I found Katie Arnold’s book “Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World,” not knowing that she lives in Santa Fe. I found her book not knowing that her two favorite books are my two favorite books; The Snow Leopard and The Solace of Open Spaces. (For years I bought copies in sets of ten, kept them in my truck and handed them out to people I found cool or interesting.) I found her book not knowing we run the same mountain trails. (Atalaya, Baldy, Sun + Moon) I found her book not knowing she was inspired to hike to Everest after seeing an article in a 1996 Life Magazine, the same issue my photographs were published in.(National Senior Olympics) I found her book not knowing she ran the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the same river my parents ran in the middle 1970s. I found her book not knowing her husband and I fish the same rivers. (Never giving up the coordinates.)
I know nothing about Zen.
But based on how Arnold describes the practice, and her interaction with the Santa Fe Zen Center, I realized I have been living a Zen life for all my life. Who knew? Running as meditation. Mountains flow like water. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. Everything is the same and everything is connected. Struggle is life. Yep, that’s me. Perhaps I now have a reason for my aversion to all things social media and popularity content. (I have never been in danger of being popular.) My aversion is to small talk. My aversion is to fake and phony. I have no answers, but perhaps that is the answer.
Arnold is a runner. She won Leadville. In photography terms, that’s the World Press Photo, Pulitzer, and Pictures of the Year rolled into one. I can’t even imagine. Thankfully, I had five years of Lyme Disease which made it crystal clear my damaged joints would never suffer such abuse. I don’t even need to watch. She suffers a serious injury while rafting and needs to heal, overcome and proceed. During the detailing of this process, she reveals the sometimes painful details of her private life, her uncertainty of life’s challenges, and her anxiety of forces both seen and unseen. She also details a lovely writing style.
Zen comes and goes. And then it comes and sticks when she realizes that running is Zen, or Zen is running, or something like that. (To each his/her/they own.) Whatever the takeaway, it’s all good. I loved this book. I know I’m heaping praise, not something I’m prone to do, but at times I felt like writing to local friends to ask them if they knew about this book. I felt a little like Gretel was here, or Terry Tempest Williams.
All my best ideas come when I’m running or riding. When I’m suffering. This is difficult to explain to folks who don’t run or ride. When in the depths of this misery you are there but kinda not there. A middle kingdom of free flowing thought. And you don’t need Leadville. You can find this running to Baskin Robbins. (Or better yet the Paleta Bar.)It just happens, if you allow it to. And once you’ve felt it, well, it’s all over for you because you want to feel it again. This book leaves the next step with the reader. What will you takeaway? What will you see the next time for the first time?
Comments 9
What else would be on Dan’s book recommendation list? I’m looking for new stuff to read.
There’s lots on this page! Just go to the top right of the page, click on the three little lines and a search bar will appear. Search for ‘read’ and you’ll find dozens of books.
I read the Solace of Open Spaces and then I read the Peter Matthiesson – both on your recommendation and both wonderful. (Been a TM meditator for ten years now!) My copy of Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World is now whizzing its way to Healdsburg. Can’t wait. Thanks, Dan!
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Three books well worth the time. In my opinion. The TM “thing” and the Zen “thing” are so interesting.
Another great book is “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”
by SHUNRYU SUZUKI
PROLOGUE
BEGINNER’S MIND
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”
People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross-legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense. The Zen school developed in many ways after it was established in China, but at the same time, it became more and more impure. But I do not want to talk about Chinese Zen or the history of Zen. I am interested in helping you keep your practice from becoming impure.
In Japan we have the phrase shoshin, which means “beginner’s mind.” The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner’s mind. Suppose you recite the Prajna Paramita Sutra only once. It might be a very good recitation. But what would happen to you if you recited it twice, three times, four times, or more? You might easily lose your original attitude towards it. The same thing will happen in your other Zen practices. For a while you will keep your beginner’s mind, but if you continue to practice one, two, three years or more, although you may improve some, you are liable to lose the limitless meaning of original mind.
For Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic. Our “original mind” includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.
If you discriminate too much, you limit yourself. If you are too demanding or too greedy, your mind is not rich and self-sufficient. If we lose our original self-sufficient mind, we will lose all precepts. When your mind becomes demanding, when you long for something, you will end up violating your own precepts: not to tell lies, not to steal, not to kill, not to be immoral, and so forth. If you keep your original mind, the precepts will keep themselves.
In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, “I have attained something.” All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner’s mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. Then we are always true to ourselves, in sympathy with all beings, and can actually practice.
So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner’s mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, “I know what Zen is,” or “I have attained enlightenment.” This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Be very very careful about this point. If you start to practice zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner’s mind. It is the secret of Zen practice.
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Yes, I used to have this book. No idea where it is….not very Zen.
Danielsan,
“I have no answers, but perhaps that is the answer.” I love the Milnor perspective.
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chop wood, carry water.
Interesting…………