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Journal entry for 15 Nov 2010 | Link
Realize Your True Nature
Several people have asked me since returning how my retreat went. It went well, but it's hard to explain why.
A full day in a Zen retreat consists of sitting and walking meditation, with pauses for formal meals, chanting, dharma talks, interviews with the teacher, and tea. It is conducted in silence except when necessary. By the sixth day of the retreat, we had completed about thirty hours of sitting meditation, and maybe twelve of walking meditation. In this retreat we sat according to the Sattipathana Sutra, in which the Buddha set forth what is known in English as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: body, feelings, mind, and objects of mind. We spent one day paying attention to each, with an extra day at the beginning for breathing, which is the backbone for mindfulness of the body. It anchors the other contemplations as well, so that awareness of breathing gives one clear awareness of the mind without getting caught up in the activities of the mind. Whether this is difficult or not, or painful or not, fluctuates from moment to moment. How much you care about the difficulty or pain fluctuates as well.
On the first day Miami reminded itself to me. In the afternoon I walked at a rate of one step per breath alongside a hedge of purple-flowered porterweed, in which three species of butterflies romped and mated. That night, bass thumped at us from the houses of two different neighbors, merengue and insipid Latin dance-pop respectively. By Day Six, each bark issued by the noisy dog across the street was the first one.
The Club That Would Have Me As a Member
I returned to find an e-mail informing me that I had been accepted into AICA USA, to which I had applied with some recent samples in late October. One reader pointed out to me that peer recognition is the hardest kind of recognition to get, so I take this as a real honor. Irving Sandler, Carol Kino, and Phong Bui (among other notables) reside on the board. Benefits include a membership card good for entry at most of the world's museums, so I will soon retire the Artblog.net Press Card, a homemade but convincing affair complete with lamination and an ID photo that got me past a hundred admission-takers.
The Talk That Opened
The Talk That Walked started at Main Library, Downtown Miami on November 4, but the reception takes place this Thursday, November 18, 6:30-8:30 PM. The reception has a Facebook page, which is a modern necessity, but all the information about it that one could need is at the above link. The Miami New Times has covered the exhibition in a blog post and a short article that put it on the paper's weekly calendar picks.
Last Wednesday a group from Shenandoah Junior High School came out to look at the exhibition, and then produce their own poetic interpretations in brush and ink.
After Domestic Work by Natasha Trethewey.
After Radio by Laurel Blossom.
One of the kids working on "Radio" didn't like the border he first drew on the paper, so I took over and did my own.
After Wise I by Amiri Baraka.
Source unknown.
Not sure what this is from, but it's awesome.
Likewise.
Recorded Signals
Leaf and Signal got a big crowd.
Greg Kelly speaks to the audience as Warren Craghead looks on.
He continues.
Then it was my turn. I told the audience to say cheese.
I had wheatpasted printouts from my contribution to the Leaf and Signal book.
I then did the same for Oliver East.
Books were available for perusal and purchase.
Art was everywhere.
My corner featured source art from The Moon Fell On Me and a computer for looking at the finished digital works.