I was reading Patrick's post this am, where he mentions the hurdles and obstacles that some other people might throw into our PCP path. Last weekend an old friend died unexpectedly. One of those untimely deaths that makes good the old rhetoric question of "why does it always have to happen to the good guys?" ring full of meaning. And truth is,could not have happened to a nicer fella. Furthermore, he was very fit guy, ran half marathons once a month, played soccer every week with his team...he passed away after just crossing the finish line in a half a marathon run, heart failure induced by asthma attack apparently....and of all the people I know, many of which treat their bodies with utter contempt, if not sheer recklessness, had to be good old Andy to die. He s only 39 and leaves behind 3 kids ages, 10, 6, 3. This got me thinking a lot about the Buddhist conceptwa of impermanence and whether there is a purpouse in doing much at all. I know well that this nihilistic approach is not the essence of what the Buddha preached, but wonder how many of our efforts are misguided and futile. What part of PCPing is a healthy attempt at establishing a mindful awareness of our bodies and making them more functional for a "healthy" understanding of life and a genuinely richer experience, but how much of it is a boost to the ego based on preconceived ideas of how I should look in order to get social or sexual admiration. Despite all these nihilistic reflections on the futility of our efforts in the transient "world of form", have to say that I am starting to feel a good number of positive PCP effects. Although less consistent (as have had to give up some of the morning time pre-work to PCP workouts and meal preparations) my zazen has got so much better. I know that zazen is one of those things that you are not suppose to label, as good/bad, successful/unsuccessful, pleasant/unpleasant, zazen just is....But I have to say that my lotus posture has felt the strongest it has been in a while and all teh sittings have been unusually comfortable, more comfortable that just lying on the sofa!! i guess that I am also following religiously Patrick´s own recommendations (there is a great video by him on youTube on getting your full lotus better) and been incorporating wide angle forward bends after all my PCP workout. For all of you interested in zen, yoga or just being more flexible/functional this video is a must...here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USAeDzIbM5M
Yes, I definetely had those thoughts especially right after the earthquake happened! I was thinking... what's the point of all this effort and getting that little bit stronger. It's so insignificant in relation to mother nature's force.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess Patrick's post puts things in different (and more positive) perspective: things happen, and you better be prepared for it!
Very sorry to hear about your friend Jose. That's terrible. Please keep posting the insights. You're right in that perhaps the goal for all of this should be to achieve a better balance, appreciation and outlook as opposed to just wanting to look good in a swimming costume. I do forget that sometimes and need to set my sights on the bigger picture!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that sir...
ReplyDeletethanks for your thoughts guys...one of those things that happen, but unfortunately or luckily it is the way that life works. I was just thinkingof the way we interpret the world, and in our quest for permanence and survival, we want to take hte pleasant and reject the unpleasant. But truth is we cannot have it both ways. The pleasant is as much pleasant as is defined by the unpleasant, for otherwise sensations would be a monotonous flatline. Same with life if all were nice and predictable, how boring that would be!! Gone the spontaneity, gone the pleasant surprises and thrills. this is trhe price we pay for all the good things that do not last and we need to learn to appreciate. we must learn to accept. and sometimes in teh tragedy like my friends´untimely death lie the seeds of joy that will flourish from shed tears. As instead of flowers the Corbett family were suggesting a donation to a Childrens´Hospice, the managed to raise over GBP 60,000 in friends donations to help this charity. http://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Mumfy-Corbett/
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