-eat buffet that I didn’t want to run away from an hour after eating. I digress.
** This not intended as a gross conflation of terms, just points of recognition.
Here is this month’s NonRequired Reading List...
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseki (Get it at the Public Library or Indiebound)
If you think you or someone you love might die someday, read this book. This sounds flip, but I’m being truthful. One of the most transformative practices for me is remembering that I am going to die. I tell myself everyday that this ride around the planet will one day end for me and everyone I love. Rather than being morbid, I find it to be a loving gesture of holding up a mirror to take stock of my being and actions in the world. Frank Ostaseki does that and more in The Five Invitations. Frank Ostaseki is a globally renowned Buddhist teacher, cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, founder of the Metta Institute, and he has accompanied thousands of people along their journey towards death (I find myself in reverent pause each time I try to imagine him doing that). As Frank attests, one learns a lot from being present to the dying. His major themes appear intuitive but the level of depth he touches are nothing short of life-altering:
Don’t Wait
Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing
Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience
Find a Place of Rest in the MIddle of Things
Cultivate Don’t Know Mind
Frank could easily have written a whole book on each one of these, instead he chooses just enough stories and reflections to pull you in and to invite you to examine your life through these lenses. Frank Ostaseki is a masterful storyteller and teacher and I look forward to sharing our conversation on Contemplify in the coming month. If you don’t track down this book now, you will after you hear that conversation. If you’re in a book club, this one would be delicious for a communal dialogue and Frank has even crafted some questions to get you started.
‘A Literary Road Trip Into the Heart of Russia’ by Karl Ove Knausgaard (New York Times 2/14/18)
Every time the Norwegians won a medal at the Olympics I wondered what Karl Ove would say about it. Would he intend to craft a 14,000 word essay on the perfect posture of a Norsk skier who has their eyes set on another gold...only to get lost in an 18th Century art book or tying one of his kids’ shoes. Luck struck and I stumbled upon his latest journalistic venture with the New York Times, this time he traverses into Russia with these questions beating the heart of the article:
‘But what do the people who live inside of that entity [Russia] think? What is “Russia” to them, what are the stories they tell themselves? A hundred years after the revolution, 25 years after the fall of Communism?’
The guide for Knausgaard’s questions? Ivan Turgenev’s 19th Century book, A Sportsman’s Sketches. The story of a hunter walking the landscape in search of game and shelter. Knausgaard stomps through the countryside scenes of A Sportsman’s Sketches wafting the air for clues that might lead his nose to the next internal signal, or a flock of birds passing overhead, or anything that might give a clue to his questions. What intrigues me about Knausgaard is his intrigue in the mundane details of life. I am struck by his capacity for observation while also being (mostly) unable to move beyond his own literary study to jump into a place and its people. But he is self-aware of it and catches himself, and I love him for that. If only I could be so aware of my own limitations. He paints pictures without regard for how they will interpreted, embarks on journeys that appear useless, and engages people without regard to status, all because he is fascinated by questions that open his awareness to experience the details of the ‘other’.
2018 Festival of Faiths: Sacred Insight, Feminine Wisdom (Check it out at festivaloffaiths.org)
Did you know that the city of Louisville wants to be known for its compassion? The Mayor signed a multi-year resolution in 2011 for that effort. But in my estimation one could find the seeds of compassion by flipping the calendar back to 1996 when the Festival of Faiths was born. The Festival of Faiths was planted by a group of committed conversation partners from different faith traditions who wanted to participate in honest dialogue on common themes from a posture of humility and open-hearted learning. The Festival has always hosted a cadre of contemplatives and this year is no different. I’ll name just a few of the torchbearers of modern contemplative activism who will be on hand to stir the attendees; Ruby Sales, Sharon Salzberg, Mary Berry-Smith, Christopher Pramuk (friend of Contemplify) and many more.
One of these days the stars will align and I’ll be able to attend in person or participate live online. If you’re curious what it might be like, here are a couple of videos of sessions from previous years I’ve dug into: Merton and His Legacy: Sacred Stories and The Heart of Compassion with Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault.
Albums of note that are kindling my ears this month:
'Black Panther: The Album' Is Kendrick Lamar's Parallel, Pan-African Universe (NPR)
The Low Anthem, 'The Salt Doll Went To Measure The Depth Of The Sea' (NPR)
Contemplify Update
The three most recent episodes (and MiniSeries!) of Contemplify…
050: The Reverence Chocolate Evokes with Shawn Askinosie (Author of Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul)
049: The Sunday Letters: A Practice in Contemplative Thinking with Jana Marie
048: Transforming Cinemas into Meditation Halls with Director Max Pugh on Walk With Me: A Journey Into Mindfulness Featuring Thich Nhat Hahn
(MiniSeries!) Six episode of the Contemplify sponsored MiniSeries - Practice Without Preaching: Creating a Family Spirituality with Ali Kirkpatrick
(Episodes: Introduction, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)
(Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Podbean, Overcast, Google Play or Contemplify.com)
Thank you for your kind words and open ears around the Contemplify basecamp! There are a whole crop of conversations I am eager to share as the days unfold.
Tipping my hat from the Contemplify fire,
Paul
P.S. Check out Cal Newport’s (friend of Contemplify, Episode 041) attempts to help with online addiction in this NYT article.
P.P.S. Can you help spread the contemplative word? Please take a few seconds to rate and review Contemplify on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast player. And thanks to all who have already done so!