Zen of Creativity Chapters 3/4 *reading only*

[Meitou]

Hello everone.
Thank you for your continued support and participation, this has turned out to be a really rewarding project for all of us.

Anne and I would like to ask you just to continue to read this week and /or continue with your enso practice, or more ideas from the last prompt. The reasons are that Anne unfortunately is not well at the moment - Metta to you Anne for a speedy recovery- and I'm away in the UK until the 2nd July. I have a very busy trip planned and won't be able to get online for any length of time. But please continue posting, I'll be able to pop in when I have a moment free.

So please continue on, reading chapters 3 and 4, thinking about JDL's description of The Still Point in chapter 3 and how that relates to our spiritual and creative practice ; and in chapter 4 paying attention to the discussion about how we look/see. There won't be a prompt directly relating to chapter 3, but the ideas put forward will be incorporated into two prompts for chapter 4, which I'll post in the week after the 2nd.

Thank you all for bearing with us through this brief hiatus, the most important thing is to carry on with your creative practice in whatever form inspires, and continuing to enjoy this wonderful book.

Have a great week
Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

[Kotei]

Thank you Meitou, safe travels.
Metta to you, Anne.

To me, it feels just right, reading and continuing pondering about the prompts.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Meian]

I just saw this now, I'm a bit behind on things with travel preparations and been working more hours as a result.

I had realized yesterday that I hadn't seen Meitou or Anne recently and this worried me -- now I understand.

Metta to you, Anne, and Meitou, i hope your travels have gone well.

gassho
kim
st lh

[Hensho]

Altho we are on hiatus, I thought I'd pass along an experience I had that relates to this book.

Once the weather turns nice, I eat lunch at my desk so that later, I can take a walk on one of the paths outside our office. It's a great way to let go of work, but often, I find myself thinking of work anyway. Because I'm reading this book, I decided to make a recent walk a listening/seeing walk. No thoughts. Just listen and look. Towards the end of my walk is a mulberry tree, and it being mulberry season, I decided to go have a taste. (Why not add a 3rd and 4th sense?!) Right in front of the tree was a smashed turtle. She really affected me because it was clear that she was pregnant and most likely off to bury her eggs.

I looked at her a long time and had many conflicting feelings. Then I went to the tree and ate mulberries. The contrast between death and life and nourishment--it was all swirling around in my head. But I thought: don't try to sort it out. Just eat and then walk back to work.

When I got to my desk, a poem just came out of me all at once--almost entirely finished in one draft.

I had never had a writing experience like that before. It reminded me a lot of creating the enso.

I think I understand more now about what JDL means about not picking your subject--just let the subject pick you. A revelation for me.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Gassho,

Kate
SAT

[Cooperix]

Hello everyone. Meitou is back and I am slowly recovering. We will be posting the next discussion of chapter 3 and 4 soon.
Kotei, Kim, Kate,
thank you for your input.
Kate, that is a wonderful take away from this book. Learning to be present in every moment. If you feel so moved can you share the poem with us?
We will be touching on that topic in the discussion around chapter 4.

Keep on reading...

Gassho,
Anne

~st~

[Hensho]

Thank you, Anne.

I posted the poem somewhere else on this forum. I think it was called, "A Little Poetry."

Just to note. . . I had a similar experience again today after a long walk. Suddenly a poem. I walked to a bookstore to buy a blank book so that I could record it before it vanished. This is interesting to me for two reasons: I didn't think I'd get much from JDL's book, and I don't think of myself as a poet.

Here's the poem (and then I'll stop posting poems).


For Babylon, on Becoming a World Heritage Site

The day was still, stiller
than I knew and green
when I finally stopped.

Two-hundred thousand once
lived in Babylon. Today six, good
for a Monday with no gift shop.

A world of seven billion still points
has no center. In Emerson's
circles we are always

on someone's perimeter. The squirrels
and bats add an uncountable
number. If I vow to save

all beings, what if all
I do is fail to save one? A worm
drowning in a puddle, I

scooped to the grass. If
he digs his way to Babylon
may he feast among the kings.

[Meitou]

Thank you, Anne.

I posted the poem somewhere else on this forum. I think it was called, "A Little Poetry."

Just to note. . . I had a similar experience again today after a long walk. Suddenly a poem. I walked to a bookstore to buy a blank book so that I could record it before it vanished. This is interesting to me for two reasons: I didn't think I'd get much from JDL's book, and I don't think of myself as a poet.

Here's the poem (and then I'll stop posting poems).


For Babylon, on Becoming a World Heritage Site

The day was still, stiller
than I knew and green
when I finally stopped.

Two-hundred thousand once
lived in Babylon. Today six, good
for a Monday with no gift shop.

A world of seven billion still points
has no center. In Emerson's
circles we are always

on someone's perimeter. The squirrels
and bats add an uncountable
number. If I vow to save

all beings, what if all
I do is fail to save one? A worm
drowning in a puddle, I

scooped to the grass. If
he digs his way to Babylon
may he feast among the kings.

Kate I loved your post and I love, love this poem. Thank you for sharing it with us and please continue to do so!
Deep bows to you
Meitou
sattoday

[Jinyo]

I hope you are continuing to feel better Anne and welcome back Meitou from your trip.

Kate - I love the poem, I hope you'll continue to post more.
It is both strange and wonderful when a poem comes seemingly out of nowhere.

Gassho,

Jinyo

sat today

[Cooperix]

Oh thank you Kate for sharing that wonderful writing with us. Such a powerful example of letting the poem write itself.

And Jinyo, thank you for your well wishes. Yes, I am still recovering but significantly better. We posted the discussion and prompts for chapter 3 and 4 here
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?17053-Zen-of-Creativity-Chapter-3-4-discussion-and-prompts

Take a look and enjoy our ongoing adventures with John Daido Loori!

Gassho

Anne
~st~