Water Dissolves Water

Gator

2012-01-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

A little trompe l'oeil in Midtown Atlanta.

Other parts of Georgia are busy with trompe la tête. A judge in Cedartown apparently wants President Barack Obama to take a few hours out of his otherwise busy schedule as leader of the free world, visit the Polk County courthouse, and prove his citizenship to the satisfaction of the judge. Then the president can appear on the 2012 ballot. No big deal, right?

I try not to pay too much attention to the craziness around me, but this flashback to 2008 really takes the cake.

Just Saying . . .

2012-01-28T19:20:00.000-05:00

Akron/Family - "Everyone Is Guilty" with members of the Sun Ra Arkestra - 1.20.12 - The Blockley, Philadelphia

2012-01-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

It looks like we may need to re-define our definition of "incredible." In addition to featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra, this edited video also captures the spirit of the current Akron/Family tour pretty well. For those wanting more, you can also download a recording of Akron/Family's January 21 set at 285 Kent over at NYC Taper.

Twin Sister - The Earl, Atlanta, Jan. 25, 2012

2012-01-26T14:04:00.000-05:00

The band Twin Sister performed a characteristically terrific performance last night at the redoubtable Earl. Last evening was my third concert of 2012, and following shows at The Drunken Unicorn and Smith's Olde Bar, it's kind of surprising that it's taken me three performances before I managed to make it on over to The Earl.

The first revelation of the night was the opener, Kid Pyramid. I hadn't heard of him before, and when he came on stage alone and started playing bass to recordings of his own music, I was dubious. I've seen plenty of bands employ pre-recorded bass or percussion to accompany their live music, but I've never seen anyone play bass live to accompany their pre-recorded music before. Further, I typically am distrustful of anyone on stage with so much of their music in pre-recorded form - they might just be lip-synching for all I know, and even if not, a lot of the spontaneity of a live set is lost to the dictates of the recordings.

When John Maus "played" The Earl last year, he at least compensated for his lack of a band by his manic, extreme performing style, and Maus set the bar pretty damn high for anyone else trying to sing on stage to their own recordings.

Kid Pyramid didn't go the John Maus route - no jumping around the stage or pounding his own chest - but he won over the audience, including your humble narrator, by singing his punchy electro-pop songs in a clear voice that rose above the music so that his lyrics could be easily heard and understood. His Facebook page indicates that Kid Pyramid is "the live, recorded and remix adventures of Ben Coleman from Judi Chicago / Noot d' Noot" (two Atlanta bands), and having framed the concept in that way, it makes sense that he performs the way that he does.

The oddness of the set-up wore off by the second or third song, and thereafter Coleman carried the set - and won over the audience - on the strength of his songs.

Keeping Myself Amused is a great addition to the proud tradition of rock 'n' roll songs about masturbation, which includes The Who's Pictures of Lily and The Vapors' Turning Japanese. Kid Pyramid sang his entry like a lounge singer, microphone in hand, stepping off the stage and into the audience, even kneeling down on the floor and then leaning back on his knees like a soul crooner.

Phone call for Mr. Pyramid.

The Kid Pyramid set was far better than I would have thought, given the apparent limitations of his DIY approach, although I would like to hear these songs played by a full band some day. But in any event, Mr. Coleman proved himself to be an excellent entertainer and a capable frontman. The crowd insisted he stay on stage for a final song, a largely improvised number, with lyrics about something he called "the biscuit of my youth."

Kid Pyramid was followed by Brooklyn's Ava Luna. The band is a sextet featuring three vocalists who frequently exchange lead and backup roles, mixing soulful R&B and quirky indie-pop into their own unique sound. The Village Voice has described them, not inaccurately, as "Stax meets Kraftwerk." My initial impression on seeing a couple of videos was Dirty-Projectors-meets-Pickwick, but on hearing them live, I'd have to throw in a little Talking Heads and even a dash of Prince. Not that they're at all imitative of these other band - they write their own songs and seem to be following their own muse.

Several of their songs end with unaccompanied, soulful vocal lines, emphasizing the emotional content of the lyrics, and it's a testament to their showmanship that the club was very nearly silent during these quieter passages. They're fun to listen to and fun to watch perform, and I suspect that they will be heard from in the near future.

In what should be an advertisement for Casio, their keyboard got knocked off its stand and fell to the floor twice during their set, once during the setup and again in the middle of a song, and kept on working fine. Took a lickin' and kept on tickin', as it were.

Part of the fun of seeing a Twin Sister performance is to see what look singer Andrea Estella will bring with her to the stage. She's a virtual chameleon, and when she played The Earl back in 2010 she had black hair and wore a shoulderless tube top, and when she played the 529 last year, she had blonde hair and wore a prim, button-up blouse. I've seen her in videos with her hair all teased out like Stevie Nicks, but when she stepped on the stage last night in a preppy sweater and collared shirt, she let her nearly straight blonde hair fall over her face and shoulders. I don't know if she's ever looked more adorable than she did last evening (my amateurish photography does not do her justice).

They opened their set as they have in the past with Meet The Frownies, followed by the sassy Bad Street. Most of their set was culled from their new album, In Heaven.

With every passing year, the band gets tighter and more accomplished, and at last night's concert, Twin Sister played some of the most adventurous and experimental music I've heard from them yet, while still covering their most popular songs faithfully enough to keep the audience happy. It's very satisfying to hear them continue to grow as musicians and as a band, and all of the touring and constant performing is obviously serving them well.

Ms. Estrella's voice is also getting stronger and more assertive, although I miss some of the breathy, almost whispered singing of the past. The change was particularly noticeable during All Around and Away We Go from their 2010 EP Color Your Life, one of the few songs played last evening not from In Heaven. That song in particular was marked by Ms. Estella's airy, almost ethereal, vocals, but performing it last night, her voice was more pointed and assured, creating a new interpretation of the song, although the distinctive disco beat of the signature synthesizer line remained unchanged.

Twin Sister played a nearly 60-minute set to a very enthusiastic audience, ending with a mostly instrumental number that explored Sonic Youth-style noise before settling into The Other Side of Your Face. They carried the energy of their closing song into their encore, ultimately sending the audience home well past midnight but very satisfied.

Twin Sister are a totally charming and likable band, from the charisma and allure of the lovely Ms. Estella to the workmanlike musicianship of her band. I feel a special connection with them, as well, not merely due to the number of times I've seen them perform, but to the fact that Ms. Estella and others in the band are from Patchogue, New York, a suburban town on the South Shore of Long Island in which I lived for a couple of years in the mid-1970s. Those were formative years for me on many levels, but I never expected that a band of this caliber would arise from that unassuming town.

Twin Sister

2012-01-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

Patchogue's Twin Sister, the pride of Long Island, play The Earl tonight. Ava Luna open. That's really all the information one needs for deciding to attend this show, but here's a video or two for those who need added incentive.

This will be my third time seeing Twin Sister. I saw them at The Earl back in 2010 after hearing their Color Your Life EP, and was so impressed that I saw them again when they played at 529 in 2011. They've since released a new full CD titled In Heaven, which singer Andrea Estella told me at 529 they wrote and recorded during the off-season in a summer house they rented in the Hamptons. The album includes the songs Bad Street (posted here before) and Kimmi In A Rice Field (spooky video above).

The band once wrote that their goal is to make music to which one would feel comfortable cheating on someone, and I felt like I was cheating on them last September during MFNW. They opened for EMA at Holocene, and while that would have been a great show, I chose to see Suuns, Talkdemonic, and Handsome Furs at Branx instead (I even managed to squeeze in a Damian Jurado set at the nearby Bunk Bar that night). My point isn't to drop names, though, but to say that my loyalty to Twin Sister is so strong, I literally felt like I was cheating on them by watching other bands that night.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the opening act, Ava Luna. Just about 100% of what I know about the band is in these two videos, but from what I hear I think that I will like them. The two songs below suggest a sort of Dirty-Projectors-meet-Pickwick sound - just the sort of thing I'm a sucker for.

Pictures, etc., will be posted here soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the music, or better yet, come to the show!

Molly

2012-01-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

You are already enlightened. All you've got to do is stop blocking yourself and get serious about attending to what's going on. You are not lacking a thing. You only need to stop blocking or interpreting your vision.

- Steve Hagen, Buddhism Plain & Simple

Monday Night Zazen

2012-01-23T17:50:00.001-05:00

Dogen instructed,

Students of the Way, do not learn the buddha-dharma for the sake of your own egos. Learn the buddha-dharma only for the sake of the buddha-dharma. The most effective way for doing this is to completely throw away your body and mind leaving nothing, and dedicating yourselves to the great ocean of the buddha-dharma.

Then, without being concerned about right and wrong, without clinging to your own views, even if it is difficult to do or to endure, you should do it being forced to by the buddha-dharma. Even if you really want to do something, you should give it up if it is not in accordance with the buddha-dharma. Never expect to obtain some reward for practicing the Buddha-Way. Once you have moved in the direction of the Buddha-Way, never look back at yourself. Continue practicing in accordance with the rules of the buddha-dharma, and do not hold on to personal views.

All the examples among past practitioners were like this. When you no longer seek anything on the basis of your (discriminating) mind, you will be in great peace and joy (Nirvana).

Among lay people too, those who have never kept company with others and have grown up only within their own families, behave as they want, and put priority on fulfilling their own desires. They never think of others’ views and do not care how others feel. Such people are always bad. You have to be careful of the same thing in practicing the Way. Keep company with others in the sangha, and follow your teacher without setting up personal views. If you continue reforming your mind in this way, you will easily become a man of the Way.

In practicing the Way, first of all, you must learn poverty. Give up fame and abandon profit, do not flatter, and put down all affairs; then you will become a good practitioner of the Way without fail. In Great Song China, those who were known as eminent monks were all poor. Their robes were tattered, and they were short of other provisions.

When I was at Tendo Monastery, the recorder was a senior monk called Donyo, a son of the prime minister. But, since he had completely left his family, and no longer coveted worldly profit, his robes were so tattered he was hard to look at. His virtue of the Way, however, was known by others and he became the recorder of that great temple.

Once I asked, “Senior Donyo, you are a son of a high government official and a member of a wealthy and noble family. Why are the things you wear so shabby? Why do you live in such poverty?”

Senior Donyo replied, “Because I have become a monk” (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, 5-2)

2012-01-22T18:48:00.001-05:00

First visit to Chattanooga of this young year. The weather was foggy and dreary, but the practice alive and vibrant.

We're considering a zazenkai (all day sitting) next month. Stay tuned for an announcement.

Adron, Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta - January 20, 2012

2012-01-21T14:17:00.001-05:00

Atlanta's talented multi-culturalist Adron performed last evening at Smith's Olde Bar, a classic roadhouse on Piedmont Avenue. The venue's management put the performance on in the upstairs music room, and booked powerkompany to play downstairs in the Atlanta Room, forcing local music fans to have to choose between two worthy performers. As I had mentioned earlier this week, it wasn't an easy decision.

As is usually the case, my decision was influenced more by outside forces than by personal preference. One of my neighbors had mentioned that she'd heard about this whole going-out-to-hear-live-music thing that I had going on and was intrigued, and wanted to know if she could tag along with me sometime. It had been well over 10 years since she had gone out to hear a live band play, she told me, and was ready to give it a try once again.

Naturally, I agreed, and wanted to make sure she had an enjoyable experience, one that she might want to repeat again some time. So while I'm sure that The Carnivores and The Coathangers put on a kick-ass show at The Earl last night, I thought that might be a tad too aggressive for someone who hadn't been at a rock concert for 10 years. Smith's Olde Bar, on the other hand, isn't too far from our neighborhood, serves good food, and has actual chairs in the performance space (a rare luxury these days). So having narrowed down the options that far, I chose Adron upstairs over powerkompany downstairs because while I felt that she would probably enjoy both bands, Adron is the more unique and singular performer, the one more likely to make her feel like going out again some future evening.

After eating some dinner downstairs, we found two empty chairs and a table upstairs, and the Wesley Cook Band opened the evening with a set of slightly jazzy folk-rock.

My neighbor enjoyed their set more than I. While I appreciated his jazzy approach to the material, Mr. Cook sounded a bit too much like a street-corner busker for my tastes.

Not that there's anything wrong with buskers. All music, without exception, is a direct expression of the buddha-dharma, and there are a great many talented musicians out playing for spare change in subways, sidewalks, and shopping centers across the country who deserve a better venue. But a busker's two-fold problem is that to get the attention of a passerby, they have to constantly be playing crowd-pleasers, and within those crowd-pleasers they have to throw in near continuous hooks. On top of that, since they're usually playing without amplification, they have to project their voices and instruments as far as they can, and that leaves them no room for any dynamic range. To play more quietly, they risk losing the audience, and since they're already playing at the top of their lungs, they're left with no opportunity to increase the volume or the energy. So after a while, everything is played at the same flat dynamic level.

Musicians competing for the attention of a drinking, socializing crowd at a saloon or tavern have the same problem, although possibly aided by more amplification than their street counterparts. I don't know for a fact if Mr. Cook is from either background - buskering or playing in taverns - but he nevertheless performed in that same, full-tilt, anything-to-keep-the-crowd's-attention style. Now, far be it from me to want to be entertained, and Mr. Cook did that very well, but after a while I found the stasis of the flat dynamic level tiring.

Not that there's anything wrong with it, but he chose to cover the late Etta James' At Last, a reliable crowd pleaser, just the sort of thing a busker might play to draw in some passers by. Later in his set, he asked anyone in the audience who's birthday was last night to join him on the stage for a birthday song, just the sort of move a band in a saloon might have to employ to get the crowd to direct their attention to the stage. In an intimate music room like Smith's upstairs, one can keep an audience engaged by being interesting and original, as Adron did later last night, and does not need to resort to wedding-party covers and photo ops with birthday parties to keep the crowd's attention. But my neighbor liked them, and there was nothing that I necessarily disliked, other than knowing that they could do better.

The second band of the evening was called Samadha, a play, I think, on the Buddhist term samadhi, although I heard several people in the audience repeat the inevitable line, "What's Samadha you?" The keyboards-bass-drums trio played a straight-ahead set of improvisational jazz in the groove-seeking style of Medeski Martin & Wood, and, yes, they employed a wide dynamic range as well as varied tempo in their set.

I liked them, although my neighbor, not so much. The dividing line, I think, has more than anything else to do with one's appreciation of jazz. If you like MMW, 1970's Miles Davis, or late Soft Machine, you will probably like this band. If not, then this may not be your thing. Dissonance and atonality, typical in some schools of jazz, were kept to a minimum, and funk and rhythm predominated. Keyboardist Chris Case employs some samples in his sound, mixing voices and ambient sounds with his Nord Electro 3, but generally relies on his playing to carry the groove.

"Those guy's are introverts," my neighbor surmised after Samadha finished their cerebral set of instrumental jazz-rock.

Mr. Case stayed on stage after the set to be a part of Adron's band. Adron is Atlanta singer and songwriter Adrienne McCann, who blends the Brazilian Tropicàlia of Gilberto Gil with the songcraft of Joni Mitchell and Bill Withers to create a wholly original, fresh approach to pop. She has a remarkable voice that can probably fill a room like Smith's even without a microphone as she sings cheerful, clever songs in English, French and Portuguese.

The two neighbors in the audience, who were divided over the preceding two sets, agreed on Adron's music. If you don't like her music, you probably don't like sunny days either, or rainbows, or the first sight of the sea on a trip to the beach, or the sounds of birds after the rain. Speaking of the latter, Adron incorporated that sound into the music by some remarkable whistling during the band's encore.

Ms. McCann is possessed of some extraordinary talent, both as a songwriter and as a performer. It's a shame that Atlanta doesn't promote her more aggressively, as she deserves and would command a national (or international) audience. If she lived in, say, New York or Seattle instead of Atlanta, her music would be all over the blogosphere already. But without the support of a web savvy radio station like Seattle's KEXP or the media intensity of a New York, she still has yet to be discovered by the wider audience that would appreciate her.

Here's a video of her performing about a year ago at Eyedrum:

And this is from last week down at Florida's 30a Songwriter Festival:

Judging by all the photographers and videographers circling the stage last night, there will probably be videos of last night's performance uploaded sometime soon.

Adron has a new album out, Organismo, from which she drew most of the songs played last night, although she also played some of her earlier songs, such as the delightful Stringsong, as well. In all, she played a full 60-minute set, plus a two-song encore, while maintaining good cheer and an adorable stage presence throughout.

