“How do you know you’re God?”…”Simple, when I pray to Him I find I’m talking to myself.” —Peter O’Toole, The Ruling Class If you are an atheist or an agnostic, the whole idea of praying on the face of it, makes no sense. Why bother to pray to a god that doesn’t exist? There’s also…
If you are a beginner to bicycle meditation, you might want to deliberately pick out a quiet place for your first meditation ride or two. Here are some suggestions: Very early in the morning At night (with adequate lights) On multi-use trails during cold or rainy weather Quiet rural roads As you can see, you…
Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go. —Louise Driscoll I have been convinced that there are fewer practices as powerful as the development of an intention. An intention is a path for you to take your mental, emotional, and physical energy. When you have clear intention, whether you are conscious…
Beginning Meditation In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few. —Shunryu Suzuki-roshi If you are completely new to meditation, you may want to try meditating first while at home, not on your bicycle. The following instructions are by Rabbi Ted Falcon, and used with permission. Creating a meditative space…
This happened in the Spring of 2003, when I was in Southern California. After being at Disneyland for a couple of days, and then spending time with in-laws, I felt a great need to be on my own in a natural environment. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time as a family at…
One day, I got on a crowded bus and took the one seat that was available in the front. It was only after sitting down that I saw the reason the seat was empty: two guys, both with some sort of mental problems (neurological, developmental, or psychiatric, I don’t know), who were sitting up there…
This meditation is similar to the Bicycling A Name of God one — it’s just using a different image and focus. Instead of pedaling out the word that is the name of God, you are turning the Wheel of the Dharma (dharmachakra). Wheels symbolize the Wheel of Buddhist Law, the endless cycle of birth and rebirth. They…
The following is from a journal entry written July 8, 2004, after riding for about an hour, at a picnic table in Robinswood Park. I began with an invocation, something I usually do before any writing in a diary or journal. The invocation I often use is an interpretative translation of the line from Psalm…
We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart —Jack Kornfield When we forgive, we are able to grow. When we don’t forgive, we are chained to the past — and the past no longer exists. Forgiveness is hard to do. There are people who hurt…
There may be a day while you are riding your bike. A motorist passes you, and calls out, “Get off the fucking road!” You may be puzzled. What do these words mean? The key to understanding this motorist’s cry is to realize that the road does not copulate with itself. Rather, it is you who…