Blog Posts - Rodney J Owen

And in The End,...

3/9/2022

At a certain point, the spiritual search may come to an end (other than dying, of course, at which point it certainly comes to an end). At that point, all the previous activity and focus seems pretty much a waste of time. Things are as they have always been. There is nowhere else to go, and nothing to attain, other than what is already here and that's not attainable because we already have it, have had it, never not had it.

There is as much worth in searching as there is in anything else. One is and should be free to do whatever one pleases, as long as no one else is harmed in the process. But I think for many, what they are searching for is a conceptual pipe dream that is never found. What most people really want is an end to discomfort, for things to make sense, for a sense of purpose. Those are individual issues, although universally recognized. The pipe dream, on the other hand, is composed of lofty, mysterious concepts like Kingdom of Heaven, Enlightenment, Immortality, Transcendence. These are conceptual and not worth their weight in cow dung.

Spiritual organizations and religions work hard for retention by offering something that is appealing and eventually attainable as long as you stay engaged and follow the prescribed path(s). However, if you look around, it seems the only one who has attained anything is the guru in the big chair. Everyone else is till trying--forever.

I recently saw an advertised video wherein a teacher discusses 'coming full circle, the end of searching'. He then offers enrollment for his next satsang/workshop. Seriously?

I have nothing but respect for my teachers and those I have known on the path (any path). Again, that is as worth much as anything else. However, if we really look we find ourselves right where we started, right here. Changing paths or belief systems, falling down the nihilistic hole of Neo-Advaita, or becoming a raging atheist is basically just more of the same with different patterns, different carrots. Perhaps it is better to just be, not in any contrived way attained via secret teachings or blessings, but by stopping everything and just being. This is the way of no way.

Yes, Rhetoric Matters

3/8/2022

The following is an article from Discourse Magazine on Why Rhetoric Matters. This is crucial. Granted, I am biased, but I can't for the life of me understand why we are even questioning its relevance.

From the article:
"Rhetoric was a primary subject in formal learning from antiquity to the middle of the 19th century, when it was replaced by the study of literature and absorbed into the kind of English department we all recognize today. Exactly why it fell out of favor is a matter of debate, but now that rhetoric has made an academic comeback in the past 50 years as a distinct discipline, we would do well to know what it is and why it is so important."

“[I]t is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason.” (Aristotle)

"This is to say that language is inadequate for conveying one’s thoughts and discoveries to others clearly and directly. No two people can understand something exactly the same way. Thus, even if absolute truth exists, human language is inadequate for conveying it precisely. "

The complete article: Why Rhetoric Still Matters

New World Music

2/27/2022

There is something not happening here. Music, or the way we conceive of it, popular, corporately-delivered, processed over the commercial airwaves, seems to be stuck, not going anywhere at all. A recent article in The Atlantic claims that 70% of the US music market is comprised of old music. Further, the new music market is shrinking.
Source: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/old-music-killing-new-music/621339/

So, nothing new here. If anything, this is old news. But The Atlantic is talking about the commercial market. That doesn't mean there isn't anything new under the sun. Quality is not defined by quantity. This is a new world. The old rules don't apply. I have an intuition the music world isn't as bad as it is presented to be. Although I am not a connoisseur of the contemporary art world, and basically too old and otherwise distracted to care a lot, I can still see there is much that lives under the surface. And that's where real art thrives anyway, isn't it?

Examples:

So, yeah. There is plenty of new in this old world. It's just found elsewhere in this new world. Dig it.

Reflections Feb. 2022

2/25/2022

Russia is invading Ukraine. Inflation is out of hand. The supply chain (the Royal THE) is nearly broken. We are still dealing with society-at-large's response to COVID. And as I arose from sleep this morning, the sun rose from the east. At least it appeared to.

There is a parable that has been floating around for ever, attributed to the Buddha--without sources, mind you. I think the original source is Herman Hesse, but hey. Anyway, this parable has it that a person utilizes a boat to cross a river. Once he/she reaches the other side, there is a choice to either discard the boat or to pick it up and carry it along the rest of the journey. The meaning here is obvious. But knowing when to drop the boat and move on is not as easy as it may sound. We become very attached to our boats.

