The creation of the mask has been in process for about six months. For about 6 months prior, I had re-occurring thoughts about making a mask. Each time the presence flickered inside it called out a little more strongly.
Making a mask isn't just about carving into wood. I have spent more time feeling the wood, sleeping with the wood, and just being around it in order to feel the power that it is bringing into my life to work me from the inside out. This process has completely moved my life into a different direction. This mask isn't just about me. It is about you. It is about us. It is about finding new ways to approach our understanding of who we are and what this is. This simple initiation into my own life process has been major.
How can making a mask change your life?
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Immersion
From the first to the fourteenth of April I will be doing a personal spiritual intensive . This is a reflection of how I will be living my life on the road.
What does that mean?
It means I will be spending the average day as follows:
- Chanting Buddhist sutras
-The Heart Sutra
-Sandokai
- 3+ hours of Shikintaza - awareness practice
- 30-60 minutes calling in spirits
- 4+ hours of carving the mask.
- Communicating with potential communities along my route and continuing preparation for the trip.
- Studying Buddhist texts
I will be spending the first two days down at the Sokukoji Buddhist temple in Battle Creek, MI, practicing meditation and talking with my teacher. The rest will take place in my living quarters in Grand Rapids. Day to day life during my travels won't be quite like you see above. But there will be a lot of work involved. I am sure I will post more about that when the time comes.
Many of you may be familiar with the Heart Sutra. But the Sandokai is lesser known. It is a Soto Zen sutra that was written by Shitou Xiqian. It is a rather beautiful chant (posted below.)
Identity of Relative and Absolute
What does that mean?
It means I will be spending the average day as follows:
- Chanting Buddhist sutras
-The Heart Sutra
-Sandokai
- 3+ hours of Shikintaza - awareness practice
- 30-60 minutes calling in spirits
- 4+ hours of carving the mask.
- Communicating with potential communities along my route and continuing preparation for the trip.
- Studying Buddhist texts
I will be spending the first two days down at the Sokukoji Buddhist temple in Battle Creek, MI, practicing meditation and talking with my teacher. The rest will take place in my living quarters in Grand Rapids. Day to day life during my travels won't be quite like you see above. But there will be a lot of work involved. I am sure I will post more about that when the time comes.
Many of you may be familiar with the Heart Sutra. But the Sandokai is lesser known. It is a Soto Zen sutra that was written by Shitou Xiqian. It is a rather beautiful chant (posted below.)
Identity of Relative and Absolute
The mind of the Great Sage of India was intimately
conveyed from west to east.
Among human beings are wise ones and fools,
But in the Way there is no northern or southern Patriarch.
The subtle source is clear and bright; the tributary
streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion;
To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
Each and all, the subjective and objective spheres are related,
and at the same time, independent.
Related, yet working differently, though each keeps its own place.
Form makes the character and appearance different;
Sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort.
The dark makes all words one; the brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their nature as a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, wind moves, water is wet, earth hard.
Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes the salt and sour.
Each is independent of the other; cause and effect must return to the great reality
Like leaves that come from the same root.
The words high and low are used relatively.
Within light there is darkness, but do not try to understand that darkness;
Within darkness there is light, but do not look for that light.
Light and darkness are a pair, like the foot before
and the foot behind, in walking. Each thing has its own intrinsic value
and is related to everything else in function and position.
Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box ands its lid.
The absolute works together with the relative like two arrows meeting in mid-air.
Reading words you should grasp the great reality. Do not judge by any standards.
If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened:
Do not waste your time by night or day.
Cheers!
conveyed from west to east.
Among human beings are wise ones and fools,
But in the Way there is no northern or southern Patriarch.
The subtle source is clear and bright; the tributary
streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion;
To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
Each and all, the subjective and objective spheres are related,
and at the same time, independent.
Related, yet working differently, though each keeps its own place.
Form makes the character and appearance different;
Sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort.
The dark makes all words one; the brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their nature as a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, wind moves, water is wet, earth hard.
Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes the salt and sour.
Each is independent of the other; cause and effect must return to the great reality
Like leaves that come from the same root.
The words high and low are used relatively.
Within light there is darkness, but do not try to understand that darkness;
Within darkness there is light, but do not look for that light.
Light and darkness are a pair, like the foot before
and the foot behind, in walking. Each thing has its own intrinsic value
and is related to everything else in function and position.
Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box ands its lid.
The absolute works together with the relative like two arrows meeting in mid-air.
Reading words you should grasp the great reality. Do not judge by any standards.
If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened:
Do not waste your time by night or day.
Cheers!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Pictures
For those of you waiting to see pictures...It appears that after taking a bunch of pictures my memory card went out on me and I lost all of them. So I don't think I will have any up here for awhile.
There will be more soon about the continuing process of making the mask though. Stay tuned!
There will be more soon about the continuing process of making the mask though. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tradition
Where does this practice come from? What tradition?