The Friday-night crowd at Smith's wasn't nearly as large as it could have been, but those of us who stayed throughout the set were demonstratively appreciative of the musical offering presented.

I believe that if Adron ever gets the chance to tour as the opener for a national act and to be heard by a wider audience, she will become much more widely known and appreciated. For now, she's still one of Atlanta's better little secrets.

For the record, my strategy worked, and on the drive back to the neighborhood, my neighbor remarked on how much fun it had been to go out and hear live music again.

Friday Night Videos - Bad Weather California

2012-01-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

BWC BTS from J Logan Corcoran on Vimeo.

Here's a video of Bad Weather California posted by their drummer (and Water Dissolves Water commenter) Logan Corcoran performing Let It Shine, the Tequila-like song they opened with last weekend at The Drunken Unicorn, but without the sax player. This might give you a rough approximation of what a fun band this is to hear.

This evening, I chose to go hear Adron play upstairs at Smith's Olde Bar rather than powerkompany downstairs. Pictures, story and an explanation for my (painful) decision tomorrow!

The Geology of Georgia - Part Five of a Very Occasional Series

2012-01-19T21:40:00.001-05:00

The Camp Creek

Everyone in Atlanta, well, most everyone in Atlanta, knows Camp Creek, because Camp Creek Parkway is the road that leads from the Perimeter highway to the airport. But most Atlantans, including me up until today, have never seen the actual Camp Creek. Here it is:

This section of Camp Creek forms the Clayton-Fayette county line. For some reason, a rather large pond has formed next to the creek:

There are high bluffs south of Camp Creek along this stretch that are supported by bedrock of the Late Proterozoic to Middle Ordovician Stonewall Gneiss, a gray to grayish-brown to dark-gray, medium- to coarse-grained, commonly schistose, generally pegmatitic, feldspar gneiss that locally contains small, red garnets. Outcrops are rare, even on steep hillsides, except for along large streams like Camp Creek.

Up on the top of the bluff, I explored some old homes and other interesting structures.

2012-01-18T23:52:00.000-05:00

All music, without exception, is a direct expression of the buddha-dharma.

2012-01-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

It's been my thesis for a while now that at this time popular music is undergoing a renaissance unmatched at any time since the 1960s for the following reasons:

The death of the record industry has removed the filters formerly imposed by A&R executives that had restricted the variety of music being heard. The industry's goal of producing yet another triple-platinum best seller kept creative (read "different") artists from getting recorded and forced those few musicians fortunate enough to get contracts to sound like what the executives thought would sell in large quantities, in other words, like every other band on their roster. The emergence of small, independent labels following the collapse of the corporate empires has ushered in an age of nearly unparalleled creativity, experimentation, and variety.
The loss of revenue associated with the death of the record industry has also driven away those only in it for the money, and left the stage open for those true musicians who play purely for the love of the music - the pure artists who probably would make music regardless of the situation, those who couldn't imagine doing anything other than creating sounds. And since there's no economic incentive to play according to some formula - in addition to there being no formula left - they're playing the kind of music that bands formerly only heard in their heads.
Rock music has been around in one form or another for some 50 years now, giving today's musicians a far richer pallet of styles, techniques, and approaches than their predecessors ever had. This, combined with the rise of the internet, YouTube, and the MP3 (which alone probably precipitated reasons number 1 and 2, above), has resulted in the young musicians of today listening to and assimilating everything previously played on Planet Earth over the past half-century. The result has been a level of sophistication previously enjoyed in popular music only by jazz.

To these reasons, critic Sasha Frere-Jones has added a fourth. One of the purposes of rock music in the past has been to differentiate a younger generation from its predecessors, to alienate a teenager's parents, and to allow a place of solitude for young people to express themselves away from the adults. Rock music wasn't worth a damn if it didn't send the grownups grumbling out of the room, and had to get more and more extreme over the years to accomplish this. Acid rock gave rise to hard rock, and hard rock grew into heavy metal, which transformed into black metal and death metal and doom metal, all of which in turn splintered into industrial and post-industrial rock and a hundred other subgenres.

Those genres and subgenres still exist and are still actively and creatively being explored and expanded, but the "heavy lifting" of pissing off parents has now been taken up by hip-hop and by electronic dance music. If you don't believe me, watch what happens when you put on some rap music around people over 35, or count how many parents you see dancing at a rave at 3 in the morning. Freed from its obligation to act as a sort of barbed wire to keep the grown-ups away, rock has been allowed to embrace harmony and consonance without regret, even while "difficult" pop music still exists. But the "difficult" music is not intended to be a barrier to separate an elite from the rest, as much as a challenge to the adventurous listener to explore and discover unexpected rewards, much as is the case with "difficult" classical music or "difficult" jazz.

All of this, of course, brings up the uncomfortable possibility that for all of its acoustic instrumentation, lush harmonies, and reverence for the past, indie rock has become the new "adult contemporary," mood music for Starbucks and for Lexus commercials. But while that may be true in some cases, there's a far greater number of bands still ready to kick ass and take names, albeit with a smile on their faces.

My observation is that many young people today just plain seem more polite and better behaved than I and my peers were at their age. Maybe it was an effect of the Cold War, or the struggles of the civil rights movement, or Vietnam, or whatever, but the young people I see at concerts and festivals all seem to sincerely want to get along, both with each other and with those outside of their demographic. Case in point: I couldn't be more outside of the indie rock audience demographic, or a more potent reminder of their parents or even grandparents, yet I've been treated more than kindly at the shows and concerts in ways ranging from benign neglect to curious involvement.

More to the point: today I received a comment about the Bad Weather California concert last weekend at The Drunken Unicorn by none other than Logan Corcoran, talented and energetic drummer for Bad Weather California, offering to mail me the CD that was missing from the empty sleeve that I inadvertently purchased at their show. I find that gesture to be almost unbelievably kind, a token of respect from an artist to the most distal portion of his fan base, equivalent to Picasso lowering a painting on the wall for a child to better see his art. Please note, though, that I removed his comment from the post as it included his email address, and I didn't want to be responsible for a dozen or so requests to have the CD mailed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, this weekend presents a quandary for the fan of Atlanta indie music. Friday night, Smith's Olde Bar cruelly has booked two of my local favorites and returning friends of these pages on the same night, but in different rooms. Downstairs, powerkompany, the seductive, husband-and-wife duo of Marie Davon and Andrew Heaton, will be headlining the Atlanta Room with their electronic/acoustic dream-pop, while upstairs, Adron will be playing her unique brand of neotropical psychedelic folk pop, a perfect example of what I was talking about up above under item 3.

It's an almost impossible, nearly Sophic choice. Seeing either one will mean missing the other. While it is truly a blessing to have such a variety of options, especially at a nearby roadhouse, the decision will be a painful one. What's the typical 50-something single Zen Buddhist living in Atlanta, Georgia to do?

2012-01-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

One day Dogen instructed,

For the sake of the buddha-dharma, do not withhold your bodily life. Even lay people cast away their lives for the Way without concern for their families; they are loyal and maintain their straightforwardness. People like this are called loyal ministers or wise men.

In ancient times, when Koso of the Kan dynasty went to war with a neighboring country, one of his minister’s mother lived in the enemy country. The officials of the Imperial army suspected that the minister might be of two minds. The emperor was also afraid that he might go over to the enemy because of his mother, which would result in losing the war.

At the same time, his mother thought her son might change allegiance because of her, and admonished, “Do not betray your country because of me. If I remain alive, you might be divided in your loyalty.” She threw herself upon a sword and died.

Since her son was never of two minds, it is said that he devoted himself to his duties in the war with loyalty and firm determination. This holds true even more so for a Zen monk aspiring to practice the Buddha-Way. When you are completely without a divided heart, you are truly in accordance with the Buddha-Way.

In practicing the Buddha-Way, there may be some who inherently have compassion and wisdom from the outset. Others who lack such qualities will be able to attain the Way if they study sincerely. They need only cast away both body and mind, dedicate themselves to the great ocean of the buddha-dharma, leave everything to the teachings of the buddha-dharma, and cease from holding onto their personal biased views.

In the reign of the founder of the Kan dynasty, a wise minister remarked, “Remedying the disorder of the political way is like untying a knotted rope. Do not be in a hurry. Loosen it only after having examined the knot closely.”

The Buddha-Way is the same. You should practice it after having deeply understood the principles of the Way. The dharma-gate is understood thoroughly only when you have strong bodhi-mind. No matter how intelligent and brilliant you may be, if you lack bodhi-mind, do not detach from egocentricity, and are unable to abandon fame and profit, you will not be able to become a man of the Way nor be able to understand reality.

Akron/Family, Bad Weather California - The Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, January 14, 2012

2012-01-15T12:13:00.000-05:00

My first concert of 2012 last night: Akron/Family, with Bad Weather California opening. Surprisingly, this was not at the redoubtable Earl, but instead at The Drunken Unicorn.

I had been actually thinking about going to the contemptible Masquerade last night to see Louisiana party band Givers. I had seen them play at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge back during MFNW, and they're the sort of lovable band that on seeing them once, one feels a certain loyalty to support them in the future. But I really didn't want to suffer through another evening of Masquerade's downstairs room, the aptly named Hell. As luck would have it, I wound up instead at the Drunken Unicorn hearing Bad Weather California, a band every bit as fun, and one to whom I now feel every bit as loyal, even if they may have scammed me. Explanation follows.

Bad Weather California very nearly stole last night's show from Akron/Family. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of them (I hadn't either), but they've been signed to the headliner's Family Tree label and have a new album coming out this spring.

They have an older CD called Young Punks that I bought at the merch table for $10, but when I got home I found out that there was no disc in the packaging - I had bought just the cover and not the content, an oversight I'm willing to dismiss to accident and not a deliberate rip-off. However, I won't feel guilty when I find the opportunity to download a free copy of the disc off of the internet (guitarist Adam Baumiester, who also played some terrific pedal steel last night, has posted several of the band's songs over on Soundcloud, so I guess I could start there).

Bad Weather California are a fun band. They're a quartet, but they're touring with an additional sax player who joined them on stage for three or four songs. They opened their set with what I thought at first was a cover of the 50's surf-rock classic Tequilla, what with its dirty sax and latin-flavored beat, until I recognized a few bars in that it was in fact their own composition, but no less fun than the classic for which I had initially mistaken it. It didn't take long before everybody was dancing, or at least bobbing along.

Despite their name, the band is actually from Denver (whose Broncos and wing-nut quarterback Tim Tebow were getting thoroughly trounced by the New England Patriots while the band was on stage). They're fronted by singer/guitarist Chris Adolf, a great, natural entertainer, who grew up in the desert southwest listening to his parents' collection of classic rock albums and assimilating that influence before discovering punk and post-punk sounds years later.

Their set was upbeat and energetic and had me smiling throughout, and they're a band I would be glad to hear play again. In a perfect world, they would tour with Givers, play at The Earl when in town, and have nothing at all to do with the godforsaken Masquerade.

According to their AllMusic biography, the headliner, Akron/Family, "are one of those exasperatingly unknowable bands." For starters, their back-slashed name - are they a merger of two bands, one named "Akron" and the other named "Family?" Or could they not decide on a final name and fused the two top contenders? Or are they just trying to emphasize that they're not a family of musicians with the last name of "Akron?" (if so then, why not just choose a different name?). I have no idea, other than it's probably best not to ask too many specific questions and just enjoy the music.

That music has been described (AllMusic again) as including "songs that start in a Beatles-inspired place (and) inevitably erupt into skronk before settling into country sweetness, and folk-raised spirituals (that) dart through Led Zeppelin territory, with '60s rock and general psychedelia also major themes." For example, their song So It Goes breaks down into three sections, opening with some mysterious sounding chanting over an ominous bass line before a solo guitar riff launches a relatively straightforward section of catchy indie rock. But the song ends by leaving the guitar riffage behind and settles into a lullaby that combines delicate, Beatles-esque guitar lines with some Eastern-influenced electronic chime effects.

To further compound the mystery, the album from which So It Goes comes, titled S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (a title that raises more questions in itself) was reportedly written by the band in a cabin on the edge of an active volcano in Japan and recorded in an abandoned train station in Detroit. It's been rumored that the band practices a made-up religion known as AK (pronounced ack), and confirmed that original member Ryan Vanderhoof departed the group in 2007 to practice Tibetan Buddhism at the Tsogyelgar/Flaming Jewel Dharma Center in Ann Arbor.

But reputation and a colorful back-story only count for so much when a band is on stage. Last night at the Drunken Unicorn, the band delivered the goods, playing an exuberant and at times downright rowdy set of psychedelic folk-rock or whatever one wants to call their music to a capacity crowd.

They reached what felt like the climax of their set about half-way through, but rather than end the set there or let the energy drop, they continued through the second set at a sustained level far more boisterous than what one might have expected (okay, greater than I had expected), each song sounding and feeling like the grand finale closer, but only to be followed by just as energetic a number.

The range of moods led from the serene, such as a guided meditation when everyone was encouraged to raise one hand, close their eyes, and picture themselves on a beach somewhere, to the exuberant, with the band members jumping into the mosh pit that had developed in front of the stage. During several of the later songs, various band members of Bad Weather California joined them on stage, either to add a little something to the music, or in the case of frontman Chris Adolf, to dive in and surf the crowd.

They ended their set away from the amplifiers and microphones with an acoustic rendition of Love and Space. A YouTube commenter writes, "I listened to this song with a 55-year old hardcore hippie," honestly, not your humble narrator, "and he was laughing and having the best time ever chanting 'love and space' over and over again. It's a really relaxing mantra actually..."

Most of the audience, still pumped up from the preceding energetic songs, didn't hear them quietly singing, "Lord, open my heart / Lord, bring me near / Lord, open my heart / Lord, make it into a mirror to reflect the myriad coloured lights of love and space," but as they chanted the "love and space" over and over, the audience realized the band was still on stage and joined in, and soon the relaxing mantra built into a climatic crescendo of drumming and chanting, before the final silence of the evening.

In all, not a bad start to the 2012 concert season at all. I discovered a new, enjoyable band and unraveled a few of the many mysteries of the enigmatic Akron/Family. And I was able to track the New England Patriots on my cell phone as they demolished the Denver Broncos 45-10.

Health Care

2012-01-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

I spent several hours on line one day last week applying for medical insurance. I've started my own company, and have to care for the single asset of my new firm, namely, my own self. It would also be prudent to insure my new company (which is to say myself) against catastrophic medical expenses.

The paperwork and forms were time-consuming and tedious, but a recognized and necessary requirement of the process. That didn't make it any more fun, however.

Friday (the 13th, naturally), I received notification in the mail that my application had been rejected. "This decision does not reflect a clinical viewpoint," they explained, "but is based strictly on underwriting risk." As I understand it, they're saying they're not going to offer me health-care insurance because their underwriters think it's statistically too probable that I may want to actually avail myself to some of that health care some day.

So back to the drawing board. I'll apply to other companies, and go through the paperwork process again, but now with the added burden of having to answer "yes" when asked if I've ever been turned down for health-care insurance.

This is the problem with the American way, such as it is, of medical care. Putting no less valuable a resource than our own personal health into the hands of for-profit companies, some publicly traded, does not assure equal and equitable distribution of care. No wonder the 1% are against health-care reform and want to repeal our nation's new rules - if you've already purchased the very best, why would you want anyone else getting a little of the services that you've acquired?

The Health Care Reform Act of 2010 is but a tentative first step in the right direction for reforming the American health-care system. We must keep the Republicans (or for that matter anyone threatening to "repeal Obamacare") from getting stronger control in Washington than they already have in order to protect what little progress has been made.

2012-01-13T21:59:00.003-05:00

This seems like the appropriate video with which to end this particular week (on a Friday the 13th at that!). In hindsight, the week had a sort of perfect symmetry - first, a slow build up Monday and Tuesday to the mid-week climax of Wednesday's six-hour deposition, and then a gradual coming down on Thursday and Friday.

"Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis," the Muppets sing, to which I can add, "And deposed in Georgia." Here's a live version of the song by The Hold Steady themselves in case watching the Muppets perform in Craig Finn's place takes some of the gravitas away for you.

