So, what have I been up to? A little while after Mardi Gras I thought that in the spirit of Lent I would abstain from craving-generating substances: sugar, coffee and excessive eating in particular. That was because I'd let good daily practice of mind-and-body-training slip. Since the initial idea of abstinence I did give-in to all of the cravings including, hanging out with my crazy friends smoking and drinking and spending my time chasing a pretty Kat when I had intended to work or sleep. Well, my crazy friends are crazy fun and not to be neglected, chasing was all I hoped it would be and the Kat liked it too, yet at the end of the day I was lacking sleep, feeling tetchy and looking at a long list of things I'd intended to do that I clearly wasn't getting done. I'd like to tell you the story of why the stressful to-do-list vanished. The story uses the analogy of single-minded meditation.
The conditions for me to draw, web-design, paint, write-up dairy entries, communicate via internet and shuffle papers around thoughtfully have been better than they've been for a long time. Ideas kept coming to mind of things that I should do to make the most of the resources available. I had ideas and made them into tasks, adding and adding to my should-do-list without considering when I would get it all done.
In single-minded meditation one cultivates concentration on one thing and dismisses unrequested thoughts until they no longer interrupt. Outside of meditation [at least] I wasn't willing to turn ideas away, yet doing so is necessary in order to stay concentrated on finishing projects already at hand. This list of attractive, distracting tasks was causing me to stress and ironically as a result I wasn't getting anything done. So I've unattached myself from all of the tasks. Sounds pretty unproductive? It actually doesn't feel that way. It feels like stress subsiding and going away and also of being reminded of the value of concentration. Patience once again proves its virtuousness.
___
Now I don't know who may be reading this but I do know there are many out there more and less able to concentrate than myself. Please bare in mind that this is a technique I am developing for turbulent conditions, in unfamiliar environments, without the stability of a regular routine. I wrote it up so you could read it. If you did please leave me a comment.
2008/12/09
July 10th 2008
Writing from my room 464, Huallaga, Iquitos
People approach, meet or happen upon me and we talk about God. Many tell me to read the bible - I am reading, cover to cover. Many suggest I need to accept Jesus as my saviour or I won't get into heavan. By their reasoning therefore, I'll go to hell.
It's about where I'll end up passing eternity after I die. I don't place my faith in any assumptions just yet but respect their seriousness.
Others have been buddists whose intended direction is towards enlightnment and freedom from the eternal cycle of births and deaths wherein suffering is (like in hell) inevitable.
I have tended to think of heavan and hell as the consiquences of one's actions. Live in a saintly way and end up in a holy state. Live as a sinner and end up in a hellish world.
Many of those who preach of Jesus suggest the only way to 'salvation' is through Jesus. Like wise, the methods to reach liberation proposed by the Lama I met, were presented as though other methods need not be concidered. So what I don't accept when I am told it is that there is only one way to go, that only one school of practice is rightous.
The 'Prince of the Incas' who I met last night said Jesus, Muhamed, Buddah and some others whose names I didn't quite catch are all valid guides [on the path to reach god]. I saw much reason in that.
I got to thinking that guides have arrived in different regions at different times whose teachings have been carried thousands of years through time and around the World and now, the guide books are in the hands of people that could not have been foreseen.
Perhaps it's time for new guides, new prophets with the Word of God in a new contemporary, globally accessible form. A way to revise and update existing beliefs to allow people to cultivate their own faith without feeling it necessary to deny the doctrine of others.
People approach, meet or happen upon me and we talk about God. Many tell me to read the bible - I am reading, cover to cover. Many suggest I need to accept Jesus as my saviour or I won't get into heavan. By their reasoning therefore, I'll go to hell.
It's about where I'll end up passing eternity after I die. I don't place my faith in any assumptions just yet but respect their seriousness.
Others have been buddists whose intended direction is towards enlightnment and freedom from the eternal cycle of births and deaths wherein suffering is (like in hell) inevitable.
I have tended to think of heavan and hell as the consiquences of one's actions. Live in a saintly way and end up in a holy state. Live as a sinner and end up in a hellish world.
Many of those who preach of Jesus suggest the only way to 'salvation' is through Jesus. Like wise, the methods to reach liberation proposed by the Lama I met, were presented as though other methods need not be concidered. So what I don't accept when I am told it is that there is only one way to go, that only one school of practice is rightous.
The 'Prince of the Incas' who I met last night said Jesus, Muhamed, Buddah and some others whose names I didn't quite catch are all valid guides [on the path to reach god]. I saw much reason in that.
I got to thinking that guides have arrived in different regions at different times whose teachings have been carried thousands of years through time and around the World and now, the guide books are in the hands of people that could not have been foreseen.
Perhaps it's time for new guides, new prophets with the Word of God in a new contemporary, globally accessible form. A way to revise and update existing beliefs to allow people to cultivate their own faith without feeling it necessary to deny the doctrine of others.
2008/12/06
Friday - Pucallpa - July 20somethingth 2008
Looking out from the little 'lancha' the scenery is appearing, bit by bit in the detail that comes with the light of a new day. The water is light, a wide expanse. The land is dark, a strip of jungle running the entre length of the horizon dividing the sky and river. There are also several patches of dark where the sand bank is exposed. The sky comes up with several hues and tones, pinks, light yellows, pale blues and steel grey.
Vulchers glid about, black crow siloettes. 'Put-put canooes' arrive with their early morning business. Their motors do more than put-put, some kicking out loud, violent serises of bangs like a slow motion machine gun. If dawnlight wasn't enough to indicate the start of today the dock sounds bear the same message for those that hear. From the deck below two crewfellows have risen and are announcing their waking with streams of urine into the filthy habourside river.
