Reflections: Dreaming about Zazen

Last night I startled myself awake from a dream in which I was sitting. The whole dream was a little strange.

To my consternation, at the end of a round of kinhin, I couldn't find my zafu and zabuton. I remember looking around and feeling a little lost. At which point Hojo-san somehow indicated that he wanted me to get a light from upstairs.

The dream took place at Sanshin during sesshin. Maybe it indicates increasing prosperity for Sanshin, because instead of the usual number of attendees, the place was full of people zazening on all three floors of the building.

Anyhow....

I went to the top floor and grabbed the only extra light I knew about. It was on a tripod and made a lot of noise which I found embarrassing as I lugged it downstairs. But when I arrived, my zafu and zabuton had magically reappeared. I sat for awhile and then woke up.

I think I better register for the next Genzo-e.

Besides that I find myself wondering if anyone else has ever dreamt that they were sitting.

Reflections: SkullCandy and Nothing to Attain

Yesterday I managed to pick up a new pair of earbuds to replace the ones which were pushing static on one side. I listen to a lot of music as well as podcasts as I walk to and from work and wherever else I happen to be going. They're actually pretty helpful keeping the wind out of my ears as I walk in this cold weather.

Unfortunately I also managed to loose my fav pair of reading glasses. They were pretty cool, but not so cool as to make me stand out as someone trying to look cool. I'm pretty bummed to tell the truth. They're $200/pair!!!  Though the expense seems justified because I use them all the time, like shoes or boots. Unfortunately the store isn't around here either..

It's weird how easy it is to get attached to, sentimental about, this seemingly small scale stuff when we actually know we have the essentials to survive. It's also weird how hard it can be to apply logic sometimes. When we get attached to these things could it be because we don't yet have that over the rainbow something?

For today I'm going to be patient and hope for the best — that the glasses turn up, but I kind of doubt it since they haven't already. My sitting this morning included speculation that, mindlessly, they fell out of my coat pocket while I was walking. Things are impermanant. It was bound to happen sometime. Shikanstupid.

In the meantime, I'm making do. I'm wearing a pair of outrageously cool (but somewhat geekier?) reading glasses — problematic because it takes more effort to coordinate the uncoordinated look if you know what I mean...

And that is making me long for a simpler life sort of like Antaiji (sort of, because yeah life there was hard, physically, but also in terms of peer pressure, like with smoking) where I was uncoordinated in attire with no effort at all!  A life with nothing to attain.