However, as Mumon points out, a deposition really isn't all that unpleasant an experience (especially when you're neither the defendant nor the plaintiff), and in hindsight there is a sort of chess-like fascination to the process. The give-and-take of the questions and answers are like sparring with an agile opponent, and in the end it's not so painful as just plain exhausting. On your toes, always thinking two or three questions ahead, making sure you're completely honest at all times . . . I slept like a baby that night. Trial comes up in June (when things should get really interesting).

Speaking of The Hold Steady, which we sort of were in a way, their Craig Finn is coming to The Earl, but on a Monday night, my Achilles' heel for concerts, joining the illustrious list of artists playing our fine town on the one night that I'm otherwise committed (Grimes at The Drunken Unicorn on Monday, March 5; The Ting Tings at Variety Playhouse on Monday, April 16; M83 at The Buckhead Theater on Monday May 14; and so on). But as readers of this blog know, I don't exactly hurt for lack of hearing live music.

Grimes:

I will get to see and hear our old friends and Top 10 contenders The Head and The Heart, who are passing through the South again this spring. While their tour doesn't include Atlanta, they are playing at Athens' infamous 40-Watt Club on March 23, a non-Monday night (a Friday to be specific). I bought tickets last night. I almost bought tickets at the same time to see Blind Pilot there too, until I realized, at the very last minute, right before I hit the "Buy" button, that I already had tickets that night (Wednesday, February 29) to see Shearwater at The Earl.

Shearwater at The Earl, 2010:

It's also just been announced that moody Seattle singer and Pickwick fan Damien Jurado, who opened for Shearwater the last time I saw them at The Earl, is coming back on Wednesday, May 23. In addition to opening for Shearwater, I stayed up way past my bedtime to see him perform in Portland during MFNW 2011. So, yes, I plan on seeing him at The Earl again.

Meanwhile, Welch agitators, MFNW participants, and Music Midtown stand-outs The Joy Formidable are continuing their apparently endless tour and are coming back through Atlanta the next day (March 24), but at the godforsaken Masquerade. I've already seen the band twice since September, and my rules for going back to that venue again are: 1) the band has to be totally worth it, and 2) they have to be playing in the upstairs, Heaven, room, where the acoustics and atmosphere are at least a little bit better than the downstairs rooms.

For example, Givers, an excellent live act who I'd gladly see any time, are playing at the godforsaken Masquerade tomorrow night, but in the downstairs, Hell, room, where I saw Yellow Ostrich and The Antlers get drowned out by the noise from upstairs. Unfortunately, for me, The Joy Formidable gig meets both criteria as they'll be playing upstairs, and to top it off, A Place To Bury Strangers and Exitmusic are opening, so I practically have to go, as much as I hate to patronize the g.f. M.

So that's a lot. I'll wrap all this up by pointing out that you can - and I recommend that you do - download a live set by Montreal's Suuns that's just been posted over at NYC Taper.

One more thing before I go watch tonight's episode of Portlandia. Here's last Friday's Arcade Fire video reposted in a different format to see if I can slide the puck past the GEMA goalie for Wolfgang.

2012-01-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

Serenity restored.

Is This Any Way To Make a Living? (or, In the Company of Attorneys, Part II)

2012-01-11T20:08:00.001-05:00

I spent six hours today, under oath, giving expert testimony while being grilled by attorneys about a pollution case here in lovely Atlanta.

I refer the reader to the headline of this post for my impressions of the day.

2012-01-10T23:52:00.000-05:00

If you really have nothing to say, it probably best not to post anything at all.

Monday Night Zazen

2012-01-09T22:51:00.001-05:00

Dogen instructed,

I heard the following story from someone, though I’m not sure if it is true or not. The late councilor Jimyoin, who was a lay monk, once had a treasured sword stolen. The perpetrator was among his retainers. The other warriors arrested the man and brought him to the councilor. Jimyoin said, “There’s been a mistake. This is not my sword.” He then gave the sword back to the warrior.Although it was undoubtedly his sword, he returned it because he was considering the shame of the warrior.

Although everyone knew it, the situation ended without trouble. Therefore, the councilor’s descendants flourished. Even among lay people there are those who have a big heart like this.

How much more should a monk have the same attitude. Since it is a matter of course that a monk have no wealth, he should consider his wisdom and virtue as his treasure. Even when someone has done wrong that goes against bodhi-mind, he should not express his criticism directly and judge the person to be evil. One should search for skillful means and speak in such a way as not to anger people.

It is said that the dharma does not last long if it is expressed violently. Even if you scold a person according to the dharma, if you use rough language, the dharma will not remain long.

A petty person of inferior faculties soon becomes angry and thinks of his disgrace when he is criticized with harsh words. He is unlike a superior and magnanimous person. A magnanimous person, even when he is hit, never thinks of revenge.

Now in our country, there are many petty people. We should be very careful.

On Yakuza

2012-01-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

According to an article in The New Yorker, Tadamasa Goto is an example of the new breed of yakuza "He's much more ruthless than yakuza were in the past," said a Tokyo policeman. "He'll go after citizens. . . We suspect Goto of being involved in the killing of seventeen people."

The killing of seventeen people is particularly shocking in Japan, which has one of the lowest murder rates per capita in the world - about one murder per 200,000 people, less than 10 times the rate of the United States.

The distressing part, to me at least, is that in 2008, Goto undertook the training necessary to be certified as a Zen Buddhist priest. He has left the yakuza, written an autobiography, and has announced that all of the royalties will go to a charity for the disabled in Cambodia and to a Buddhist temple in Burma.

All fine and good, and it's far from me to begrudge a person a chance at redemption, at turning his life around. But Goto seems not to have done that; in fact, his autobiography reportedly includes death threats against a Western investigative journalist he has found to be troubling.

Further, it is apparently not uncommon for ex-yakuza who fear retribution from former colleagues to become Zen priests. It's bad karma to kill a priest, they reason, even if that priest is a former crime boss who still commands many loyal followers.

The investigative journalist has completed his training to become a Zen priest, too, figuring that what works for ex-yakuza could work for him as well. The journalist, an American, considers himself a Buddhist and said he likes the concept of karma, although he told the priest who was training him that he didn't believe in reincarnation. He was told that you don't have to believe, "In Buddhism, it's not about faith. It's about doing."

True enough, but I don't think they, the ex-yakuza or the investigative journalist, understand karma. If you think that karma is doing good deeds so that you receive good fortune, you're completely off base. And neither of the new priests mentioned a word about the practice of zazen.

I maintain that it's a failure of Zen in Japan to allow such men to become priests in order to protect their own skin. Granted, Buddhism is not alone in this shortcoming. It's not at all uncommon to read about prisoners who have become born-again evangelical Christians in order to win sympathy and support both from prison guards and from parole boards, or to convert to Islam in order to gain protection within the prison population. But both of these Abrahamic religions revolve around finding salvation for oneself, so these aberrations are less unusual; Mahayana Buddhism is about the saving of all other sentient beings, so it's more distressing to hear about it being used for protective coloration.

I have heard it said jokingly, and by Japanese natives at that, that the time may come for the West to re-introduce Zen to Japan. I don't mean to be disrespectful to the great Japanese patriarchs or to the beautiful traditions that have allowed Zen to flower, but 'm not so sure that it's a joke anymore, or that the time is too far off.

Mountains Beyond Mountains

2012-01-07T19:38:00.001-05:00

Stillness is motion.

Stillness is concentration, and when outer motion stops, inner motion is released. I'm told my teacher's teacher, the Rev. Soyu Matsuoka, used to say that when we're sitting in meditation, we may look like a mountain (I'm still thinking about the Kan hexagon), but on the inside, we're like a volcano.

Right action emerges from stillness, from concentration, from controlling the passions of the self, from restraint, and from honesty. Cleverness and learning have their place, but ultimately the presence of a calm character and the insight of meditation rise above all else.

This is how we rise above mountains beyond mountains by being a mountain ourselves.

Mountains Beyond Mountains

2012-01-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

The title of the Arcade Fire's Mountains Beyond Mountains reminds me of the 52nd hexagram of the I Ching, the Kan: The Mountain Above, The Mountain Below.

When one's sitting is like that of the back and one loses all consciousness of the self, when one walks in the courtyard without regard to any of the persons in it, then there will be no error.

Mountains rise up grandly from the surface of the earth and their mass rests upon the world in quiet and solemn majesty, yet they also serve to block the onward progress of the traveler. The mountains are thus simultaneously resting and arresting, and Arcade Fire illustrate this dual nature using the metaphor of vast suburban sprawl: "Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small," sings Régine Chassagne, "that we can never get away from the sprawl."

Living in the sprawl, dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains and there's no end in sight.

The I Ching suggests that to defeat the entrapment of the mountain one should be like the mountain - still, resolute, and fully present. The mountain below does not regard the mountain above, and the mountain above does not regard the mountain below. Thus, we should not get caught up in worrying about the opinions and perceptions of those around us, instead walking into the courtyard without regard to the other persons in it.

For Ms. Chassagne, this is accomplished not by literal stillness, but by resolutely singing and dancing to one's own drummer, despite the petty criticisms of the bourgeoisie ("They heard me singing and they told me to stop - quit these pretensions and just punch the clock"). The video shows those in the courtyard, the dead shopping malls of suburbia, to be but puppets with their repetitive and mechanical gestures, mere archetypes hiding behind masks.

Ms. Chassagne, on the other hand, that odd girl dressed in funny clothes, is the only "real" person, the genuine one who may get past the mountains beyond mountains and to the beckoning city lights in the distance. In the closing shots, she's the Lady in Red, literally Singing in the Rain, and her boundless joy seems to suggest liberation from the sprawl, even while she is physically still in the suburbs herself. Nirvana in the midst of samsara.

2012-01-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

The Interrupting Doctor

2012-01-04T22:48:00.004-05:00

Before you jump to any conclusions, I don't have cancer (at least not any that I'm aware of). But I did spend the large part of the day shopping on line for health insurance, a painful process in and of itself.

Before you jump to any conclusions, I'm not saying that shopping on line for health insurance is even remotely as difficult as having cancer. I learned today that an acquaintance of mine passed away on December 30 from until recently undetected cervical cancer. I recognize that her plight was far worse than mine, to understate things quite a bit.

But part of being self employed is the requirement to also provide your own benefits, including health care (although in most of the civilized world, health care is a right, not a benefit). Forms, paper work, questions about every medication prescribed to you over the past 5 years, and I'm healthy. I can only imagine what someone with a dreaded "pre-existing condition" must have to go through.

I finally filled out and submitted an application for coverage that meets the minimum level of protection I can accept and the maximum amount I think I can afford, although I don't really know what my earnings for this year are going to be. But if 2012 stays as busy as the last month of 2011, I might be able to buy my own personal interrupting doctor.

One more thing: okay, so shopping on line for health insurance and committing to yet still another several-hundred-a-moth obligation wasn't fun. But working from home, answering to clients and not bosses, and being in charge of your own livelihood still beats having company-provided insurance.

2012-01-03T20:42:00.000-05:00

I don't for a minute imagine that anyone perusing this blog, either by casually surfing over or dedicatedly following every word ever written here (as if), listened to every holiday song I posted back on Christmas day, but that's too bad, because you might have missed one of my personal favorites, Maybe Next Year, a sultry yuletide murder balled performed by Meiko (listen for the God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen break):

I didn't know much (read: anything) about Meiko back on Christmas Day, except that her name rhymes with "Nico," that I liked Maybe Next Year a lot, and her voice reminded me a little of L.A.'s Anya Marina. But I've since learned that she's actually a Georgia native (well, of course - does anyone outside of Georgia write yuletide murder ballads anymore?) and was working as a waitress as recently as 2008. She finished that year with a critically-acclaimed, self-titled album and now lives in L.A. She has performed on Conan and something called The Bonnie Hunt Show, has appeared in the pages of the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the now-defunct Paste Magazine, and has performed with the Crystal Method on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic:

The bad news (for me, at least) is that I missed her performance last night at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia, as I was otherwise occupied with Monday Night Zazen (not a bad alibi at all; probably the best of what one could be doing if one couldn't make it to Eddie's Attic).

I can start a whole rant about about touring musicians who've come through Atlanta on Monday nights when I can't hear them play. Upcoming cases in point include Grimes, coming to the Drunken Unicorn on Monday, March 5, and Neon Indian, appearing at the godforsaken Masquerade on Monday, March 19. Now I can add Meiko to that list.

And that's the way life is. Flowers, while cherished, fade, and weeds, though despised, etc.

Good Advice

2012-01-02T17:07:00.003-05:00

One day a visiting monk asked Zen Master Dogen,“These days, the way of practicing in a monastery is to prepare food and other necessities for oneself beforehand so as not to have to worry about them later. This is a trivial matter, yet it supports the practice of the Way. If it is lacking, our practice will be disturbed. According to what I have heard about how you practice, you make no such preparation and leave everything up to fate. If this is really so, you will have trouble later on, won’t you? What do you think?”

Dogen replied,“Everything I do has precedents. I don’t rely on my personal views. All the buddhas and patriarchs in India and China lived in this way. The blessings of the Buddha-Way will never be exhausted. Why should we make personal plans for our livelihood? Besides, it is impossible to know what will happen tomorrow. This is not my personal opinion but what all the buddhas and patriarchs have carried out. If we run out of food and have nothing to eat, only then should we look for a means to gain something. We should not think about these things in advance” (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, 4-15).

This exchange between monk and master takes some time to understand. Is Dogen saying that we shouldn't prepare for the future at all and that there's no point in planning, as we never know what's going on happen in the future?

Yes. That is however (and this is a big "however"), if you happen to live in a monastery, like the monk he was addressing. Dogen is maintaining that those who have retreated from the world should not trouble their minds with the affairs of the world. The Buddha wore rags and relied upon the hand-outs of others for food, as did the Buddhists patriarchs down the line of succession from him. Dogen is here maintaining that it should be no different for the monks in his order. This is the way of the monastic.

If Dogen were addressing a gathering of farmers, he would not advise them to not plant seeds in the spring and wait instead until they wanted to harvest their crops. If we were addressing householders, he would not have advised them to not store grain for the winter or to not save money for their old age. Throughout his writings, and in Zuimonki in particular, Dogen had great praise for many laypersons, including both government officials and Emperors, and often looked to their actions for inspiration.

But the way of the monastic is different than the way of the farmer, the householder, the bureaucrat, and the Emperor. Zen Master Eisai, who founded the monastery at which Dogen trained early in his career, often admonished, "Monks, do not think that I give you the clothing, food, and other provisions you use. They are all offered by various heavenly beings. I merely play the role of distributor. Also, each one of you is fully endowed with the necessities for your lifetime. Do not run around seeking after them. Do not think that I feed you or that you have to be grateful to me.”

As 21st Century laypersons, it is appropriate for us to prepare food and other necessities for ourselves beforehand. It is the way of the western world. But we don't have to worry about these things either. We should set money aside when it is time to set money aside, and plan for our future when it is time to plan, but we don't need to obsess over those plans and investments, as it really is impossible to know what will happen tomorrow. The Middle Way is to prudently prepare for the future, but not try to control it. What will happen will happen despite our delusion of control.

There are two kinds of suffering. We suffer from external causes when we encounter hunger, extreme temperatures, disease, and violence. But even when these external factors are absent, we cause still more suffering by imagining hunger, hot and cold, illness, and violence, and then worrying and obsessing over the potential for these maladies. This is internal suffering, and we bring it on ourselves even though it's unnecessary.

The great thing about a contemplative practice such as zazen is that silent meditation breaks the cycle of worry and obsession over that which is only imagined, and allows us to see the world as it actually is, free of our discriminating perceptions. Yes, there are dangers and external factors that give rise to suffering, but so much of the actual suffering that we experience is not from these factors but is self-inflicted, as we literally worry ourselves sick imagining all that might, possibly (maybe, could be, perhaps) happen.

The Middle Way is found, then, by not ignoring the future, but not thinking we can control it either. If we lean too far in the direction of ignoring the future, we suffer from external factors. If we lean too far in the direction of obsessing over the future, we suffer from internal factors. We know when we are practicing the Middle Way when the suffering from both sides is minimized, and only we can know where that balance point is for us - no one else can experience our suffering or its cessation.

If all this sounds too difficult or complicated, then you can just go off and join a monastery, and not think about such things in advance at all.

