Googlerts bring me nice things.
Like I said yesterday, I get about a bizillion Googlerts every day. A lot of them are crap, some of them are interesting, and a very few gems sparkle and inspire me to act. Yesterday’s was like that, of course, and one from last summer:
Luminous Clarity…: A Zen Teacher Who Curses, Plays Punk Rock …
By L. Espenmiller
It was a section about work and right livihood in a way I’ve never heard any yoga teacher, Buddhist teacher, or new age or goddess teacher or astrologer talk about jobs. Here was a guy - a zen teacher who is my age - talking about how … And this Brad Warner guy plays in a punk rock band from Akron, Ohio. And he loves Godzilla movies. And he curses up a storm. Uses the word fuck and bullshit… a lot. Two of my favorite curse words. He uses some other descriptives that …
Luminous Clarity… - http://luminousclarity.blogspot.com/2009/06/zen-teacher-who-curses-plays-punk-rock.html
So this reminded me of Noah Levine, and I just had to write and tell the blogger about him. But I got to reading her posts, and was overwhelmed with calm. With clarity. And inspired to sit and meditate, which I’d done last about 8 months prior at a meditation retreat led by Mr. Levine.
That kind of laziness is something I beat myself up for all the time. Wishing to find time to sit zazen, to just stretch, to actually actively practice yoga, to read for leisure… and then not doing it. Another year passes, didn’t do it.
But I reached out to Ms. Espenmiller about her blog and how lovely it is. And the reaching out led to Ms. Espenmiller giving yours truly a shout-out from HER blog, which is nice and validating all the way around. And, for someone whose whole premise is to give people permission to be themselves, human with all our shortcomings in a community of idealized zealotry, but who’s often mistaken for a narcissistic exclusionary asshole, the Luminous Clarity author’s words were wonderfully welcome.
And then this narcissistic asshole neglected to post a blog about Luminous Clarity. And the cycle continues. And oh yeah, I’m human.
So let this be a new world order. Let us reach out and give each other permission to Be. Ourselves. Here Now. Whatever. Won’t it be nicer? And for me: I vow to share the love, and not just keep it for myself, because there’s plenty to go around.
That’s what my momma taught me, anyway.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Hey Erin, thanks for this post and the references to my blog. It’s cool to read the effect of my writing reflected back to me. It makes me quite happy to know that reading my posts had a calming effect on you, that you were inspired to meditate! Deep bow to you, comrade in peace & love & kindness & acceptance.
A a writer I wonder if the words I weave and put out into the world ever connect with anyone, if they inspire or motivate, or move or cause some type of beauty to be created. Like the clarity you experienced.
And hey - go easy on yourself. It’s not that you neglected to write about Luminous Clarity. It’s just that the real impetus to do so didn’t ignite within you until Feb. 5, 2010 at 10:52 p.m.
peace.