The Zabuton

Sitting on Zabuton

black, rectangular mat,

four inches of padding

separating my knees from hard floor.

batting and foam…

sumptuous.

my comfort, my pleasure.

is it too much indulgence?

yes too much…

more than a tenth of an inch.

good and bad

koan through my thoughts.

just sitting.

___________________

Friendly Bows _/|\_,

This poem can also be found at 30 Poems in 30 Days.

The Day

Buddha Buddy

I wake up to coffee, Dharma reading, zazen.

Then I begin my day with a goal of mindfulness.

Something happens and emotions arise.

A mental flag waves and I am mindful for some moments.

I remind myself of my goal of mindfulness,

And before I finish reminding I’m on to something else.

Afternoon and evening approach.

Stretches between mindfulness get longer.

Small mind speaks in tired thoughts and TV diversions.

I sit and watch some shows with my wife before bed.

I wake up to coffee, Dharma reading, zazen…
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Friendly Bows _/|\_
This poem is also on 30 Poems in 30 Days.

Buttonholes, Shower Benches and a Poem

My new sitting device is being patient while I learn to sew buttonholes.

The manual to my daughter's sewing machine disappeared and it's been a case of trial and error (with lots of error) to figure out how to make a buttonhole.  I can manage it once and then when I try to repeat it the sewing machine seems to turn into a pasta mill...hmmm.  Hopefully soon.

Shower Bench for Zazen

As part of my morning zazen practice I use an app called Insight Timer (click here to read the review.)  In one of the discussions someone mentioned that they used a shower bench for meditation.  It allowed them to adjust the height and also create an angle in the bench seat by using two different height settings.  This might be an interesting alternative for folks with knee or back problems.  If anyone gives this a try can you please leave a comment to this post to let others know how well it works?

Below is the poem I submitted yesterday to "30 Poems in 30 Days".

Friendly Bows _/|\_

Poem 2 - The Trap

Control

The tragedies
Of strategies
Of control.
Small mind's goal.
Perpetuating pain,
Nothing to gain,
A trap for the soul.


Friendly Bows _/|\_

Poem 1 - The Present

The Present

Blank faces pass each other at 35 miles per hour,
Partially arriving at our destination,
Before passing more blank faces,
Partially arriving home.

...the present...