The Force is with us all (whether you like it or not)

My sister burned 3 cds for me last weekend, after watching my son for the weekend while I attended a wedding with my wife in New York City.  It is narrated by Peter Coyote, and it's called Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.  It's pretty brilliant.  I got what I needed out of it in the first 10 minutes of the cd, which was all about posture.  By adopting the postures necessary for Zazen, I have eliminated virtually all of the stress that has settled in my abdomen.  I'm not kidding.  And this was immediate, seconds after listening to this segment of the book.  I now stand (and sit) like a Buddhist monk throughout my day.  People look at me funny.  But I don't care.  Look, I'm not a Zen master (I'm 3/4 of the way through a really nice bottle of a 2011 Clos Du Bois Pinot Noir, 10:30 pm on a Thursday night).  I have no idea what it even means to be a Zen master, especially after my day at work today, when I read the riot act to three individuals, two of which were my direct reports, in the span of fifteen minutes.  I maintained a professional approach, but there was a lot of fire, and little Zen.  But if I were to have a gander at it, at what I believe is Zen mastery, I think it's Yoda.  And if I'm right, that would be my goal.  Which goes against many of the tenets of Zen Buddhism.  Which is why I'm not a Zen master.  But if I could be one, I would wield a lightsaber like Yoda.  It's my own dream.  I'm probably not the first to aspire to such heights.  But if nobody has started a practice which encompasses the Yoda way to Zen mastery, let me be the first.  Because to kick some ass once in a while falls within the practice of Buddhism, since there is no right, and there is no wrong.  There is only transience, and we are all transient beings, whether we like it or not (more on transience later).  But if you listen to the audiobook, we are virtually all Zen Buddhists.  We all have Buddha within us.  We start with the idea of enlightenment, and work our way back to practice.  Practice, practice, practice.  That is Buddhism.  I am the lowest horse, the one who doesn't move until the whip has penetrated my skin.  That is my state right now.  I am on my third week of consistent 10-25 minute meditations every morning.  And I am devouring this stuff.  Read it, or listen to it.  I'm on my second go-around.  It's excellent.  Here's the link on Amazon: 

 http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners/dp/B0000544OP. 

Duality is a prevalent theme in the book.  Here is a Star Wars fan's version of duality, for you Star Wars fans out there (or even if you're not; you'll probably understand it better).  I'm working on grasping this concept.  Watch it, and see if you can figure it out.  I couldn't, and still can't.  But I love lightsaber duels.  So I don't care.  Here is the link.  

http://www.galactic-voyage.com/images/Fan%20Movies/duality_640x272_sv3.mov. 

So, transience.  I love this word, and I love how it applies to Buddha nature.  I stole the quote that we are all transients from Star Wars as well, Qui-Gon Jinn, specifically.  He was attempting to teach this concept to Anakin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader. Vader didn't quite get it.  He turned to the dark side (not that there is anything wrong with that, since there is no right or wrong in Buddhism.  It just is).  Obi-Wan Kenobi attempted to train young Darth after Qui-Gonn was killed by a Sith Lord from the dark side.  But he failed as well.  Or succeeded at helping Anakin on to a new career outside of Jedi knighthood.  Nobody can deny Darth Vader's success at ruling the galaxy.  And at the end of the day, we all have to take responsibility for our behaviors, our reactions, our lives.  I relate more to Obi-Wan than anyone else.  He was Zen-like in much of his behavior, but he had a temper, too (an example here, after his mentor Qui-Gon Jinn was impaled by the Sith lord.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4l39Lo194

 He is the one without the horns; skip to 3:37 of the clip to view the duel between them.  But the entire piece is kick-ass, especially the pony-tailed Qui-Gon Jinn's meditation before his inevitable death).  Obi-Wan was vulnerable, and I liked that.  We are all vulnerable, and we are in a constant state of transience.   Life flows from one state of affairs to another and another.  That is transience.  That is perpetual change.  And the sooner we accept that life is change, that it is transience, the better off we will be.  I am working on that adaptation, every minute of every day.  Are you working on change?  Have you accepted that it is inevitable, and that it is a undeniable part of our existence?  Are you accepting of the fact that a transient life is a life without good or bad, as the next steps toward enlightenment?  How are you adapting?  Be Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Darth Vader.  It doesn't matter.  Just be adaptable to inevitable change, and embrace it.  And maybe you can have your own vehicle, with Chewbacca as your co-pilot, capable of traveling at light speed to any corner of our galaxy...