This point is probably going to be a long one. Not to mention very heady. :)
A lot of people have a faint familiarity with shamanic practice through loosely formed ideas about Native American practice. So that is a good starting point for helping people to understand where I am coming from. However, I want to take you into confusion to help understand just what is going on within the world of shamanism, and spirituality as a whole, and it's ongoing evolution in this country.
I have been involved in Lakota and Toltec practices for a number of years, and my first immersion of shamanic knowledge during this lifetime came with the use of plant medicines several years prior. Eventually, I found my way to the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. The former practices are based on a traditional cultural lineage, whereas the latter has a more modern approach. This approach is basically this: Let's lay out as many shamanic traditions as we can on the table and look at their practices and insights. Then, let's assimilate those that persist throughout the world into a structure that reduces as many cultural differences as possible. This way, a bridge can be made for the discussion of inter-spiritual and cultural dialogue that has more understanding.
Seeing the contrast between these two approaches has intensified my understanding of how people relate to truth in this life immeasurably. I have a tremendous amount of respect for many traditions and the way in which they bring people together and cultivate wholesome qualities such as respect, generosity, humility, wisdom, etc. At the same time, I have been given the opportunity to stand on my own two feet. One of the many products you see with this explorative approach is going on right before your eyes.
When talking about this work from a conceptual point of view, the terms ordinary reality and non-ordinary reality are sometimes used. This is a very limited schema, albeit helpful to gain a basic understanding for people newly introduced to the practice (one that I often stick with.) This is using a very straightforward logic that we are accustomed to in this country. At some point, when working with spiritual realities, a different type of logic begins to take place.
The wild and wacky world of Transcendental logic! With this logic, you inevitably end up with contradiction all over the place. This contradiction does not mean that what is being talked about is not valid. Rather the way in which you think, see, and relate with reality and communicate that understanding begins to change. You take in a wider perspective. You begin to understand that this reality that we are in is not the only one taking place. By this, I do not mean that there are aliens in some spaceship on some planet out there. Rather, I mean beings exist in entirely different dimensions altogether. Related to but separate from ours. It is completely chaotic to the rational mind. The reality of it? Completely seamless...harmonious. These realities all working with and complimenting each other. It can be terrifying at first, beginning to understand that the phenomenal realities extend indefinitely, touched by emptiness at every point. But they exist right here in this moment, as they always have and always will. The question then becomes...How do you relate with this existence?
Shaman is a Siberian term that is given to a type of practice that involves working with the spirit world. This term is used in a general manner and really covers a lot of ground. At this point however, I am not aware of what an English version of this word would be. Or if we even have one. Most cultures have several different names to describe the different ways in which people work with the spirit worlds.
If shamanism is considered only as a body of basic techniques to help get you accustomed to entering into other realities, then I believe this can be the beginning of a wonderfully rich practice that can help you understand who you are.
So where does this practice come from? There is a tradition to be sure. But it may not be your commonly accepted idea of what tradition is. I have spent my life learning from many, many different teachers from all backgrounds. I never focused on what tradition they were from. Instead, I focused on whether or not I am being driven to learn from them as a student.
There is a story in Buddhism about a man who is shot with an arrow. Before he would let anyone take out the arrow, he wanted to know who shot him, from where, with what bow, what kind of arrow, etc. Before he could get his answers he died.
It is fun and enriching to try to cultivate the mind with this work. But please, don't let the arrow rest in your body until you are satisfied with answering all of your questions. Ultimately that is trying to find a reference point to feel comfortable. You will walk away long before you experience any benefit from practice. This work often can and will feel uncomfortable. Freedom is an absence of warfare.
With that, I can introduce the beginning of a new practice. Non-dual mask work.
This point is probably going to be a long one. Not to mention very heady. :)
A lot of people have a faint familiarity with shamanic practice through loosely formed ideas about Native American practice. So that is a good starting point for helping people to understand where I am coming from. However, I want to take you into confusion to help understand just what is going on within the world of shamanism, and spirituality as a whole, and it's ongoing evolution in this country.
I have been involved in Lakota and Toltec practices for a number of years, and my first immersion of shamanic knowledge during this lifetime came with the use of plant medicines several years prior. Eventually, I found my way to the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. The former practices are based on a traditional cultural lineage, whereas the latter has a more modern approach. This approach is basically this: Let's lay out as many shamanic traditions as we can on the table and look at their practices and insights. Then, let's assimilate those that persist throughout the world into a structure that reduces as many cultural differences as possible. This way, a bridge can be made for the discussion of inter-spiritual and cultural dialogue that has more understanding.
Seeing the contrast between these two approaches has intensified my understanding of how people relate to truth in this life immeasurably. I have a tremendous amount of respect for many traditions and the way in which they bring people together and cultivate wholesome qualities such as respect, generosity, humility, wisdom, etc. At the same time, I have been given the opportunity to stand on my own two feet. One of the many products you see with this explorative approach is going on right before your eyes.