New Year's Day: Some Reflections, Predictions, and Resolutions

2012-01-01T16:27:00.002-05:00

Like this blog, this post will likely be all over the place. It's not that I don't realize that this blog is probably confusing to many - one day it appears to be about Zen Buddhism, the next about rock concerts, and then it goes off on a tangent about, say, geology, or politics, or just plain silliness. I have thought at times about setting up separate blogs for each of these disparate interests, but that would both be too much work to maintain and not true to the actual state of my mind.

After my morning meditation, I decided that with the arrival of the new year, it may be appropriate to outline my intentions for this blog, as well as to reflect on some retrospective thoughts on 2011 and a few forward-looking thoughts on 2012.

2011, The Year Several years ago, I told my friend M. that I felt that I was going through a somewhat transitory period at that time in my life, and she replied that from what she's seen, my whole life has been one long transitory period. She's probably correct, and I do not regret it (Je ne regrette rien). But the later half of 2011, particularly the last quarter of the year, was as transformative as any period in my life.

For me, 2011 will be as memorable as 2001 is for many people, as it will mark the year that I took the big leap after nearly 30 years and left the corporate world and the appearance of security afforded by salaried employment. I've formed my own company, at this point a sole proprietorship, and have started working for myself. 2012 will prove to be the year that shows whether I've made the biggest professional mistake of my life, finally came into my own as a professional and businessperson, or taken a further step along the Buddha Way. As my Zen teacher told me, "I suspect that you will be pleasantly surprised that your livelihood does not and never did depend upon being employed by a company."

For those of you keeping score at home, December 2011, my first full month of self-employment, went very well and provided as promising a start to my new enterprise as I could hope. 2012 will demonstrate the sustainability of that initial success. Anything is possible, and I may encounter financial success or I might get foreclosed upon (and who's to say what's good or what's bad?). My prediction is that I will survive, but not without struggles. You're invited to observe, if you're so inclined.

The State of Pop Music A couple of days ago, I asked, rhetorically, if there were any doubt that 2011 was another incredible year for music. Writing in the NY Times, Jon Caramanica expressed just such a doubt, stating "2011 may well be remembered as the most numbing year for mainstream rock music in history. . . The genre didn’t produce a single great album, and the best of the middling walked blindly in footprints laid out years, even decades, earlier."

As it turns out, there's no disagreement. Mr. Caramanica was referring to the mainstream, the corporate-produced, radio-format rock that unfortunately is all that most people get to hear these days. The mainstream, as buffered by the major labels, has been resistant to new ideas for years now. But the music that I've been covering in this blog, and to which I had specifically directed my rhetorical question, was what Mr. Caramanica called in today's Times "college rock 2.0," noting that it could also be referred to as “blog rock,” or “what hipsters like,” or “what I learned about from Pitchfork.” While all of those titles are unnecessarily pejorative (I still prefer the catch-all term "indie rock"), he includes this broad category of bands united more by audience and distribution than by sound among the more promising genres "bubbling below the mook-rockers, the ’90s revivalists, and the toothless oldsters" of the mainstream today.

In 2012, Water Dissolves Water will continue to explore the thesis that popular music, whatever label or title one wants to put upon it, when removed from the corrupting influence of business interests, becomes no longer the bland, numbing corporate product bemoaned by Mr. Caramanica, but the expression of the true artists, who freed from the requirement to conform with some label's expectation of what the largest number of people will like (or more typically, what the fewest number of people will dislike), are able to create wonderful and original sounds of their own preference. True art has never been and will never be a popularity contest (sorry, American Idol), and while some people may not like some of the results, and its highly unlikely that any one person would like all of it, the music being played today outside of the controlling interests of the major labels includes some of the most exciting, rewarding, and interesting sounds I've heard in the 45 plus years I've been listening to pop music. Which brings me to the next point, namely:

All Music, Without Exception, Is A Direct Expression of the Buddha-Dharma How could it possibly be otherwise? If there were any exception, then no music could be an expression of the Buddha-Dharma.

When all categorizations and associations are dropped away, the sound of music is just sound, with nothing else added. Thus, one has the sound of strings vibrating, drums being struck, voices singing, and electronics being processed. To say that this music is "sacred" and that music "profane" is just adding an imaginary, unheard layer onto the music, a layer that does not actually exist in the real world but only in the discriminating mind of the listener. The same holds true for distinctions such as "pop" and "classical," "artistic" and "commercial," or even "good" and "bad." All such labels are in the ear of the listener. All music, even that which I don't like, is nothing but pure sound, and while it may be easier for some to recognize the Buddha-Dharma in an eastern raga than in death metal, in a synthesized drone than in a advertising jingle, all music is exactly as it is, it is thus, and is therefore a direct expression of itself, which is to say, the Buddha-Dharma.

In 2012, Water Dissolves Water will continue to attempt to recognize this universal truth.

The Buddha Way In 2012, I will continue to conduct my Monday Night Zazen sessions and will continue to support the Chattanooga center to the extent that I am capable. In fact, my new status as an independent contractor and my new-found emancipation from the demands of the 40-hour corporate work week should increase my availability to help propagate the Way. The teachings will continue to appear on these pages.

2012, The Year 2012, in addition to including the end of the world on Dec. 21, will also feature another Presidential election in the U.S. This election shows every sign that it will be just as divisive and rancorous as the last election, possibly as any in my lifetime. I know better than to blog about things political, as one inevitably winds up expressing one-sided, dualistic views that don't capture the full complexity and nuances of the factual issues. But I also know that try as I might to resist the temptation, I will most likely wind up posting at least a couple of rants about the election, the candidates, the issues, and the state of the political discourse.

I ask in advance for your tolerance and forgiveness.

Diamond Rugs - The Earl, Atlanta, December 29, 2011

2011-12-31T13:07:00.002-05:00

At some point during Thursday night's Diamond Rugs show at The Earl, someone threw a beer can onto the stage. It wasn't as aggressive an incident as it might sound, nor did it appear to be a comment on the band on stage (at least not a negative comment). It hadn't been thrown directly at any particular musician (or if it had been, it fortunately didn't land near any one person), but appeared to be just rowdy participation by the crowd in the anarchic exuberance of the performance on stage.

Since it hadn't hit anyone, most bands would likely have just ignored it and gamely played on. Some bands, punk and metal musicians in particular, might have used it as an opportunity to stage dive into the audience and exact their revenge. On the other hand, one of the more twee bands touring these days might have stopped their performance altogether to lecture their audience on proper decorum, while the audience echoed their disapproval of the act.

John McCauley, front man of the band Deer Tick and one of the principals behind Thursday night's Diamond Rugs collective, chose to let the band play on but picked the beer can up and bit into it, tearing a hole into the side of the can with his teeth and ripping off a big chunk of aluminum with his mouth. After swilling down the remaining dregs left in the can, McCauley proceeded to toss the can off to the side of the stage, but spat the remaining chunk of aluminum over the heads of the crowd at the front of the stage. The stage lights caught the arc of beer spray in the air and someone in the middle of the audience received a unique, if bizarre, souvenir for the show.

Mind you, this wasn't even the most outrageous on-stage antic by Mr. McCauley of the evening. That distinction might have been either pouring an entire bottle of beer over his head while singing the line "Cut me off from alcohol" during Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant, or taking his pants off on stage to change into a pair of tighty cut-off shorts that had somehow appeared in front of him. Instead, the beer-can incident was just but one of many spontaneous interactions between the band and the audience, and the many band members on the stage (I counted a dozen at one point) with one another. Most of the audience didn't even react to the incident, but just kept bobbing along to the New Orleans-influenced blues-rock being played by Diamond Rugs. Business as usual, apparently, for the rowdy band on stage.

That rowdy band on stage, Diamond Rugs, was fronted by Mr. McCauley of Deer Tick, Ian Saint Pe of Black Lips, and Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate, who opened with a nearly 60-minute set of their own before the Diamond Rugs set of equal length. In addition to the usual drum and bass rhythm section, the three guitarists were backed on some songs by pedal steel guitar and on others by harmonica, sometimes heavily processed, and by a horn section that included Steve Berlin of :the band Los Lobos on baritone sax, when he wasn't otherwise playing keyboards. The set also featured occasional guest vocalists and instrumentalists, including a guitar solo during the finale, a cover of a John Lee Hooker song, by the producer of their forthcoming album.

This was the first-ever public performance by Diamond Rugs. Mr. Saint Pe noted the their debut performance had sold out, and expressed his appreciation for people buying tickets to a show by a band that literally no one had ever heard. However, at this point in their development, they had only rehearsed the songs on their forthcoming album, so they played through the entire recording in the order of the album. Mr. Saint Pe, acting as the unofficial MC for the evening, announced the numerical sequence of each song before it was played, e.g., "This is Number Four, now." Mr. McCauley assumed the role of color commenter to Saint Pe's play-by-play, telling the crowd which songs were his favorites and who wrote what, while Mr. Morris generally kept his mouth shut except to sing. All three musicians, McCauley, Saint Pe, and Morris, are each fairly commanding frontmen in their respective bands, and it was interesting to watch the ways they interacted on stage, and to see the respect they all had for one another as well as the fun they were all obviously having.

Before the John Lee Hooker finale, the only non-album song of the night, Mr. McCauley sang his beer-drenched rendition of Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant, and told the audience that the band had wanted to book The Earl for Christmas Day for their debut performance, but could only manage to get Thursday, December 29, due to some prior engagements at the venue, time off for holidays, etc.

Based on Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant, I can understand why they wanted to do a holiday show, but I have no idea why they chose Atlanta. Deer Tick and John McCauley are from Rhode Island, and Saint Pe is from New Orleans (Saint Pe is probably responsible for the Big Easy influence on their sound). While Dead Confederate and Hardy Morris are based in Athens, Georgia, and the Diamond Rugs album was recorded in Nashville, both Deer Tick and Dead Confederate are scheduled to play a New Years Eve concert tonight at Brooklyn Bowl (a bowling alley, not an amphitheater) in New York. It would have made a certain amount of sense for the band to debut in New York since they had to travel there anyway, but they had the good taste to chose the redoubtable Earl in East Atlanta Village instead.

The New Year's party at the Brooklyn Bowl will undoubtedly be a lot of fun, but unfortunately for the good people of Brooklyn, they won't get to see a show anything like what we experienced this week in Georgia. Although Los Lobos are playing the City Winery in Manhattan tonight, making Mr. Berlin potentially available for an after-hours gig, Black Lips are in New Orleans for New Year's before heading out on tour in Thailand and Australia, precluding any possibility of a spontaneous Diamond Rugs show breaking out tonight. I've heard no mention of a Diamond Rugs tour or any other performance dates. For all I know, this might have been a one-time show, and I was lucky enough to have been there.

Kind of makes me wish that I got that chunk of aluminum can as a souvenir.

Shokai's Top 10 Albums of 2011

2011-12-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Not that I imagine for a moment that anyone cares what a 50-something, almost 60-something, Zen Buddhist living in Atlanta, Georgia thinks are the 10 best albums of 2011 (let's be honest: I'm not in anybody's target demographic, but there's actually a lot of freedom in that - I can listen to whatever I want, without any peer pressure to like, or dislike, anything), but I went ahead and created my own "Top 10" list out of sheer self-indulgence anyway.

1. The Decemberists, The King Is Dead

The pride of Portland comes in at Number One, if for no other reason (and there are a great many others, believe me) than I simply couldn't get their lovely songs, like June Hymn above, out of my head all year. Plus, I'm so happy to see Sparklepony healthy and back on stage again.

2. The Antlers, Burst Apart

The Antlers, a band so nice, I got to see them twice - on the same day. Back during MFNW, I saw their KEXP morning set where the above video was shot - you can see the back of my head in silhouette just to the right of Peter Silberman in several shots. And then I got to see them again later that same day at Pioneer Courthouse Square. And then I saw them a third time at the godforsaken Masquerade during Rocktober. They're that good, but you can hear for yourself by downloading an epic concert they performed at New York's Webster Hall on December 10 (free at NYC Taper). Burst Apart is a perfect album, heartbreaking and beautiful. Very few albums can bring me to tears and make me actually choke up the way Burst Apart does, except of course, their previous album, Hospice.

3. Wilco, The Whole Love

Wilco are apparently incapable of putting out a bad album, and right now, after all these years, they are at peak form. When you listen to One Sunday Morning, you know that you're in the hands of masters. And whoever put together this fan-produced video did a masterful job of matching their sound, too. If you get the chance, check out their Daytrotter session, too - they absolutely knocked it out of the park.

4. Other Lives, Tamer Animals

A major accomplishment in terms of sheer artistry. It's hard to think of anything more ambitiously creative than this second album by Stillwater, Oklahoma's Other Lives. Their performance at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn was amazing and showed that music this complex can not only be played live, but made to sound even better than in the studio. Perhaps after touring with Radiohead this spring, they'll start to get the recognition they deserve.

5. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues

I don't know how I missed listing the Fleet Foxes show at The Tabernacle in my Best Concerts of the Year list, but I wasn't going to make that mistake again and forget to list them in Albums of the Year. And this video has to be one of the strangest animations since Disney's Fantasia.

6. Death Cab For Cutie, Codes And Keys

An album I didn't think I was going to like as much as I did, and one that I didn't think I was going to listen to over and over again as many times as I did.

7. Cults, Cults

My unofficial soundtrack for the summer of 2001.

8. The Head And The Heart, The Head And The Heart

Their Variety Playhouse show did make it to my Best Of list, and for good reason. Success couldn't happen to a nicer band.

9. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

The single Midnight City was huge, both in terms of sound with the epic opening lines and also in terms of success - it played on everything from the season finale of HBO's How To Make It In America to Victoria's Secret commercials. But the major surprise was how nuanced and varied the album was in its wide range of moods and textures. Instead of a dozen arena-sized anthems, M83 covered and uncovered the full range of possibilities of electronic music.

10. Korallreven - An Album By Korallreven

While M83 amazed by showing that he could also play quiet, nearly ambient songs as well as arena-size crowd pleasers like Midnight City, Korallreven (Swedish for Coral Reef), who had released several quiet and reflective mixtapes, surprised everyone by releasing As Young As Yesterday, a huge, slab of block-busting electronica almost approaching dance music on their fine debut album. Sa sa samoa, y'all.

Is there any denying that 2011 was another incredible year for music?

Diamond Rugs

2011-12-29T19:24:00.000-05:00

Last we saw John McCauley (Deer Tick), he was crawling out a barroom window in Wellfleet, Massachusetts while performing an early rendition of Christmas In a Chinese Restaurant. Here he is doing an acoustic version of the song:

In retrospect, it might have been more season-appropriate to post this version on Christmas Day rather than the barroom version.

Anyway, Mr. McCauley has apparently relocated to Nashville to work on a new spin-off band, Diamond Rugs ("Damn I Am On Drugs"), who are making their very first public appearance tonight at (where else?) The Earl in East Atlanta Village.

I have tickets.

Diamond Rugs reportedly consist of Mr. McCauley (Deer Tick), Ian Saint Pe (Black Lips), and Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate) on vocals and guitar; Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) on horns and keyboards; Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick) on bass, saxophone, and keyboards; and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite) on drums. Guest musicians reportedly include Bryan Minto (harmonica), Bucky Baxter and Spencer Collum (pedal steel), Oscar Utterström (trombone), and JP Frappier (trumpet). They have a record coming out in Spring 2012.

Dead Confederate are opening.

Tonight will also mark my first visit back to The Earl since Rocktober, and I'm looking forward to a delicious Earl-burger (side of fries, a pickle, and a Yuengling lager) almost as much as the show itself. As it turns out, you can survive on a diet of rice and fruit, but an occasional caloric splurge from time to time doesn't hurt, either. Given that today is the 29th of December, it's probably safe to say this will be my last visit to The Earl in 2011, but I already have tickets for next year, starting with Twin Sister on January 25.

2011-12-28T22:16:00.001-05:00

If the eye does not sleep, all dreaming will naturally cease.

~Seng-T'san, Hsin Hsin Ming~

A Koan

2011-12-27T22:23:00.001-05:00

Imagine you're at the top of a 100-foot pole.

Do you thrive?

Or do you dive?

2011-12-26T23:11:00.001-05:00

When Zen Master Hoe of Mt. Yogi (the founder of the Yogi branch of the Rinzai School) first became the abbot, the temple was dilapidated and the monks were troubled. Therefore, an officer said it should be repaired.

