The Dark Side of the Moon

Because of family issues I have missed the last two weeks of Aikido and will probabaly miss another week if not more.

I HOPE to be back but I feel like NASA with a moon shot when the capsule lost all communication as they went across the back side (not really the dark side) of the moon.

I have been out of touch and pray I will be back in touch ASAP.

Moon Shot

I have ridden my bicycle very little the last few months so I celebrated this morning's ride with a photo to remember the morning by.

Another sunrise over White Rock Lake in Dallas

One Week Later...Same Location

I have to miss Aikido yet again and sadly I missed last Wednesday of my own choice (I was sooooo dang tired), but also again I am squeezing in my caffeine treat of a slow cup of coffee at White Rock Coffee.

Saturday Morning at White Rock Coffee

I have some domestic chores to do today and have to miss Aikido class, but I managed to squeeze in a little time for coffee and reading.
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Back on the Mat

After missing almost 2 weeks of aikido I finally made it back to class tonight.

Sidney Sensei was there but Charlie taught the class tonight and he worked on some basic concepts. It is interesting that Charlie or Sidney will both focus on “basics” but somehow even though they often cover the same techniques the vibe is different. While neither is worse nor better than the other I still savor Sidney Sensei's basic more than other peoples basics.

But it was a good workout and I was not as winded as I thought I would be since I have not exercised in almost 2 weeks.

The video is quite similar to what we worked on for the first part of class although the language is a bit different.

I have not posted many “deep thought” postings lately but I feel one coming on. I hope to ultimately tie in Aikido, the meaning of life, the existential situation and all that. But I may have to work up to it

Sitting

Tonight I went to MKZC (The Maria Kannon Zen Center) and spent 90 minutes sitting in an almost lotus position (with short silent walking breaks every 30 minutes).

Back in the 90s I spent 7 years or so regularly sitting on my own and going once a week to the Zendo and the occasional retreat (aka sesshin). So after being away for nearly 8 years it was interesting to get back in the sitting swing of things.

The teacher (Ruben Habito) was there tonight and offered dokuson (individual interview) so I took advantage of this treat. The ability to have one on one time with an official Zen Teacher who has the “Imprimatur” to teach from Zen masters is really quite amazing. Who would think Dallas, TX would have such an opportunity?

The ritual of going to dokusan adds weight to the activity but since Ruben is so welcoming you are instantly at ease.

MKZC follows a relatively modern lineage in that it officially started in 1954 which is WAY new as far as these things go. The founder is famous from Roshi Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen. The twist for Sanbo Kyodan is that it blends the two main types of Zen, Rinzai and Soto. Rinzai is best known for the use of the zen riddles called koans while Sōtō usually just focuses on “just sitting” or “Shikantaza”

I don't know if I'll totally switch my Wednesday routine form Aikido to Sitting, but I will probably at least return next week

Mind Your Beginners

Sensei is spending much of the summer in France and Charlie and some of the brown belts have been teaching the class in his absence.

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Last night we had a big class in a small room and a we had a lot of pretty new people. I've be at it for about 3 ½ years and still think of my self as a beginner so I sometimes feel strange commenting on a partner's technique. That plus the idea that for the most part you are supposed to leave the teaching to the teacher.

Interestingly I've found that sometimes the newer students want to give the most advice. Charlie has sometimes explicitly told us as a group it is impolite for a junior student to tell a more senior student what to do, but I don't really care. I think the more you practice you develop a sense of humility since you seem to frequently discover you didn't know as much as you thought and if you go to different dojos the same technique can vary quite a bit.

When I've questioned Sidney on why a different teacher seems to have a different approach he usually says the other technique if fine but it implies a slightly different attack by uke in which case the slightly different work by nage is appropriate. The upshot is you shouldn't assume anything but be open to learning at all times.

All that makes me slow to correct anybody, but you want to help when you can. So you just have to strike a balance and maintain your own “beginner's mind” when working with a beginner.