To cut through the mind’s clinging, it is important to understand that all appearances are void, like the appearance of water in a mirage. Beautiful forms are of no benefit to the mind, nor can ugly forms harm it in any way.
– Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, “Teachings on the Nature of Mind and Practice”
March 28, 1997 – “Waiting is … Grocking in Fullness” Today we begin the long wait for the results of the induction chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Frankly, I am quite pleased with the results so far, and I am thankful for possibly adequate time to build up my immune system …
One could spend years alone in a cave without really letting go of anything. The question is how best to attain the inner solitude that will bring lasting happiness.
– Pema Chodron, “Cutting Ties: The Fruits of Solitude”
Today’s treatment was the most difficult for me of all. I was tired from the very beginning and thank God I had good tapes to listen to drown out the ambient noise in the room. A. M. and R. M. came to visit me at the oncology center, and they brought cheerfulness and smart conver …
“Plants are attuned to one another’s strengths and weaknesses, elegantly giving and taking to attain exquisite balance. A balance that can also be obtained in the simple beauty of a garden. In the complex society of ants. There is grace in complexity in actions cohering, in sum totals. We can find this in ourselves, in what we do alone, but also in what we enact together. Our own roots and systems interlace and tangle, grow into and away from other and back again in a million subtle movements.”
March 26, 1997 – Bagel and Lox Cream Cheese Spread My mother would have been 81 today had she not died of an osteosarcoma almost ten years ago. I have been thinking about all the cancer in our family, and it is really outrageous. Something must be going on here that we have no co …
If we act motivated by greed, hatred, or delusion, we are planting the seed of suffering; when our acts are motivated by generosity, love, or wisdom, then we are creating the karmic conditions for abundance and happiness.
March 24, 1997 – Healthy Cells Grow All By Themselves I passed up an opportunity to play tennis today because I didn’t want to be too exhausted for my chemotherapy and radiation therapy tomorrow. We still need a fourth and I wasn’t about to play singles. So I spent most of the da …
March 24, 1997 – Healthy Cells Grow All By Themselves I passed up an opportunity to play tennis today because I didn’t want to be too exhausted for my chemotherapy and radiation therapy tomorrow. We still need a fourth and I wasn’t about to play singles. So I spent most of the da …
Whether or not enlightenment is possible at the moment of death, the practices that prepare one for this possibility also bring one closer to the bone of life.
March 23, 1997 – Lunch at Mikayla’s After a couple of hours of tennis with the guys at Edgewood Park, I had lunch at Mikayla’s with J. M., his daughter and C. H. C. H. is an author, lecturer, and business consultant. He is also on the Board of Directors for Future Medicine. He to …
Bringing our full attention to focus on our breath in meditation strengthens our ability to concentrate in daily life, in the same way that lifting weights in the gym strengthens our muscles and allows us to lift heavy things elsewhere.
February 22, 1997 – Visiting J. B. The first thing I did this morning was to fire off an email message to John Gray. Hopefully, he’ll write back or phone me. His daughter will be in middle school with mine next year! I spent a large part of the morning and early afternoon workin …
Buddha is revealed through mountains, valleys, trees, and grasses, through a multitude of phenomena. The heart that can be revered in whatever form we see, in whatever direction we look, this is the true heart of Buddhism, this is Buddha life.
– Soko Morinaga Roshi, “One Chance, One Encounter”
March 21, 1997 – It’s All Downhill From Here Once again, I spent the morning playing tennis. It was very nice to play with J., V., and C. These are some of my favorite partners and we all get along so well. On the court next to us was another foursome that I often play with. D. F …
“People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.”
March 20, 1997 – Tennis, Cancerport, and Feldenkrais Today was an up and down day, with the highs being much greater than the lows. In the morning, I was experiencing some of the side effects from radiation therapy resulting in diarrhea. Even so, I managed to play two sets of ten …
If you miss the here, you are likely also to miss the there. If your mind is not centered here, it is likely not to be centered just because you arrive somewhere else.
– John Kabat-Zinn, “Walking: Meditation on the Move “
March 19, 1997 – Massage and Tennis Today was another wonderful day! I had a massage at the Marin Oncology Center from Nora O’Toole, a Certified Massage Therapist who donates her time and energy to work with patients. This is also a part of the Marin General Hospital Humanities P …
March 28, 1997 – “Waiting is … Grocking in Fullness” Today we begin the long wait for the results of the induction chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Frankly, I am quite pleased with the results so far, and I am thankful for possibly adequate time to build up my immune system …
