meditation journal: why keep one?

[bayamo]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

thanks alan for your reply.. i read in "awakening the buddha within" that tom hanks said on oprah that he kept a journal during his back to back oscar runs just to keep himself steady and balanced.. i think i will try what you do and see where it leads..
thanks and gassho

[Jundo]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

I just want to make clear that I believe journaling, and any writing, about this practice and all of life can be a wonderful, insightful way. Insight, and making the Buddha's teachings our own, involves a great deal of self-reflection, and that can be on paper.

I merely meant that I did not think it fruitful to analyze and categorize the content of each sitting in a "what happened during today's sitting" format. We experience sitting, just let sitting experience just sitting ... drop thoughts and analysis in sitting ... and, thus, do not bring too many thoughts and analysis into "analyzing dropping thoughts and analysis!" :shock:

Anyway, I think ya get my point.

Gassho, J

[AlanLa]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

Steady and balanced, yes. My journal is kind of like the long pole that tightrope walkers use to stay steady and balanced, but I use it in the "tightrope of life." Sometimes when I get way off center it helps me regain my balance, and other times when things are going smoothly I am just carrying it around just in case.

[Manatee]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

The nice thing about journaling, as you alluded to AlanLa, is that you can be totally honest, and you know your own language. Even as you're explaining things to yourself, you know "what you mean" more than anyone else would. So the truth "behind the words" can sometimes be a little more present in journals. There's no goal, and no one's looking over your shoulder.

If you're a bit too much of a word-fixated person like me, it can be a great, goalless way to "get the words out" without being attached to them or trying to form any point or narrative.

A fun thing to do, I think, would be to free write a journal entry, fairly lengthy, and then do a bit of a Burroughs cut up on it, cutting words and phrases apart and rearranging them willy-nilly. See what pops up. Mad Libs. Haha. Meditating on the wordlessness of words. Words not on a linear road, but forming negative space around nothing.

I think I might try this today. Maybe I will take this post and rearrange it.

By the way, I think it would be fun to have Buddhist Mad Libs. The whole point of Mad Libs is to give us a chuckle. Words are endearing because they are so dear to me, but totally worthless sometimes.

Mandy

[bayamo]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

i always carry a datebook type claendar, to jot appointments, test dates, dates stuff is due, etc, and at times i would jot odds and ends about the day.. i am seriously considering keeping a second one more like what has been suggested here.. thanks for all the tips, notes, observations..
gassho

[chicanobudista]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

...and don't worry if you stop writing a journal or begin again or not even start one.

Zazen is zazen.

...and .....after all, everyday we write a book. :wink:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16k83 ... -the_music

:mrgreen:

[Fran]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

I don't currently keep a journal of any kind, but I'm considering starting a personal journal.

Although this book is about writing in general, this thread reminded me of Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down The Bones". She studied with Dainin Katagiri for some years, and I really enjoyed her Zen influenced book on writing.

Fran

[Manatee]

Re: meditation journal: why keep one?

Alluding to journaling a thing? An Alanla that's over you, and that's behind knowing. Language is explaining things more than yourself, in present journals. Goal's also there out of words and them. To not attach point a narrative? Too fun to the thing-- I think?

:P

mandy