The master said, "Even though the building is broken down, it is certainly a better place for practicing zazen than on the ground or under a tree. If one section is broken and leaks, we should move where there are no leaks to practice zazen. If monks could attain enlightenment by building a hall, we would construct one of gold and jewels. Enlightenment does not depend on whether the building is good or bad; it depends only upon our diligence in zazen."

The next day, in a formal speech he said, “I have now become the abbot of Yogi, and the roof and walls have many cracks and holes. The whole floor is covered with pearls of snow, the monks hunch their shoulders from the cold, and sigh in the darkness.” After a pause he continued, “It reminds me of the ancient sages sitting under the trees.”

Zen Master Ryuge (a disciple of Tozan Ryokai, the founder of the Soto School in China) said, “To study the Way, first of all, you learn poverty. After having learned poverty and become poor, you will be intimate with the Way.”

Zen Master Dogen said, "From the time of Shakyamuni, up to the present day, I have never seen or heard of a true student of the Way who possessed great wealth."

Dogen also said, "If someone aspires to practice the buddha-dharma, he will come and study it even if he has to cross mountains, rivers, and oceans. If he lacks such resolution, there is no certainty that he will accept it, even if I go and urge him (to practice it)."

(from Shobogenzo Zuimonki, 4-14 and 2-7)

Christmas Music, Reconsidered

2011-12-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a Christmas song by Rhode Island's Deer Tick, performed out on Cape Cod at the Beachcomber Bar in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, back on August 25. Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit more than a shirtless, beer-swilling John McCauley in Margaritaville (and why did his band apparently crawl out the window in the middle of the song?).

But, funny thing. It turns out that Mr. McCauley was just breaking in a new song for a spin-off band called Diamond Rugs ("Damn, I Am On Drugs," get it?). Since the above performance, they've fleshed the song out and have released it as a single, now titled Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant, even though Diamond Rugs hasn't even played a single live show yet.

So, Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant got me wondering - what other new Christmas songs are out there? We've already heard The Mountain Goats sing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, so what else is left? What's been released this year for Christmas, especially on the indie scene?

Lots as it turns out. Here's Zooey Deschanel, the She of She & Him, and some guy (Who cares about Him, when She is Zooey Deschanel?) singing The Christmas Waltz:

Maybe you prefer Jessica Lea Mayfield and her song Little Toy Trains:

Our our old friends and Rocktober favorite Wye Oak declare Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day:

On the other hand, The Active Set assert that Making Out Is the Best Part of Christmas:

My Morning Jacket's Jim James joins our old friends and other Rocktober favorite The Head and the Heart to channel Hank Williams, Sr. in When the Bells Start Ringing:

Moody Seattle singer-songwriter, MFNW closer, and fellow Pickwick fan Damian Jurado channels Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi for Christmas Time Is Here:

But wait! There's more! Here's Brite Futures performing Last Christmas:

And here are The Barr Brothers singing Dear Mrs Claus:

Then there are the holiday classics, starting with The Hurricane Bells covering Alvin and the Chipmunks:

Singer Rachel Platten in Dr. Seuss territory:

The Phantom Halo Band cover The Who:

Vanessa Carlton covers John Lennon:

And one of my favorites, the almost impossibly great Girl In a Coma, covering the King himself:

But if it's traditional classics you want, here's Oh Holy Night by Warm Ghost (but don't be surprised if it takes you a while to recognize it):

Which brings us to the electronic-music portion of the proceedings. The Santa-nature is as present in the synthesizer as it is in the sleigh bell, so here's Body Language performing Holiday:

Do I have the remix? Hell, yeah, I have the remix:

I'm not done by a far shot (no end in sight!). Here are some terrific originals by some talented songwriters, starting with Dustin Krensue performing Christmas Baby Please Come Home:

The band Eyes Lips Eyes apparently Slept In Through Christmas:

while Meiko shot her man, but managed to make a sultry Christmas song about it called Maybe Next Year (listen for the God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen riff):

Summer Fiction celebrate Christmas Eve For Two (and a little doo-wop):

The always entertaining Fitz and the Tantrums contribute Santa Stole My Lady:

And saving what may well be the best for last, Low composed an original that has become one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs ever, Just Like Christmas. Bonus points for the sleigh bells:

We'll end with a blast from the past. Back in the far, misty recesses of time, in a decade some call "The 1990s," a band called Morphine released their Christmas song, the characteristically moody (for them) Sexy Christmas Baby Mine:

Deck the hall, y'all!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

The Mountain Goats, apparently, would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.

So does Shokai. But like John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats) at the 2:35 mark of his song, I find it so hard to do without a touch of cynicism. The source of that cynicism I find hard to identify - I've not experienced any Christmas tragedies (far from it) and don't have any suppressed Christmas traumas (of which I'm aware), but I find it hard not to at least raise an eyebrow when saying "Merry Christmas."

Maybe I resent having to be so goddamn cheerful and full of good will that day. Hey, I like cheer as much as the next man, and I'm nothing if not all about good will toward men (and the ladies, too). But maybe I just don't want to have to be in a jolly mood on that particular day, and I resent having to lie to friends, colleagues, and co-workers (as if. . . ) about what a wonderful time I had on Christmas day. For the record, New Year's Eve is almost as bad, but at least New Year's doesn't have the sanctimony.

I spent most of my Christmas Eve continuing to work on the three reports I have to produce by the end of the year. I'm close to wrapping them up and very likely could by tomorrow, and it will make me happy to complete them, but for some reason the fact that I'll be working on Christmas Day seems to disappoint some people. Ironically, many of those same people don't seem disappointed that their waitstaff and cashiers are working in the restaurants and businesses they visit during the holiday. But there goes my cynicism again.

But I can also take the higher road. Christmas is our culture's celebration of charity, of good intentions, of kind words, and of love. Whatever your feelings about Christianity, there has still got to be something in the holiday for you, regardless of your beliefs - or lack thereof.

Even athiests should agree that peace of earth isn't exactly a bad thing.

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate . . . the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world, at peace," Franklin D. Roosevelt, a great American, once said.

So, even though the eyebrow's reflexively raised, in the spirit of FDR, I wish you all a happy Christmas, and peace on earth and good will towards all.

Prince Rama

2011-12-23T19:09:00.000-05:00

Oh, look. Our girlfriends over at Prince Rama have released a new video for their song Summer of Love. I reached nirvana by the 5:07 mark, anuttara samyak sambodhi by 5:39.

Your results may differ.

Three Meals

2011-12-22T21:06:00.003-05:00

BREAKFAST

Another morning in ~~samsara~~ nirvana. Thursday starts like most mornings with my obligatory cup of coffee, black, a bagel (plain), a banana, yogurt, and a muffin.

What I hadn't really thought through was that working on my own from a home office meant that I would be spending entire days home alone, with no company but for two cats, television / radio / internets, and some newspapers and magazines. Not the most sociable, but doesn't interfere with productivity.

LUNCH

Lunch for the day was a comfort-food bowl of some sort of chicken soup and some crackers.

I have three reports to write for a client regarding three separate facilities that I visited last week. The deadline is fairly short for this kind of thing, but I've already completed the text for two of them, and I've still got a week to complete the third and tie up the loose ends. I worked way past 5:00 on the reports, and then finally made myself some

DINNER

which in this case was rice fortified with some lentil beans (or lentil beans fortified with some rice if you prefer), spiced up with a little tabasco. Stick-to-your-ribs goodness.

And to think, I get to do this for the rest of the year!

2011-12-21T23:40:00.003-05:00

2011 Movies of the Year

2011-12-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

Fist of all, I'll admit right off that I didn't go to all that many movies in 2011 (I'm more of a concert guy), so this list will be pretty short. In fact, even if I listed every movie that I went to in 2011, I still wouldn't have half of a "Top 10" list.

But what I did see, I liked. A lot. So we'll start with the beginning, the beginning of everything, as depicted by director Terence Malick in The Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life has to be the most artistically ambitious movie of this young century, yet at the same time incredibly meditative, thought-provoking and moving. The sequence above is but a part of the response (and only a part of the response) to a demand, "Who are we to you? Answer me!" put by a family's mother to God himself (the question can be heard echoed in this clip, between the 1:20 and 1:45 marks, and again between 5:55 and 6:25). Be careful what you ask, as the answer may alter your perception of the very universe.

From the beginning of the world to the end of everything, as depicted in director Lars Von Trier's Melancholia. Because of their thematic and emotional differences, I didn't realize how parallel these two movies were, with their classical scores and non-linear plotting and extended wordless scenes of the cosmos, until I started putting this year-end post together. Here's the opening sequence of Melancholia, considered by many the best part of the film, starting with a absolutely devastating close-up of an emotionally destroyed Kirsten Dunst.

Between these two first two films, this post is threatening to collapse under its own weight before I can even complete it.

Also beautifully photographed and very well acted is 2011's Hanna, starring the astonishing 17-year-old Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, of 2009's The Lovely Bones (which I didn't see until this year and could fit right in with the rest of these films).

Unlike the first two films, Hanna actually has a plot you can follow and action sequences and, unlike Melencholia at least, likable characters. It's also simply beautiful to look at and suspenseful and interesting, and hence has made it onto my "Best of 2011" list. Here's the official trailer for Hanna, which is a pretty good summary for those who've seen the movie, but barely even hints at how good this film is for those who haven't.

So that's my Top 3 list for 2011, culled from the 4 or 5 movies that I've actually seen this year. But despite the low numbers, I don't need to see any more movies in 2012 if I can see three films this good again.

2011-12-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

60 minutes of zazen this evening, followed by 45 minutes of discussion, followed by a Thai dinner with a small group of the regular attendees. A winter solstice break from the usual routine - today's the shortest Monday of the year, and the longest Monday night of the year.

Another Day In Workers' Paradise

2011-12-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

Another weekend work day, going through 3,700-odd pages of reports, memoranda and field notes for an upcoming case on which I've been asked to give an opinion. It's been said that those who are self-employed have a real slave-driver for a boss, and I'm starting to understand. I'm working as hard as ever, but enjoying it more. I have no idea how long this avalanche of work that's landed on me will last, but I intend to work every hour of it I can get to while it does.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Wolfgang Zeikat for sending me the picture above. The picture below has been hanging around in my For Posting cache for months now, obviously waiting for this opportune moment (it's a satire in case that's not clear).

In the Company of Lawyers

2011-12-17T20:06:00.000-05:00

No rest for the weary - I worked on a Saturday morning today, meeting with an attorney at his office to go over an upcoming litigation case, and began my review of the nearly 4,000 pages of documents he gave me (electronically) for most of the rest of the day. I'm just taking a little sanity break right now, but will resume the review later tonight and tomorrow - depositions are scheduled for Monday afternoon.

I have been criticized by some for working with lawyers and for providing testimony in exchange for compensation. However, Zen Master Dogen once said, "Suppose someone comes to you to talk about his business and asks you to write a letter to solicit something from someone, or to help him in a lawsuit, etc. You may feel you should turn down his request on the grounds that you are not a person of the secular world, that you have retired and have nothing to do with mundane affairs, and that it is not appropriate for a recluse to say something that is not suitable to lay people. Although this may seem like the way of a recluse, you should examine your deeper motivation. If you rejected the request because you consider yourself a monk who has left the secular world and people might think ill of you if you say something unsuitable for a recluse, this still shows attachment to fame and profit."

We should carefully consider each situation we are faced with, Dogen advised, and do those things which would bring even a little benefit to the persons who are before us, without concern for what people will think. Even if we are to become estranged from our friends or quarrel with them because they say we did something bad and unbecoming of a monk, it is not important. Dogen thought it would be better to break off with such narrow-minded people.

Even though outwardly it may seem to other people that one is doing something improper, the primary concern should be to inwardly break off attachment and throw away any desire for fame. Buddhas and bodhisattvas have cut off even their own flesh and limbs when someone asked them for help. "How much more," Dogen taught, "should you be willing to help someone who merely asks you to write a letter." If we reject the request out of concern for our own reputation, we are showing deep attachment to our own ego.

"If you throw away your concern for fame and bring even a little benefit to others, you correspond with the true Way," Dogen said. His primary concern was to cast aside the desire for fame and ego-attachment in all situations.

Dogen's disciple Ejo agreed that while it is alright to tell others what is good and beneficial for them, "how about the case in which someone wants to take another’s property by some evil means, or someone tries to slander another? Should we still transmit such messages?”

Dogen replied, “It is not for us to decide whether it is reasonable or not. We should explain to the person that we are sending the letter because someone asked us to do so, and tell him to deal with it reasonably. The person who receives the letter and has to deal with the problem should decide whether it is right or wrong."

If I am truthful and honest in my testimony, and express my opinions on the matter before me in a straightforward and truthful way, how am I doing wrong, even if someone profits from that opinion? Even if I am compensated for expressing that honest opinion? It would be wrong to be deceitful or to express opinions that are outside of my field.

If you have a friend, Dogen advised, who respects you and whom you feel you could not go against, and he requests your support to do something wrong, listen to his request once, and in your letter write that you have been asked importunately, and that the matter should be dealt with reasonably. If you treat each situation in this way, no one will hold a grudge.

"You must consider things like this very meticulously in every encounter or situation."

Other Lives

2011-12-16T19:04:00.000-05:00

Now that we're past the halfway mark of the last month of the year, I think it's now safe to post a "year's best" selection. Of all of the many concerts I've seen this year, I don't know if I can unequivocally say that the October 6 show by Other Lives at the Drunken Unicorn was the best (I'm not even sure how one defines "best"), but I can definitively say that it was the most memorable. I can also add that it is the one I would most like to repeat.

They're going on tour next year with Radiohead, and as much as I would like to see Other Lives again and as much as I like Radiohead, they're playing in Phillips Arena, the Atlanta Hawk's cavernous home court, and I'll likely pass. Part of what was so great about the October 6 show was that it was in the tiny basement that's the Drunken Unicorn, and the sense of intimacy that was achieved for the crowd of a hundred or so won't even be approximated at Phillips.

Here's a full concert video of an Other Lives show in France. Enjoy.

Postscript: I can't post the "Best Concert of the Year" without mentioning The Head and The Heart at Variety Playhouse, Blind Pilot at Portland's Crystal Ballroom, The Antlers' morning set at The Doug Fir, Austra at The Earl, Beirut in Athens, Motopony at Bumbershoot, and whoever's playing right this moment somewhere near you. The list really goes on and on.

The Geology of Georgia - Part Four of a Very Occasional Series

2011-12-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

The Potato Creek and Rock Hawk Effigy

The metamorphic rocks of the Georgia Piedmont consist of two enormous stacks of folded thrust sheets. The upper stack, referred to as the Little River thrust stack, occurs to the south of the lower thrust stack, the Georgiabama, and underlies much of the Piedmont near the Fall Line. The Little River thrust stack has been divided into the Macon Complex, the Little River Complex, and the Northern Florida platform sequence.

The Macon Complex is a tectonic mélange that underlies an area more than 300 miles long and 60 miles wide. As such, the Macon Complex represents the largest mélange known in the Appalachians and one of the largest Paleozoic mélanges known in the world, comparable in size and complexity with the enormous Franciscan mélange of coastal California and Oregon.

Much of the Macon Complex is a chaotic mixture of well rounded to angular clasts to slabs of contrasting rock types “floating” in a highly deformed matrix. The complex was subsequently intruded by Devonian and Carboniferous granitic plutons, such as the Siloam and Elberton granites. Much of the remainder of the complex consists of metapelitic rocks and metagraywacke.

Mike Higgins identified three separate units within the Macon Complex: the Juliette, the Po Biddy, and the Falls Lake mélanges. The Juliette mélange includes a body of rock Higgins called the Potato Creek facies. The Potato Creek is characterized by an abundance of clastic rocks and the local presence of thin tuffaceous metacherts, and contains clasts ranging in size from small fragments seen in thin sections to mile-long slabs, and ranging in shape from well rounded to angular. The matrix of the Potato Creek is essentially an imbricate complex of the following:

1. Massive (but broken), coarse-grained, feldspathic, biotitic metagraywacke
2. Metamorphosed pebbly mudstones
3. Semi-schists with thin, broken metagraywacke beds
4. Thin tuffaceous metacherts interbedded with scaly schist

The Macon Complex apparently developed on the oceanward side of an ancient island arc off the coast of the proto–North American continent. Higgins suggested that many of the rock bodies in the Macon Complex are clasts of oceanic crust and mantle off-scraped and incorporated into the mélange as proto–North America collided with a continent on the opposite side of the proto–Atlantic Ocean. The tuffaceous metacherts and scaly schists of the Potato Creek (number 4 above) were probably deep-sea sediments initially deposited onto the ocean floor and later off-scraped and incorporated into the mélange along with trench sediments. The metagraywackes (1 and 3 above) and associated metamorphosed pebbly mudstones (2 above) probably represent clastic continental sediments deposited on top of the mélange wedge and imbricated into it.

