Monday, May 12, 2008

Quick Update from the employment Bardo

A quick update: I left my old job to take a new one at Discovery Channel. Unfortunately, The project I am supposed to be working on ran into some SERIOUS technical difficulties. So, even though on paper I am an employee, In reality I've been on hold, not working for a month.

Expect further developments soon.

On the plus side, It has let me do over 5 weeks (so far) of in-house retreat. Averaging 6 hours a day (with some days off on weekends to do the normal errands) is not perfect, but it's a LOT better practice-wise than I've ever done.

I've focused on Ngondro (of course). I'm aiming at pre-Prostration stuff, though. VKR has said the 4 Reminders should be inseparable from a vajrayana meditator, and Loppon Jann Jackson (IMO, the very illustration to me of what one can do in one lifetime while balancing practice time, work, and relationships - the ultimate Upisaka - I would even say "Ultrasaka" :)) has said that "at the very least, after doing this stuff for a while, one should never criticize anyone ever again."
(I've been re-reading my notes for the past year, finding the stuff I wrote down, but never internalized).

I realized that neither of the above is true of me - yet. So, I've been working on the 4 Reminders and Mind Training a lot (as well as the 4 Immeasurables, and try to REALLY understand refuge.)

Speaking of which, it's time to go practice for a couple hours, and then get some more resumes out.

Peace.
-LWWD

P.S. - Meli and I, kind of as an anniversary present for ourselves (5 years flew by fast!), have started doing yoga at Willow Street Yoga in Silver Spring. I am finding all kinds of wonderful ways my body doesn't like to bend. :)