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Flint Sparks's Blog

Flint Sparks

Wonder

Happy St. Patrick's Day,



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Posted on March 17, 2010 at 8:26am —

Flint Sparks

Lay Teachers in America: An Initial Report

I just returned from a meeting of Lay Zen Teachers who convened at Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon on the weekend of February 19-21. This was a warm and important meeting of over 20 teachers from all over the U.S., and I was honored to have been part of this group and the first Lay Teacher's meeting. I want to offer a few reflections for the Appamada sangha which I hope will place some of these current events in perspective. This is my personal sense of things and is not the only pers… Continue

Posted on February 28, 2010 at 11:00am — 2 Comments

Flint Sparks

Poems from Inquiry

Dear Sangha. Here are two poems from today's Inquiry - one by Mary Oliver which I read, and another by RIchard Wilbur that Krzys mentioned when he came up. We are indebted to these two authors for their work and their wisdom, borne of their practice. It was lovely to be with everyone and reconnect.

Terns
Mary Oliver

Don't think just now of the trudging forward of thought,
but of the wing-drive of unquestioning affirmation.

It's summer, you never saw such a blue sky,
and here they are, those w… Continue

Posted on February 2, 2010 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

Flint Sparks

Taos Retreat

I am sitting in Love Field in Dallas waiting for a delayed flight back to Austin after a week of retreat in the snowy mountains of Taos, New Mexico. As I type these words, the irony of "sitting in a field of love" suddenly captures my awareness and re-centers me, drowning out the harsh and garbled flight announcements, the overstimulated screams of running children, and the patchwork sounds of one-sided cell phone conversations (not to mention the penetrating smell of Cinnebons). Amidst all this… Continue

Posted on January 30, 2010 at 6:46pm — 1 Comment

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At 5:56pm on June 4, 2009, Peg Syverson said…
Also, if you'd like a different picture for the front page, please let me know. I'm happy to swap it out.
At 5:54pm on June 4, 2009, Peg Syverson said…
Welcome! Help us make this better as we go along!
 
 



Appamada is not just the occasional mindful thought or attentive state of mind, it’s actually a commitment to being attentive. It’s more than just a meditative state of mind, it’s more than just being mindful. It has to do with that primary ethical or moral orientation we have in life, with which we bring into being whatever activity we’re engaged in. Whether in formal meditation, in our interactions with other people, in our social concerns, or in our political choices, it’s the energetic cherishing of what we regard as good.
—Stephen Batchelor
 

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