Geologic evidence indicates that many of the rocks in the Juliette mélange were emplaced during very latest Precambrian to early Late Cambrian time. Early Devonian metamorphism represents the time of collision and of thrusting of the rocks to their present positions on the Southern Piedmont. The Siloam and Elberton granitic plutons subsequently intruded the rocks later in the Devonian and during the Carboniferous.

The Rock Hawk Effigy is an archaeological site in Putnam County, Georgia, within the area underlain by the Potato Creek. The Rock Hawk Effigy consists of thousands of pieces of quartzite laid in the shape of a large bird. Although it is most often referred to as a hawk, scholars do not know exactly what type of bird the original builders intended to portray.Only two such effigy mounds have been found east of the Mississippi River. The other, known as Rock Eagle, is also located in Putnam County, approximately thirteen miles to the northwest. The Rock Hawk site is located along Wallace Dam Road, off State Route 16, several miles east of Eatonton, near the shores of Lake Oconee.

Current archaeology suggests that the site was built between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago by Woodland Indians. These Native Americans may have been part of the Adena or Hopewell cultures, although it is more likely that they represented a unique group.

Geology of Georgia - Part Three of a Very Occasional Series

2011-12-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

Soapstone Ridge

Let's see, now - I haven't added an installation to the Geology of Georgia series since May 2, 2010, some seventeen months ago, so I guess this still qualifies as a very "occasional" series. Not that there aren't other things to discuss, but then again there's no reason not to discuss the geology of the Peach State either.

In southwest DeKalb County, just to the south of I-285, Atlanta's Perimeter Highway, is Soapstone Ridge, a 25-square-mile structural complex with summit elevations over 1,000 feet above mean sea level. Soapstone Ridge is but one of the many high areas in an area referred to as the Winder Slope District of the Southern Piedmont Physiographic Province. The generally gently-rolling topography of the Winder Slope District is dissected by the headwaters of major streams draining to the Atlantic Ocean, and numerous dome-shaped, granitic mountains, such as Georgia's Stone Mountain, are located on the interfluves of the rivers.

Soapstone Ridge, although not dome-shaped and not granitic, is another of the District's interfluvial summits. The South River, a southeast-flowing tributary to the Ocmulgee River (which, in turn, flows to the Altamaha River, which, in turn, flows to the Atlantic), passes under I-285 in southwest DeKalb County. The high elevations of Soapstone Ridge divert the South River, and the river marks the northern boundary of Soapstone Ridge over much of its area.

Bedrock beneath Soapstone Ridge is a chaotic mixture of mafic and felsic rocks, consisting mainly of light-green-weathering amphibolites intimately interlayered with light-gray to nearly white gneisses and schists. Pods of very dense, resistant ultramafic rocks are also abundant, contributing to the rugged topography of Soapstone Ridge.

Mike Higgins and Bob Atkins gave the rock beneath Soapstone Ridge the appropriate-enough name "Soapstone Ridge Complex," and considered it to be a large ophiolitic sheet of mostly ultramafic rock (ophiolites are sequences of rock thought to represent oceanic crust). Higgins envisioned the Soapstone Ridge Complex as part of a large sheet of oceanic crust thrust up onto and above the crystalline rock of much of the Southern Piedmont, although only widely scattered remnants were now left due to either erosion or breakup of the sheet during transport and emplacement, or both. Other remnants of the sheet were thought to occur in Alabama as the Goodwater and Boyd's Creek ultramafic-mafic complexes, as well as the Doss Mountain amphibolite and Slaughters metagabbro.

However, subsequent work by Higgins and others showed that the bedrock beneath Soapstone Ridge was not all that unique, but part of another Georgia lithologic unit named the Paulding Volcanic-Plutonic Complex by (who else?) Mike Higgins. Like the "Soapstone Ridge Complex," the Paulding Volcanic-Plutonic Complex is essentially an all igneous unit, devoid of clastic metasedimentary rocks; however, an abundance of mafic and ultramafic blocks and slabs in the Soapstone Ridge exposure initially disguised its actual identity. The name "Soapstone Ridge Complex" was later formally abandoned by Higgins.

Interestingly, rocks of the Paulding Volcanic-Plutonic Complex at Soapstone Ridge are surrounded by Stonewall Gneiss, which forms a sheath of rocks around the Paulding, with the Soapstone Ridge rocks the "knife" in a large sheath of folded Stonewall Gneiss.

So there's that. For such dense rock that's so resistant to erosion, the Paulding rocks on Soapstone Ridge are covered by a surprisingly deep mantle of reddish-brown residual soil, easily excavated by a backhoe. Test pits within the material reached the 10-foot arm length of the backhoe without any indication of hard bedrock, yet the ridge still rises high above I-285 and the South River beyond.

In case you've never looked into ten-foot test pits dug into the Paulding Volcanic-Plutonic Complex on top of Soapstone Ridge before, like I did for much of today, here you go:

Curiously, most archeological sites in the Atlanta area are located at and around soapstones not in the Pauling (former "Soapstone Ridge Complex") but in the surrounding Stonewall Gneiss. Because of the refractive qualities of the soapstones within the Stonewall, and because of its ease in sculpting bowls, cooking utensils, and heat-retaining devices thought to have been used as bed-shelter-food warmers, most soapstone bodies within the Stonewall are archeological sites. Bowl fragmets can reportedly be found at many sites (I've never found one), and occasional bowl blanks can be found still attached to the rock.

2011-12-13T21:08:00.001-05:00

When I hung out my own shingle and became a self-employed independent contractor, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to find any work. I had sleepless nights worried that I would soon be bankrupt, foreclosed, and homeless.

Now it looks that instead of enjoying some rest over the winter holidays, I'll be working every day until the New Year, holidays included. Everything's impermanent and this too shall pass, but it's reassuring to remember that our worst fears don't always come true the next time I have financial anxieties.

2011-12-12T22:08:00.003-05:00

Dogen instructed,

It is said in the secular world that a castle falls when people start to whisper words within its walls. It is also said that when there are two opinions in a house, not even a pin can be bought; when there is no conflict of opinions, even gold can be purchased.Even in the secular world, it is said that unity of mind is necessary for the sake of maintaining a household or protecting a castle. If unity is lacking, the house or the castle will eventually fall.

Much more, should monks who have left home to study under a single teacher be harmonious like the mixture of water and milk. There is also the six ways of harmony - that of body, mouth, and mind, keeping the same precepts, having the same insight, and carrying on the same practice. Do not set up individual rooms, nor practice the Way separately either physically or mentally.

Our life in this monastery is like crossing the ocean on a single ship. We should have unity of mind, conduct ourselves in the same way, give advice to each other to reform each other’s faults, follow the good points of others, and practice the Way singlemindedly. This is the Way people have been practicing since the time of the Buddha (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, Book 4, Chapter 13).

The Road to Chattanooga

2011-12-11T20:23:00.001-05:00

30,000 miles, right on the mark, and just so happened to have the camera on me to prove it.

Peaking Lights

2011-12-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

Beirut, Athens

2011-12-08T21:20:00.001-05:00

Last night, I went to Athens to see Beirut. Not Athens, Greece or Beirut, Lebanon, to be sure - I drove to Athens, Georgia last evening to see the band Beirut.

Don't tell me I can't see a band! Beirut sold out Atlanta's Variety Playhouse when they came through here on the last week of Rocktober, and although I had hoped that tickets would somehow materialize, they didn't and I wound up staying home that night (the one night of the penultimate week of Rocktober where I didn't go out to see a live band).

Since then, Beirut's tour took them through Georgia again, this time to Athens for a gig at the Georgia Theater. And since I established last Sunday evening that I could make it to Athens and back in an evening, I headed back last night to finally catch Beirut. I could call this little run of Athens concerts "Athenfest", but I believe there's already an actual event that goes by that name, so that could get confusing.

Perfume Genius opened. Perfume Genius is singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas, who plays incredibly personal and intimate songs about the tragedies he's encountered in his young but tortured life. For example, his song Mister Peterson seems to be about a teacher who sexually abused him before committing suicide by jumping off a building.

Dark, dark stuff and the songs were all played very quietly and with great delicacy, suppoted by two other musicians. The audience, at least those near the stage, hung on every line and gave him their complete support, but overall it was music that required complete attention, probably better suited for a coffeehouse than a concert hall.

It was quite different from the sunny and buoyant music of Beirut.

Beirut is led by Zach Condon, second from left above, who sings and plays trumpet and mandolin.

Beirut has some unusual instrumentation, and is that rare rock band that doesn't employ a guitar. Six musicians on stage, almost all multi-instrumentalists, and not one guitar to be seen anywhere.

What they did have on stage included up to three trumpets at any one time, trombone, french horn, sousaphone, xylophone, accordian, bass, drums, occasional keyboards, ukulele, and some other instruments I'm probably forgetting.

What's striking about Beirut beyond their unusual instrumentation is the joyous enthusiasm of their sound. They draw from a variety of musical traditions, most notably mariachi (Condon is from Santa Fe), but Balkan influences can also be heard, as well as gypsy and other native folk musics.

A little sample of their music for your listening pleasure:

I saw at least one young lady in last night's audience wearing an elephant-trunk mask like the ones in the video.

The young, UGA crowd really ate it up. "You are so fine!," one woman called out to Condon in a thick, southern drawl, and Condon was noticeably nonplussed for a few seconds. "I've never heard that before," he finally managed to reply, as the rest of the band cracked up.

They played their triumphant song Santa Fe from their latest album The Rip Tide about halfway through the set.

The sound system was marvelous. I commend the Georgia Theater for such a good mix of a complex arrangement of instruments, as well as keeping the show on schedule - Perfume Genius took the stage right at 9 pm, and Beirut right at 10, as advertised.

Beirut played a 60-minute set followed by a three-song encore, including a Zach Condon solo number and three rousing mariachi barn-burners. I managed to make it back home to Atlanta by 12:30, a little late but not too unmanageable.

2011-12-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

A day today of modest accomplishment. Putting one foot in front of the other, I proceed, albeit slowly.

More Pageants

2011-12-06T21:22:00.001-05:00

Oh, look. Influential west-coast radio station KCRW recently posted an endorsement of the band Pageants, whom I blogged about last September (after an anonymous tip!). Nice to see this deserving band getting some traction.

Meanwhile, my tickets arrived in the mail today to see the following bands at (where else?) The Earl:

Diamond Rugs and Dead Confederate (12/29/11)
Twin Sister and Ava Luna (1/25/12)
Bowerbirds (4/15/12)

Tomorrow, it's back to Athens, Georgia, now that I've established that I can make the trip there and back in one evening, to see Beirut, the band that I missed during Rocktober.

Rohatsu

2011-12-05T21:43:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of our annual Rohatsu retreat at the Zen Center. Rohatsu is a commemoration of the Buddha's enlightenment, traditionally observed on the 8th of December, and is the most intense and deepest retreat of the year. Monks around the world tremble in anticipation of Rohatsu.

I was planning on using some of my new-found free time by attending Rohatsu this year, but an interesting derivative of Murphy's Law will prevent this from happening. The first derivative of Murphy's Law states you will succeed at your task if you arrange things such that success is the worst thing that could happen. In this case, the phone rang today (5:30 pm) and I have a gig, some geologic field work that will keep me busy for the next week or so, starting tomorrow. That's exactly what I was looking for, but it will prevent me from attending Rohatsu again this year, and I don't think I'm in a position right now to turn away work.

But in any event, I was able to attend the opening of the retreat this evening, so Monday Night Zazen this week didn't include any Zuimonki readings or discussion, just 90 minutes of zazen. In other words, it was the best possible way to engage the evening.

Prince Rama

2011-12-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

Athens, Georgia, home of the University, the Bulldogs, the B-52s and REM, is about 70 miles east of Atlanta. It's well beyond Atlanta's sprawling suburbs and is really a town unto itself, a college community with its own rhythms, scenes, and style.

I drove out there today to see the band Prince Rama play. They're wrapping up a tour of the US before heading off to Australia early next year and passed through Athens this evening, and I realized that one of the benefits of being underemployed is I can stay out late on a Sunday and not have to pay the Monday morning consequences. So I drove the 70 miles to the show at a nice little restaurant in Athens called Farm255, just a few doors down from the infamous 40-Watt Club.

A local band called Pretty Bird opened.

For some reason, they made Pretty Bird play outdoors, even though the other bands were allowed to play inside. And like the dog that's not let in the house, they were noisy and unruly, and that's a good thing. They play without instruments except for a couple of drums, over which the members holler and chant and hum, creating their own form of accompaniment.

Tonight was also their CD (actually DVD) release party, something called Put Your Head in the Clouds, a Birdhouse Collection. They were giving them away for free so I got a copy - I'll update this post if there's anything important to report.

Inside, another local Athens band, Bubbly Mommy Gun, opened for Prince Rama. They played mainly instrumental, off-kilter rock with unusual time signatures and instrumentation. For some reason, their idiosyncratic sound reminded me a little of San Francisco's Thinking Fellers Union 282.

Some of their passages almost sounded like nouveau swing, while others channeled some of the quirkier new wave (nouveau vague) of the late 70s and early 80s. My only complaint was that their set was too short.

There is no "prince" in Prince Rama - the band consists of two sisters, Taraka and Nimai Larson. Reportedly, they were raised on a Hare Krishna commune near Gainesville, Florida before attending art school in Boston. Their music mixes psychedelic rock with Middle and Far Eastern elements and occasional chanting, sometimes in Sanskrit.

It was a free show - no admission - but a bucket was passed around to support the band. I contributed (of course), but based on the fuel it took to get from Atlanta to Athens and back, the show wasn't really "free" for me.

The turnout was small, perhaps 50 people, but the audience was invited to come right up in front of the performers (there was no real stage - they played on the floor of the restaurant). But what the crowd lacked in size, they made up for in enthusiasm, bobbing and swaying along with the pulsating music.

For only two musicians, the Larson sisters manage to produce a lot of sound, and the driving rhythms and soaring vocals were even more effective live than I had anticipated. I was glad that I made the drive out to Athens to catch their set, and only wish that they'd drop by Atlanta some time and play The Earl.

So that was my evening in Athens. It wasn't all that difficult getting there and back, but after all it was a Sunday evening and traffic was light (I wouldn't even try the trip on the Saturday of a football game). In all, it makes me wonder why I haven't before.

2011-12-03T19:20:00.001-05:00

Today, presidential candidate Herman Cain announced he was placing his hilarious campaign "on suspension" (meaning he's still free to accept campaign contributions). The announcement was made right here in Cain's native Atlanta. The recipient of good fortune from Cain's misfortune appears to be presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, another Georgia resident, who's own campaign seemed virtually dead several months ago when his staff quit en masse.

But this year's Republican voters seem to be as fickle as their candidates are feckless. Newt's campaign is most likely to go the way of Michelle Bachman's and Rick Perry's, and fizzle out once the public takes another good, hard look at Newt.

With less than a year before the election, it's becoming increasingly clear that the conservatives are incapable of even identifying a qualified candidate.

"There will be bleeding from orifices . . . "

2011-12-02T18:26:00.000-05:00

I saw Montreal's Suuns (pronounced "soons") at MFNW in Portland during what feels like a year ago but was only last September. Since that time, the band has released an interesting new video for their Red Song. I like the sort-of science-fiction vibe that I get from the sound and imagery in this vid. I don't think it cost a lot of money to make this video, but it shows what a little imagination and creativity can do with a DIY attitude.

Here they are at Branx during MFNW:

And here's a video of them at another venue playing Arena, the opening number for their Branx' set:

Interview

2011-12-01T22:49:00.001-05:00

Below, a radio interview with my friend and dharma teacher Arthur Stovall (above, with his new bride), recorded in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Have a Little Faith

2011-11-30T20:25:00.001-05:00

In one of my most optimistic moments in recent weeks, I went ahead today and purchased advanced tickets to next summer's Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, Washington.