Six rusty metal boxes with crude portholes and two decks of cargo and hammock space are here in 'the Port of the Jungle', Pucallpa, one, I am aboard, sat with my legs through the scafolding-pole like railings, tarpolian sheets drape the ferry's sides to ward off cold winds and rain. In front of me now, beyond the scum on the water, beyond the sandbank of vulchers where one canoo team passed the night, beyond the floating river debries and beyond the sand beach on the otherside of the low river, out of the jungle as infinate seeming as the sea, the red golden sun rises amongst the clouds laying down a glistening path of reflected light reaching almost to the foot of my boat. The lush green of the flood plains appears glourious against the rich, dull grey sky behind. Growing in brightness to the point at which not the sun itself, nor the water-path-reflection, can be looked at it now is gone... higher into the sky and behind cloud. Everywhere is day now. I'll go and fetch my tupperware to make a wash basin of it and complete the waking ritual I've seen the jungle dwellers complete many times since I made it to the Amazon, namely: brush my teeth and wash my face, hands and arms before discovering what the new days holds.
Vulchers glid about, black crow siloettes. 'Put-put canooes' arrive with their early morning business. Their motors do more than put-put, some kicking out loud, violent serises of bangs like a slow motion machine gun. If dawnlight wasn't enough to indicate the start of today the dock sounds bear the same message for those that hear. From the deck below two crewfellows have risen and are announcing their waking with streams of urine into the filthy habourside river.
Six rusty metal boxes with crude portholes and two decks of cargo and hammock space are here in 'the Port of the Jungle', Pucallpa, one, I am aboard, sat with my legs through the scafolding-pole like railings, tarpolian sheets drape the ferry's sides to ward off cold winds and rain. In front of me now, beyond the scum on the water, beyond the sandbank of vulchers where one canoo team passed the night, beyond the floating river debries and beyond the sand beach on the otherside of the low river, out of the jungle as infinate seeming as the sea, the red golden sun rises amongst the clouds laying down a glistening path of reflected light reaching almost to the foot of my boat. The lush green of the flood plains appears glourious against the rich, dull grey sky behind. Growing in brightness to the point at which not the sun itself, nor the water-path-reflection, can be looked at it now is gone... higher into the sky and behind cloud. Everywhere is day now. I'll go and fetch my tupperware to make a wash basin of it and complete the waking ritual I've seen the jungle dwellers complete many times since I made it to the Amazon, namely: brush my teeth and wash my face, hands and arms before discovering what the new days holds.
Tabatinga - 20th June (2008)
Two days since the full moon, only two more moons before I am due to arrive in Mexico. If all goes as planned I'll finally leave Brazil and enter Peruvian territory today.
I've spent about 13 days climbing the river Amazon since it's delta in Pará. I've been watching it. It has now started to get thinner, the flood plains less apparent and the banks higher. Although the specific plant and animal types have changed the surrounding landscape is generally the same as what I could see from the boat thousands of kilometres downstream, prodominantly green hues, dense vegitation, parrots, porpoises, monkeys, little hut or wooden-cabin type houses in places, ocassional towns with concrete harbours and asphalted main roads.
The weather has been warm to hot by day except when it rains. At night it is cooler, reletively cold on ocassion. Clouds of all types have graced the sky adding great beauty to many tropical sunsets, sunrises and a full-moon-rise.
Onwards to Iquitos to get a chance to really meet the jungle.
I've spent about 13 days climbing the river Amazon since it's delta in Pará. I've been watching it. It has now started to get thinner, the flood plains less apparent and the banks higher. Although the specific plant and animal types have changed the surrounding landscape is generally the same as what I could see from the boat thousands of kilometres downstream, prodominantly green hues, dense vegitation, parrots, porpoises, monkeys, little hut or wooden-cabin type houses in places, ocassional towns with concrete harbours and asphalted main roads.
The weather has been warm to hot by day except when it rains. At night it is cooler, reletively cold on ocassion. Clouds of all types have graced the sky adding great beauty to many tropical sunsets, sunrises and a full-moon-rise.
Onwards to Iquitos to get a chance to really meet the jungle.
2007/08/02
Wednesday - 1st August 2007
The week goes on here in São Paulo in a kind of routine way. My mind is set on travelling and before that I'm at least going to finish the two site's I'm in the middle of. If there's time before November I'll do some more; save some cash to take with me.
Teaching work is still just about seeing me through yet paying rent and eating two good meals a day has never been so hard.
Jade and I met up today on the Internet for a bit. 'Talking' to her has me grinning like a little kid and reinforces the feeling that I'm strangely still on track. She's working out in the canadian wild, renting canoes to campers.
Both Gyles and Korin have announced plans to come to Brazil around this time when I'm due to hit the road and travel again. Then, someone I've not spoken to for months told me of an attractive job vacancy where she's working. It seems like a set-up, like a test. I spend months hoping for well paid work, obsecced with a lack of money and as I turn away to take the unknown road, persue my dream, go play with my friends money turns up. Am I going to go after it?
Teaching work is still just about seeing me through yet paying rent and eating two good meals a day has never been so hard.
Jade and I met up today on the Internet for a bit. 'Talking' to her has me grinning like a little kid and reinforces the feeling that I'm strangely still on track. She's working out in the canadian wild, renting canoes to campers.
Both Gyles and Korin have announced plans to come to Brazil around this time when I'm due to hit the road and travel again. Then, someone I've not spoken to for months told me of an attractive job vacancy where she's working. It seems like a set-up, like a test. I spend months hoping for well paid work, obsecced with a lack of money and as I turn away to take the unknown road, persue my dream, go play with my friends money turns up. Am I going to go after it?
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