When talking about this work from a conceptual point of view, the terms ordinary reality and non-ordinary reality are sometimes used. This is a very limited schema, albeit helpful to gain a basic understanding for people newly introduced to the practice (one that I often stick with.) This is using a very straightforward logic that we are accustomed to in this country. At some point, when working with spiritual realities, a different type of logic begins to take place.
The wild and wacky world of Transcendental logic! With this logic, you inevitably end up with contradiction all over the place. This contradiction does not mean that what is being talked about is not valid. Rather the way in which you think, see, and relate with reality and communicate that understanding begins to change. You take in a wider perspective. You begin to understand that this reality that we are in is not the only one taking place. By this, I do not mean that there are aliens in some spaceship on some planet out there. Rather, I mean beings exist in entirely different dimensions altogether. Related to but separate from ours. It is completely chaotic to the rational mind. The reality of it? Completely seamless...harmonious. These realities all working with and complimenting each other. It can be terrifying at first, beginning to understand that the phenomenal realities extend indefinitely, touched by emptiness at every point. But they exist right here in this moment, as they always have and always will. The question then becomes...How do you relate with this existence?
Shaman is a Siberian term that is given to a type of practice that involves working with the spirit world. This term is used in a general manner and really covers a lot of ground. At this point however, I am not aware of what an English version of this word would be. Or if we even have one. Most cultures have several different names to describe the different ways in which people work with the spirit worlds.
If shamanism is considered only as a body of basic techniques to help get you accustomed to entering into other realities, then I believe this can be the beginning of a wonderfully rich practice that can help you understand who you are.
So where does this practice come from? There is a tradition to be sure. But it may not be your commonly accepted idea of what tradition is. I have spent my life learning from many, many different teachers from all backgrounds. I never focused on what tradition they were from. Instead, I focused on whether or not I am being driven to learn from them as a student.
There is a story in Buddhism about a man who is shot with an arrow. Before he would let anyone take out the arrow, he wanted to know who shot him, from where, with what bow, what kind of arrow, etc. Before he could get his answers he died.
It is fun and enriching to try to cultivate the mind with this work. But please, don't let the arrow rest in your body until you are satisfied with answering all of your questions. Ultimately that is trying to find a reference point to feel comfortable. You will walk away long before you experience any benefit from practice. This work often can and will feel uncomfortable. Freedom is an absence of warfare.
With that, I can introduce the beginning of a new practice. Non-dual mask work.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Inner light
Lately, I have been asked by a lot of people about the mask and the ceremony. Most questions center around a central theme. What is it exactly? This question is extremely easy to answer for myself. However, explaining it to others is something that I struggle with at times. It may be easier to help people understand through my own experiences first and what I get from this work.
My life is all about one thing. To end suffering in the contemplative or spiritual sense. Life to me is about transcendence. So this mask work for me is exactly that. The cultivation of wisdom that extends beyond words, but excludes nothing. The more that I carve into this mask the more I am beginning to realize that my practice isn't just mine anymore. I can't be secretive about who I am or the way I approach life. This is something that is extremely difficult for me. But my desire to help people in life is stronger than my fear.
Working with the mask is a way for me to bring my practice out to people, to show them not only my practice, but to create a space in which people can deepen their path. People come to ceremony with different things to put on the table. When you want to know what this practice is about, it may be easier to start the questions from elsewhere. Where are you in life? What do you need to work with?
I call this blog the Travelin' Man. Originally the intent for the name was that I am going to be traveling around the country. However, I think it is beginning to take on a different sense. This mask is a completely new journey for me. The end of one life and the beginning of another. I have been preparing for this work all my life. I am a travelin' man because I am on a journey to express the inner light of my life.
I hope that this approach helps to shine a little more light on what this work is all about. This is a process for me, just as it will be for you. I may not have all the answers to your questions, but I do understand what many of your are asking. I hope that the answers to your questions will come through ceremony.
Thank you
Pictures coming soon!
My life is all about one thing. To end suffering in the contemplative or spiritual sense. Life to me is about transcendence. So this mask work for me is exactly that. The cultivation of wisdom that extends beyond words, but excludes nothing. The more that I carve into this mask the more I am beginning to realize that my practice isn't just mine anymore. I can't be secretive about who I am or the way I approach life. This is something that is extremely difficult for me. But my desire to help people in life is stronger than my fear.
Working with the mask is a way for me to bring my practice out to people, to show them not only my practice, but to create a space in which people can deepen their path. People come to ceremony with different things to put on the table. When you want to know what this practice is about, it may be easier to start the questions from elsewhere. Where are you in life? What do you need to work with?
I call this blog the Travelin' Man. Originally the intent for the name was that I am going to be traveling around the country. However, I think it is beginning to take on a different sense. This mask is a completely new journey for me. The end of one life and the beginning of another. I have been preparing for this work all my life. I am a travelin' man because I am on a journey to express the inner light of my life.
I hope that this approach helps to shine a little more light on what this work is all about. This is a process for me, just as it will be for you. I may not have all the answers to your questions, but I do understand what many of your are asking. I hope that the answers to your questions will come through ceremony.
Thank you
Pictures coming soon!
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