There is so much uncertainty in my life right now as I wait to see how my means of livelihood unfolds over the next several months. There are a good dozen reasons why I can expect to not be able to attend the festival next year, but sometimes you have to set some goals and have a little faith in yourself.

See you in Seattle!

Damien Jurado

2011-11-29T21:54:00.001-05:00

Damian Jurado performing at The Earl in Atlanta back in November 2010.

I later saw a late-night performance by Jurado at Portland's Bunk Bar during MFNW 2011 (rumor is that Sharon Van Etten was in the crowd, too). The next night, I saw Jurado in the crowd at a performance by Pickwick at the Doug Fir Lounge. He was obviously impressed by the band (as was I), and he's tweeted about Pickwick several times in recent weeks.

He's got a new album coming out early next year, and he's released a preview track that sounds like a new direction in his career.

"Nothing is the News" by Damien Jurado by DOJAGSC

2011-11-28T22:25:00.001-05:00

It has been said that following the Buddha's death, the teachings (dharma) have gone through three successive periods of degeneration. In the period of the true dharma (shobo), which lasted 500 to 1,000 years after the Buddha's death, the dharma was properly practiced and enlightenment could be attained. In the period of the semblance dharma (zobo), lasting 1,000 to 500 years, the teaching was practiced but enlightenment was no longer possible. In the period of the last dharma (mappo), lasting 10,000 years, although the teaching still existed, there is no practice or enlightenment. In Japan, it was believed that the last period began in 1052 A.D.. The idea of mappo heavily influenced the Buddhist movements during the Kamakura Period.

Regarding this concept, Zen Master Dogen instructed,

Many worldly people say, “I desire to practice the Way, but the world is in this last degenerate period and I have only inferior capabilities. I cannot endure the formal practice which accords with the dharma. I want to find an easier way which is suitable for me, make some connection with the Buddha now, and attain enlightenment in the next lifetime.”

This is entirely wrong. Categorizing the three periods of time—the true dharma, the semblance dharma, and the last dharma—is only a temporary expedient. Monks in the time of the Buddha were not necessarily outstanding. There were some who were incredibly despicable and inferior in capacity. Therefore, the Buddha established various kinds of precepts for the sake of evil and inferior people.

Without exception, everyone is a vessel of the buddha-dharma. Never think that you are not a vessel. If you practice according to the teaching you will gain realization without fail. Since you have a mind, you are able to distinguish good from evil. You have hands and feet, and therefore lack nothing for practicing gassho or walking. Therefore, in practicing the buddha-dharma, do not be concerned with whether you are capable or not. Living beings in the human world are all vessels (of the buddha-dharma). It would not be possible if you had been born as an animal or something else.

Students of the Way, never expect to practice tomorrow. You should practice following the Buddha only today and this moment.

2011-11-27T18:28:00.001-05:00

I had lunch with sensei today and got to discuss my recent, involuntary change in employment status with him (if you don't yet have a friendly neighborhood Zen Master with whom you can discuss your life, you really should look into finding one). While he actually had nothing new to offer that I hadn't already considered, it was good to just chat about it with him and to bounce some ideas around.

This situation actually provides me with a rare opportunity to make some decisions, to consider things I may not have considered before. I'm not a young man by any stretch of the imagination, and it's a little late to wonder what I want to be when I grow up, but that doesn't mean that I can't wonder what I want to be when I eventually leave this world.

For most of my adult life, I've worked for large consulting companies, and my career has risen and fallen along with the industry until I finally ended up being told "Thanks but no thanks" for my continued services. I have talked with some of the existing consulting firms here in town - my former competitors - but unless I can guarantee that I'll bring a significant backlog of work with me, they're not terribly interested. If I had the million-dollar book of business they're requesting, I wouldn't be in the situation that I find myself now. So even though I only have about a quarter of my active career remaining in front of me, "business as usual" doesn't seem to be an option.

This may not be a bad thing, because without being shown the door, I probably wouldn't have the motivation to try something new. And since this is our one and only shot at this life, it would be a shame if we didn't live through as many diverse experiences as possible.

So for the time being at least, I've started my own company and without even really trying too hard, have found that I'm making about the same income as I had before (and in half the hours at that). Admittedly, I'm taking advantage of the low-hanging fruit, burning through my equivalent of the million-dollar backlog that the big firms want me to bring to them (move the decimal over several places to get a better idea of the actual size of this limited backlog). It's as good a start as I could possibly hope for, but without some real concerted effort on my part, this initial success will not be sustainable over the long run.

But do I really need that success? Which is to say, do I really need all this. . . stuff. . . at all? Perhaps this is the opportunity to practice some real renunciation, to get out of the rat race and quit trying to keep up with the Jones (to the limited extent I even tried). Maybe it's time to find a monastery and settle in for a final contemplative chapter to my life, and let go of 21st Century materialism while I still can.

Or maybe there's a middle way (we Buddhists are big on the Middle Way), somewhere between the stresses and tensions of being a small businessman for the next 10 to 20 years and the more ascetic path of a true urban (or otherwise) monk? If I didn't have to make mortgage payments and pay property taxes and so on, could I get by making an honest living pounding nails or running some sort of shop somewhere? Or just moving down the food chain in my own business and instead of expecting the high-level compensation that demands a million-dollar backlog, become the humbler but reliable go-to guy for field services or document writing. I never set out to be the top dog, it just sort of happened and I went along for the ride, at least until the ride was over and I found myself out in the dog house.

Like NBA great Rajon Rondo driving the ball toward the basket, I'm trying to stay in center court and keep all of my options open. I can press forward and keep looking for a high-salary position in my field. I can turn or pass right and pursue the path of my own business. I can turn or pass left and find something simple and honest to keep me fed and sheltered for the next and final decade or two of my life.

Or, quite unlike anything I've ever seen Rondo do, I can just set the ball down on the court and walk away from the game, march out of the arena altogether, and disappear into the night.

In any event, I'll be fine.

Occupy Monticello

2011-11-26T22:15:00.001-05:00

2011-11-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

When all of the trees have been cut down,
When all the animals have been hunted,
When all the waters are polluted,
When all the air is unsafe to breathe,
Only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
- Native American Proverb

I only recently realized that the famous opening line "We The People" from the U.S. Constitution was lifted, like this land itself, from the Native Americans, who simply called themselves "the People."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T19:07:00.001-05:00

In an unrelated development, I finally posted the Music Midtown pictures over at the Live site.

2011-11-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

What was I looking for when I had all I ever wanted?

2011-11-22T19:34:00.001-05:00

Dogen says it's hard to tell what is good or bad. How true. All too often, we define good and bad in relation to our own selves - what we perceive as good for us and what we perceive as bad for us. However, it's often the case that what's good for us is bad for someone else, and what's bad for us is good for someone else. So is the thing itself inherently good or bad, or is good or bad just in a matter of our perspective?

And then, what we often think of as good for us turns out to be bad in the long wrong, like too much candy for a child or too much wine later in life. And what we think is bad often turns out to have some unexpected virtue or blessing - how many cancer survivors later recall that their tragic diagnosis turned out to be the greatest blessing in their life?

My recent, involuntary change in status after nearly 30 years of corporate employment to that of a lone contractor sometimes seems bad, although it is not hard to imagine several different happy outcomes. But a combination of fear, paranoia, and resentment holds my mind much of the time, allowing me to only imagine the potential unhappy results. But who's to say what's good or what's bad?

I spent most of the day today sitting in on a deposition for a legal case in which I was asked to testify. The opposing witness, the one being deposed, had a very rough time of things and clearly was not having a happy day. Even though "bad" things were happening to my opponent, I felt a lot of empathy and compassion for his struggles. He was older than me and near the twilight of his career - is that really where I want to be in 10 years?, I wondered. Maybe I should seize this opportunity to quit the rat race and get out while I can.

Who's to say what's good and what's bad?

2011-11-21T22:44:00.001-05:00

Dogen instructed,

It is hard to tell what is good or bad. Worldly people say that it is good to wear silk brocade and embroidery and bad to wear robes made of coarse cloth and abandoned rags. In the buddha-dharma, the latter is good and pure while luxurious garments embroidered with gold and silver are considered bad and defiled. In the same way, everything else is opposite.

In my case too, since I sometimes write poetry or prose some worldly people praise me, saying it is extraordinary. And yet, there are some who criticize me for knowing such things despite being a monk who has left home and is studying the Way.

Ultimately, which shall we take as good and abandon as bad?It is said in a scripture, “Being praised and belonging to pure things is called good; being despised and belonging to impure things is called evil.” It is also written, “Things which bring about suffering are called evil; things which invite joy are called good.”

In this way, we should carefully figure out in detail, and take up what is really good and practice it; see what is really evil and discard it. Since a sangha is free from the defilement of delusive desires, things which do not arouse human desires are considered good and pure.

2011-11-20T19:10:00.001-05:00

2011-11-19T23:33:00.001-05:00

(sigh) . . . Nowhere to go out to tonight and nothing on television to stay home and watch. I amuse myself by watching YouTube videos of the acts that I saw at Bumbershoot last September.

Was life really that simple back then? Were days really that sunny, even in Seattle? Everything's impermanent, and these dark late autumn clouds too shall come to pass, and the stars might even realign themselves for me to return to Bumbershoot and MFNW someday. But meanwhile, back in the here and now, I've still got a warm house and high-speed internet access and cats to keep me company, and I can relive those glory days in the sun, basking in music, drinking Vitamin Water, and resting my bald head on luxuriant hotel pillows.

Friday Night Video

2011-11-18T18:02:00.000-05:00

I was able to see Yellow Ostrich twice during this year's Rocktober, once at the contemptible Masquerade and once at the redoubtable Earl, so it seems only appropriate to put the above up for this week's installment of Monday Night Videos. There's a lot I like about this video, including the way the multiple dancers appear at the same time as Alex Schaff starts over-layering his vocals, the expression on the dancer's face at the song's somewhat anticlimactic climax, and the multicolored finale. I hope that you enjoy it, too.

In a recent issue of The New Yorker, film critic Anthony Lance compared the experience of going to the cinema with the experience of video on demand, and expressed his preference for watching a performance on the theater's schedule and committing to stay with it, rather than clicking a video on at any convenient moment and turning it off and on as one's attention wanders. The communal participation in accordance with a fixed schedule and for the duration of the movie compels one to pay more attention and thereby enhances the experience, he argues.

I think this is part of what I enjoy about going out to see live music. A touring artist has scheduled a performance in your town months in advance, and you participate by aligning your schedule with theirs. On the appointed evening, you go to the venue and wait for the performance to start, sometimes longer than you anticipated. When the lights dim and the music begins, all attention is focused on the stage and sometimes bodies start to dance. Individuality melts away, and you become part of a larger whole, The Audience, and together with The Performer on the stage, you collectively collaborate in an experience unique to that evening. Your satisfaction is directly proportional to your involvement.

By the way, speaking of ostriches, did you know that their eye is bigger than their brain?

Guest Post

2011-11-17T17:55:00.001-05:00

In Quest of Zen Mind
By Janis Hashe

In a small, dimly lit room in the back of ClearSpring Yoga, a group of people sits cross-legged on black cushions, facing the wall. A faint smell of incense drifts in the air. At the sound of three gongs, each person makes a small bow and begins a session of zazen, the meditation period of Zen Buddhism.

Twenty-five hundred years ago, a young prince named Siddhartha Gautama, born in what is now Nepal, began asking himself, “Why does suffering exist?” His journey to find the answer to this question led to his awakening to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism: Suffering exists; attachment and delusion are the causes of suffering; suffering can be ended; the way to end suffering is through the Buddhist Middle Way.

Gautama began to teach and his followers began to call him “The Buddha”, or “One Who Has Awakened.”

But Buddhism is a nonthesistic religion, which means practitioners do not worship a god. The Buddha is considered a great teacher, but only one of an infinite number. In the centuries that followed his life, Buddhism spread across Asia and into many forms, of which Zen is one of the most popular in the US. There are believed to be 400 million Buddhists worldwide and around six million American Buddhists.

Zen teaches that “just sitting” in meditation is the most important way to access awakening. Meditators focus on their breath and on being present in the moment, something that carries over into everyday life.

At the end of the final zazen session, two gongs signal the group to stand up, face each other, make three bows, and then chant the Four Vows. “Beings are numberless, I vow to free them…” The silence that has been maintained is now broken by the group’s friendly interchanges. They will be back on the black cushions next week.

(reposted from the Chattanooga Pulse, November 17, 2011)

Interesting Times

2011-11-16T20:56:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, I wonder if seeing how one's own mind works is a curse or a blessing. I've been watching my own squirm while my life has been transforming into its next phase, whatever that might be, and while it would be easier, reassuring even, to blame the emotional roller coaster on which I find myself on external factors, it's clear to me that it's all just my own mind.

Earlier this week, for probably the first time since September, I started to feel somewhat in control of my own destiny. Last Friday, I had an interview with a potential employer that went fairly well, although there were other things still that have to be considered before a decision can be made one way or the other. I managed to bill a good number of hours on Monday to my up-to-then sole client (my former employer) and on Tuesday I picked up my second client, although he doesn't have any work for me right at this moment. On top of these relative successes, I did my zen thing Sunday up in Chattanooga and on Monday night in Atlanta, things with which I'm comfortable and familiar, so I was feeling relatively comfortable.

But today I encountered the void that was Wednesday and panic set in. The phone didn't ring, the email didn't ping, and the fat lady didn't sing (to stick with the rhyme scheme). I went down to the state agency to review some files, and ran into a professional nemesis - the person who had let me go from a firm at which I had worked five years ago - reminding me of failures of the past. Later, I went to a meeting of a professional association at which I was hoping to pass out some business cards and line up some new potential clients, but the turnout was much smaller than anticipated, consisting mostly of individuals from the firm with which I had interviewed on Friday, and others whom, for various reasons, I didn't want to announce my new, independent status.

Letting things unfold as they will means not clinging to goals of prosperity and renown, nor does it mean inviting failure and defeat. But accepting the possibility of success, seeing even the slightest glimpse of good fortune, can create desires that lead to clinging and ultimately to suffering.

So this is what life has in store for me right now. Everything is impermanent, even this sensation of impermanence, so my best advise for myself is to just ride it out as best as I can, and even attempt to enjoy the ride. The only thing that could make this any less pleasant than it needs to be is my own mind, and one advantage of the time off is having more opportunities for practice, more time to watch the mind at work and maybe even to keep it in reign.

2011-11-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

Long ago, Cho was one of seven Chinese countries during the Period of the Warring States, which lasted from 465 BC until China was unified by the Shin dynasty in 221 B.C.

There was once a person named Rin-Shojo in the country of Cho. Although he was of humble birth, because of his wisdom, he was taken into service by the King of Cho to administer the affairs of the country.Once, the King of Shin said that he would give the King of Cho fifteen cities in exchange for the Jade of Cho, and Shojo was dispatched to carry the jewel to Shin as envoy of the king, . At that time, the rest of the ministers conspired against him. “If such a precious gem is entrusted to a man of low birth like Shojo, it would look like there is no one capable in this country to whom it could be entrusted. It is shameful for us. We will be looked down upon by people of later generations. We should kill him while he is on his way and steal the jade.”

At the time, someone secretly told this to Shojo and advised him to decline the mission in order to save his life.Shojo said, “I dare not decline. It will be my pleasure for later generations to know that Shojo, envoy of the king, was killed by evil ministers while on his way to Shin with the jade. Even though I might be killed, my name as a wise man would remain.”So saying, he left for Shin. When the other ministers heard of his remark, they said, “We cannot kill a person like this” and gave up the plot.

Shojo eventually met the King of Shin and gave him the jade. However, he realized that the King of Shin was not an honest person and was not about to give the fifteen cities in exchange for it. So Shojo devised a plan and said, “There is a flaw in this jade. I’ll show you.” So saying, he took the jade back, and continued, “From your demeanor, your Majesty, you seem to begrudge the fifteen cities. If so, I will smash this jewel by hitting it against the bronze pillar!”Glowering at the king with angry eyes, he moved toward the bronze pillar as if he were really going to break the jade. The King of Shin said, “Please don’t break the jade! I’ll give you the fifteen cities. Keep the jade while I make the arrangements.” Afterward, Shojo had one of his men secretly take the jade back to his own country.

