monkey see, monkey do serves as a personal blog and creative outlet for
david evans.
more specific outlets are linked as tabs above.
unpacking is taking so much longer than packing. i’m sure this is because i’m still in the mode of asking the question for each item, “do i really need this?”. then on top of that, i’m asking, “i wonder where the best place would be for this…”
but in spite of that obsessive review, a few rooms are livable and by this weekend i should have the place presentable. it would be nice to not be embarrassed to have anyone over for tea. shoot, i need a tea pot too.
saw the film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring recently; portraying a small korean zen temple in the mountains and the monks that live there. each season is depicted about eleven years apart. i think the movie attempted to get across the wheel of life or cycle of karma in a vivid way. starting with a young monk as a boy under the wings of a master teacher, we watch the boy struggle with the major problems life can present from attachment and ignorance and then ultimately only find devotion and self mastery after directly relating to the suffering that results. beautifully crafted and designed, with a touch of the mystical, the film is gentle and pristine at times yet shocking and piercing in spots.
“Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have so we might as well work with it rather than struggling against it. We might as well make it our friend and teacher rather than our enemy.”
- Pema Chodron
as part of my bodhisattva class, i’ve been spending more time digging into the meaning to me personally of these teachings. compassion is a really interesting one. what i used to think of as compassion was more often pity (idiot compassion). there would be some heart connection with the other person or situation, but i would introduce other baggage onto it. like it would reaffirm my separateness from the other person or their condition with pity or compared to how i feel. Read more »
open house went well for the silicon valley meditation group. everyone there seems ok with the one remaining rental space as our new center; i’ll finish up negotiations this week and see if we can have a lease in hand this time next week. it would be beneficial to have a center setup and decorated before we host a Pema video class in september in a nearby bookstore - so people attending that can immediately go over and get familiar with the space. if we have to tell them that the center is ‘coming soon’ we won’t have the same connection i bet.
wow, with all the press about violence in this country and handguns and the lot you’d think that the US is pretty dangerous. but after looking at comparison data per capita for mortality from assault, the US is well below the average in the world for violence. this data is collected for the world health organization apparently.
greetings from mountain view, the location of my new abode. i’m living on a pile of boxes still, but yesterday’s move down from the city was really painless thanks to the shamrock moving company. everything arrived unmolested. i only had the energy to unpack my kitchen and bathroom items, but tonight and this weekend hopefully will get the rest squared away.
much gratitude to my parents, who donated some of their old furniture so i would have a place to sit. before becoming a gypsy last year i sold or donated most of my furniture - keeping only my favorite pieces in storage.
wow, after no more than three hours of packing (though with the help of gracious kurtis and wanda) I’m mostly done already. all the effort i put into reducing my unnecessary materialism has really paid off. i need to pack clothes next and disassemble my desk but then i’m basically ready for movers to come on wednesday.
went to the summer solstice celebration last night that my dance fanatic friends throw each summer at this time. at first i didn’t really want to be there, but i volunteered as the 8 pm to midnight first aid person, and with 550 people there i thought some need could actually arise. wonderfully everyone was fine.
i’m glad i went in spite of my grumpiness, being around so many people filled with so much joy was really a blessing. it’s shocking actually how much fun everyone was having, compared to my usual experience of a large group. if one were to contrast this crowd to say 550 people at a professional conference. so much happiness and joy all concentrated in one spot. i found myself practicing tonglen a lot, but the kind where you send out the good things you’re experiencing and wish the whole world would have this too.
i stayed later that i originally planned, because i kept getting pulled back onto the dance floor by some funky song. damn you you fabulous DJ’s. so this morning i’m dragging. but i’m really glad i went.
today my intention is to continue work on the northern california shambhala web site and to pack for my move; on wednesday movers come to relocate me from my cute spot in san francisco down to mountain view near work. my foray into urban living was grande, but as i help restart the silicon valley shambhala center it will help tremendously to both spend less time commuting and to be closer to our new center.
extra sleep was the key. whenever i ran around and pushed myself, i’d get tired quickly. i’m sure that was the cold i was fighting. but getting to bed early each night helped tremendously.