Later, the Kings of Cho and Shin met at a place named Menchi for a party. The King of Cho was a skillful lute player. When the King of Shin asked him to play something for his amusement and the King of Cho complied without consulting Shojo first, Shojo became angry because his king had obeyed an order of the deceitful King of Shin. He said, “The King of Shin shall play the flute for my amusement.”

He approached the King of Shin and asked, “Your Majesty, you are skilled at playing the flute. The King of Cho would appreciate listening to you very much. Please play.” The King of Shin refused, and one of his generals reached for his sword and rushed toward Shojo for his impudent request. Shojo glared furiously at the general who became frightened and retreated without drawing his sword. Finally, the King of Shin consented and played the flute.

Shojo eventually became the prime minister and administered the affairs of the country. One time, another minister envious of Shojo’s higher status tried to kill him. Shojo fled and hid himself here and there. Appearing to be afraid of the minister, Shojo purposely avoided any encounter with the minister even when he had to go to the court. One of Shojo’s retainers said, ”It is easy matter to have that minister killed. Why do you hide yourself in fear?”

Shojo said, “I’m not afraid of him. With my eyes I have defeated the general of Shin. I also took back the jade from the king himself. Of course I can kill the minister. However, raising an army and gathering troops should be for defending our country against our enemies. As its ministers, we are now in charge of protecting the country. If the two of us quarrel and fight with each other, one of us will die. Then, one half will be lost. If that happens, neighboring countries will take delight and attack us for sure. Therefore, I hope for the two of us to remain unharmed to protect our country together. This is why I don’t fight with him.”

Upon hearing this, the minister became ashamed of himself and called on Shojo to express his regret. The two of them then cooperated in the task of governing the country.

Zen Master Dogen commented on this story, saying, "Shojo forgot himself and carried out the Way. Now in maintaining the Buddha-Way, we should have the same attitude. It is better to die for the Way than to live without it."

2011-11-13T17:54:00.001-05:00

For extra added bonus points, my friend Nick came along and joined me on the ride up and back, as well as participated in his first zazen.

2011-11-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

"Sparklepony" (actually, Jenny Conlee of the hyper-literate rock band, The Decemberists) having a rough day on the IFC show, Portlandia. But real life can be crueler. Ms. Conlee later learned that she had breast cancer.

Reasons to be cheerful: it was recently announced that her cancer is now fully in remission.

A brave reminder of the impermanency of all things, and an inspiring vision of courage in the face of adversity. I wish Ms. Conlee continued good health, as well as all other sentient beings.

Friday Night Video

2011-11-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

Every little act is a part of the whole.

Transmogrification

2011-11-09T21:43:00.001-05:00

"Manifesting virtue does not mean having an abundance of material wealth, nor being proud of receiving large offerings." - Eihei Dogen (1200 -1253)

Dogen also said, "I have never heard that being rich and revered by ignorant people was a manifestation of the virtue of the Way. Since ancient times, all people with bodhi-mind have been poor, endured physical pain, wasted nothing, were compassionate, and led by the Way. These people have been called true practitioners."

As my life is transmogrifying, it is more and more apparent that my biggest obstacle to accepting poverty is pride. When I'm really honest about it, I can see that my fear of being poor is dwarfed by my fear of what people will say about me.

Bodai-Shin

2011-11-08T20:44:00.002-05:00

The term bodhi-mind comes from the Japanese bodai-shin, which in turn is shortened from the Sanskrit annutara-samyak-sambodhi-citta. In English, the former, bodhi-mind, refers to the mind that seeks enlightenment, and the latter, annutara-samyak-sambodhi-citta, is the mind of complete perfect enlightenment.

It is tempting to think that one term refers to a beginner, a mind that seeks for enlightenment, while the latter refers to an accomplished one who has achieved that enlightenment. From there, one can surmise that the original Sanskrit term meant one thing and that by the time it got passed from one language to another, from one tradition to the next, and arrived in Japan, it came to mean another.

That would not be correct. The enlightened mind, annutara-samyak-sambodhi-citta, is the mind that is aware, the mind that aspires to live in accordance with reality instead of being pulled around by egocentric desires which are contrary to it. The enlightened mind is the seeking mind, bodai-shin, and the seeking mind is the mind of complete perfect enlightenment. These are not two things, but one. Practice is not the path to enlightenment, practice is enlightenment itself. Being on the Path is the Way, not the completion of the Path (as if . . . ).

But back in the here and now, I would be remiss if I didn't note that today was my last day as an employee of my now former firm. I am as of this evening officially a lone contractor, with only a single client so far, which just so happens to be that former employer. Adapting the formless form of water, I'm transforming with this new role into the next stage of my existence.

2011-11-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

One day Dogen instructed,

There is an old saying, “Reflect three times before speaking.” This means that prior to saying or doing something, you should reflect on it three times. This ancient Confucianist wanted to say that after reflecting three times, if it is considered to be good each time, you should say or do it. When wise people in China say to reflect on things three times, they mean many times. Pondering before speaking, considering before acting; if it is good each time you think about the matter, you should speak or do it.

Zen monks also must be like this. Since there might be something wrong in what you think and what you say without knowing it, first reflect on whether it is in accordance with the Buddha-Way or not, and ponder over whether it is beneficial to yourself and others. If it is good, do it or say it. Practitioners, if you hold onto this attitude, you will never go against the will of the Buddha your entire lifetime.

When I first entered Kennin-ji, all the monks in the sangha protected their body, mouth, and mind from evil deeds, according to their capability, and firmly resolved not to say or do anything that was bad for the Buddha-Way or harmful to others. After Abbot Eisai passed away, while the influence of his virtue remained, the monks were like this. These days, there is no one who maintains such an attitude.

Students today, you must know this, if something is definitely beneficial to yourself and others, as well as to the Buddha-Way, you must forget your own egotistical self and say or do it. You should neither say nor do anything meaningless. When elder monks are talking or doing something, younger ones should not interrupt them. This is a regulation set down by the Buddha. Consider this well (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, Book 4, Chapter 10).

Kennin-ji Temple was founded by Myoan Eisai (1141—1215). Originally a Tendai priest, Eisai had visited China twice. On his second visit, he stayed for five years and studied Rinzai Zen, later introducing Rinzai to Japan. Dogen went to Kennin-ji when he was 18 years old and practiced Rinzai for seven years under Myozen, one of Eisai’s disciples, before leaving for China himself. After he came back from China, he stayed at Kennin-ji again for a few years. Dogen respected Eisai very much and in Zuimonki praised his deeds, although there is apparently some controversy among scholars as to whether Dogen actually met him or not.

In Book 1, Chapter 17 of Zuimonki, Dogen points out that "while Eisai, the Abbot of Kennin-ji Monastery, was alive, one never heard lewd or idle talk among the monks. Even after his death, while a few of his disciples were still at the monastery, people did not speak of such things. Lately, in the last seven or eight years, the young monks sometimes indulge themselves in such talk. This is really shameful."

In Book 3, Chapter 4, Dogen notes, "From the time I first entered Kennin-ji Monastery, over a period of seven or eight years I saw many changes gradually taking place. They had built storerooms in each temple building, each person having his own utensils. Many became fond of fine clothing, stored up personal possessions, and indulged in idle talk. No one cared about the forms of greeting one another nor about prostrating before the Buddha. Looking at these things, I can imagine what other places must be like."

Even in his own temple of Kosho-ji, Dogen noted, "There is an aged nun working for this temple. It seems that she is now ashamed of her humble situation, so she tends to talk to others about how she used to be a lady of the upper class. Even if people believe her, there is not any merit in it. It is entirely meaningless" (Book 4, Chapter 9).

The old Confucian saying, “Reflect three times before speaking” and speaking only if it is considered to be good each time, reminds me of Socrates' Triple Filter Test - namely, "Is it true? Is it good? Is it necessary?" Socrates (469 - 399 BC) was born soon after the life of Confucius (551- 479 BC). It is not known if Confucian teachings had ever reached ancient Athens, and there are those (not including your humble blogger) who contend that Socrates was a reincarnation of Confucius, who in turn might himself have been a reincarnation of Lao Tse.

One day an acquaintance said to Socrates, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re about to say. I call this the Triple Filter Test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man said. “Actually I just heard about it and…”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you’re about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. There’s one filter left, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really…”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

Water Dissolves Water

2011-11-06T23:48:00.000-05:00

"Of all the elements, the Sage should choose water as his teacher. Water is all victorious, Water evades all confrontations with a kind of deceptive modesty, but no power can prevent it from flowing its predestined course to the sea. Water conquers through humility; it never attacks but nevertheless wins the final battle. The Sage who makes himself like water is distinguished by his humility. He works through passivity, acts through non-action, and thus conquers the world." Tao-cheng, Nan Yao

Another word for a Zen monk is unsui, literally "water cloud." Taking clouds and water as a model for one's way of life, the Zen monk moves freely, coming and going aimlessly, the mind forming and changing in accordance with external circumstances and disappearing without reluctance. Like water in relation to its container, or a stream softly flowing without hesitation around every obstruction, the Zen monk is capable of fully adopting to any situation.

Clouds are not concerned whether they pass over mountains or forests, or over cities or monasteries. In the final analysis, it doesn't matter whether one considers oneself an urban monk or a mountain monk, a forest monk or a monastic. There is only the matter of action expressed as non-action.

The shape of the container of my livelihood is changing. It would be wise to emulate water and adopt the shape of the new container.

Urban Monk Blues

2011-11-05T23:10:00.000-04:00

I've categorized myself many times here as an "urban monk." Perhaps it's time to discuss what I mean by that.

A monk can generally be characterized as one who practices religious asceticism, either alone or with other monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. In Buddhism, one encounters descriptions of monks who reside in monasteries apart from society at large, as well as more reclusive mountain and forest monks. One monk sat alone in a cave facing the wall and another in a monastery of hundreds. One monk lived in a remote valley, drawing water from the stream with a ladle, and another was an abbot with dozens of students.

Some depended on charitable contributions and others survived by begging for alms. Some monasteries were more or less self supporting, with their own farms and labor force. Some mountain and forest monks survived by performing menial tasks, like chopping wood and carrying water. But whatever their means, mendicant or mercantile, they were all engaged in some form or another of commerce - in this interdependent world, no one survives without some form of assistance from others.

Here in the 21st Century, one can be as removed from the everyday world in the city as in the mountains or what's left of the forests. In fact, the sad truth is that in cities across the globe, a great many people are living in virtual anonymity. Not having chosen to be removed from society, they are still unseen and forgotten by the world at large, barely scraping by for survival. One can retreat from the world by moving far from the city, and one can disappear from the world right in the middle of the city.

My life has been in the latter category. I live alone. I am geographically removed from family. I consider my house to be a monastery for one, a refuge from the chaotic world. It provides shelter from the elements, it provides safety and security, it provides privacy from the world so that I can pursue my practice. It has a separate room dedicated to zazen, a library full of books on koans and sutras and commentaries on koans and sutras, and a kitchen in which food can be prepared for sustenance and strength.

I survive by selling my labor for wages, and my expertise born of many years of experience means that I can sell my labor for substantially more than the minimum wage. I live well, no where even remotely close to the 1% to be sure, but fabulously wealthy by the standards of many in the world. In addition to the monastery for one, I have a dependable automobile and don't have day-to-day financial worries, such as how I'm going to afford my next meal. This modest wealth has been my great blessing but it has also been a difficult obstacle in practice of the Way.

Zen Master Dogen encouraged his students to embrace poverty. "When we look at people in the secular world," he said, "men of property inevitably have two kinds of troubles; anger and dishonor. If they have some treasure, others wish to steal it, and when they try to protect it anger immediately arises. Or in talking about some matter, argument and negotiation eventually escalate to conflict and fighting. Proceeding in this way anger will arise and result in dishonor. Being poor and unselfish, releases people from these problems and they find peace."

"Proof is right in front of our eyes," he continued. "We don’t need to search for it in the scriptures. Not only that, ancient sages and wise predecessors criticized being wealthy, and heavenly deities, buddhas, and patriarchs have all denounced it. Nevertheless, foolish people accumulate wealth and bear so much anger; this is the shame of shames. Our wise predecessors, ancient sages, buddhas, and patriarchs have all been poor yet aspired to the Way."

One day a monk asked Dogen about what to be careful of in learning the Way. Dogen replied,“First of all, a person studying the Way should be thoroughly poor. If you possess great wealth, you will definitely lose aspiration.If a person learning the Way still clings to wealth, covets comfortable housing, and keeps company with relatives, despite having the aspiration he will confront many obstacles in learning the Way."

The proof is indeed right in front our eyes. My house is my monastery for one, but it comes with a mortgage and obligations and debt. And in this economic time of upside-down real-estate values and sluggish sales, I find myself unable to free myself from those obligations, unable to break free of the many demands and requirements of a materialist society. I am obligated to sell my labor on a full-time basis for the required wages, and able to take little time off to pursue other endeavors. When the opportunity presented itself to move to the Northwest, the house and associated financial obligations prevented me from doing so.

Such is life in samsara, I tell myself. Liberation from this situation is not necessarily found in running away from it, but in mindful recognition and acceptance of the predicament. Just breathe, and then get on with the chopping of wood and carrying of water. But just as I begin to convince myself that I'm neither attached to wealth and comfort nor grasping at a life beyond my reach, someone or something threatens to disrupt the flow of the required wages, and anger arises, as well as resentment and anxiety and irrational fears of homelessness, starvation, and medical neglect. It is then that I can see that Dogen was correct, to have wealth is to want to protect and preserve it, and anger arises when the protection and preservation are challenged.

To be sure, it's not a unique situation I find myself in. In fact, as a so-called urban monk, I don't have the additional pressures and responsibilities of most of my neighbors and peers - no wife and children to additionally feed and clothe, no setting aside of funds for future college tuition, no second or third (or more) cars. With so much less to lose and so fewer dependents, I can see that it's not really the loss of possessions that's so upsetting, it's wounded pride that's reacting so strongly, pride born of attachment to reputation. To be blunt, I'm not so anxious about losing my home or my job as I am about others knowing about the loss. It sounds silly when I say it, but that's probably why I choose not to be cognizant of it most of the time (which sounds even sillier when said).

The ancient Chinese Master Layman Pang was not a monastic, but lived in a house with his wife and at least one daughter. After entering the Way, he supposedly placed all but his most essential possessions in a boat and rowed it out into the middle of a lake, where he let it all sink to the bottom. Some criticized this move, saying he could have given it all to the poor and needy, but Pang replied that he could see how his possessions and his wealth had caused him so much suffering. "Why would I inflict that pain on others?," he asked.

A Few TED Lectures (and accompanying soundtrack!)

2011-11-04T19:24:00.001-04:00

Blues Control & Laraaji - Awakening Day by RVNG Intl.

And finally, for good measure, the tour of our old friends Blind Pilot has made it up to NYC, where they performed in the studio of WNYC.

My Impermanent Pictures

2011-11-03T22:51:00.001-04:00

Assuming that there's possibly anybody who even cares, I've finally completed the Sisyphean task of posting all of my Bumbershoot and Music Fest Northwest pictures from last September over at the live site. If I were a Tibetan Buddhist, I suppose that I would now take them all down to demonstrate impermence and to avoid attachment.

Since I'm a Zen Buddhist, I'll let impermanence take care of itself (nothing will be on-line forever) and free myself from attachment through shikantaza practice.

The Patriarch Nagarjuna, founder of the school that gave rise to Tibetan Buddhism, said in his commentary on the Maha-prajna-paramita sutra that the mind that solely sees the impermanence of this world of constant appearance and disappearance is called the bodhi-mind. In his commentary, Nagarjuna was referring to what he identified as the four bases of mindfulness, the third of which is contemplating one's own mind as constantly changing.

Zen Master Dogen was concerned not so much on the impermanence of the mind, but on the mind that sees the impermanence of all things, including the mind. He encouraged us to "think deeply in your heart of the impermanence of the world. It is not a matter of meditating using some provisional method of contemplation. It is not a matter of fabricating in our heads that which does not really exist. Impermanence is truly the reality right in front of our eyes. We need not wait for some teaching from others, some proof from some passage of scripture, or some principle. Born in the morning and dead in the evening, a person we saw yesterday is no longer here today —these are the facts we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. This is what we see and hear about others."

When we truly see impermanence, egocentricity falls away and desire for fame and for profit disappears. Such a state is what Nagarjuna meant by bodhi-mind.

So go look at my impermanent pictures before they all disappear.