Sometimes our boats leave us. Teachers and colleagues die. Sometimes they change in a way that doesn't work for us anymore. Sometimes we change in a way that doesn't synch with them anymore. Growth is to realize that and move on. But again, it's not as easy as it sounds. I figure that many folks don't move on. If the teacher dies, they make him/her a deity and the teachings become larger than life. If the teacher changes, the students often change with him/her, regardless of what the changes mean. If the student feels the need to change, he/she will often ignore it. This is the root of suffering.

Some time back it occurred to me that perhaps the fear of heights is in reality a fear of jumping. I am reminded of Simba trying to talk himself out of going back to the village to take his place as heir to the throne, when the monkey shaman hits him over the head with his stick. "Why did you do that?" "Why does it matter? It's in the past." This is our lot. This happening, this experience, whatever it is, is constantly moving, as are all things. The antidote to potential suffering is to face it (whatever it is) head-on. To leave the boat.

Seeing things as they are, rather than as they are imagined, becomes a sort of curse. Once we realize it's all bullshit, it becomes rather difficult to carry on the same way. Of course, we can carry on, but if we want to stay in the flow, we can't in the same way. Perhaps to the outside observer it looks the same, or perhaps it doesn't. Either way, chances are it isn't. Intuition, man.

2/19/2022

2/19/2022

"A yogi has no particular path; he simply renounces imagining things. His mind then ceases of its own accord, and the perfect state just naturally occurs." Dattatreya. Avadhuta Gita; Ch. 2.28

The imagination, like all things, has its place. It is beneficial and harmful. It is incredibly useful when playing in the Fields of The Lord, Maya, the Tonal Reality. It has no place in the examination of the mind, reality, thisness. Like all things it is a contextual tool. The pathless path is just that, pathless, which implies a lack of definition. Imposing definitions in order to clarify the inexplicable only leads one in the opposite direction. Perhaps it is better to sit with not knowing.

Refining Santi

2/6/2022

I found the video below very insightful in relation to Santi practice. It is from a different style and lineage than I practice, but the main points are relevant. I thoroughly enjoy Hai Yang's videos. While he and I both practice a version of the Beijing lineage of Chen Style Taiji, I don't practice the other styles he teaches. However, there is a Xinyi (vs. Xing Yi) influence to the Hunyuan Taiji I follow, a good deal of Bagua concepts are found in the Dao Yin training I have had, and of course meditation is basically universal. So, I am able to get much from his videos. I recommend them to anyone interested in the internal arts.

In Hunyuan Taiji, Santi is both a static training method and a posture found repeatedly in the form. But the emphasis of this video is static training, which can be easily overlooked in favor of the instant gratification and challenge of dynamic form. However, there is much to be gained from static practice and Santi has challenges and delivers benefits that are in many ways very different from Wuji stance.

A common theme of Xing Yi, Xinyi, Yiquan, and Hunyuan training is intention. Working deeply with Santi is a good way to train intention. In this video, Yang gives a demonstration of subtle movement. This is an important and often overlooked aspect of static training. Once one is comfortable with standing for an extended time, he/she is advised to begin the work of intention. Yang notes that the movements should be smaller than what he is demonstrating. In Hunyuan we go much smaller, to the point of the movements not being visible to the outside observer, or further to only the intention itself--which is deeper and much more work than one would think before learning the practice. But, as we all know, the best way to do it is to do it. Just do it.

Jan 1, 2022

12/31/2021

Day 1: Breathe. It really is that simple.

September 1991

10/10/2021

Late September, 1991, I was driving an old Honda Accord on I-10 in Tallahassee, Florida when the most amazing song came over the college radio station at FSU. Smells Like Teen Spirit was the most uplifting thing I had heard in years. It was my confirmation that the 80s were over and a new world was at hand--thank God.

Music had an unbelievable run from 1967 to 1977, starting with The Monterey Pop Festival and ending with the death of Elvis and the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. Not to say there was no good music before or after that time, but nothing is equal to that ten year span. Think about it.

In any case, by 1978 the creative energy fermented by the Baby Boom had run its course. By 1980 we were in a new world, culturally, economically, and musically. For me, having cut my teeth on the aforementioned decade of music and counterculture, it seemed like a wasteland. Added to that were the ups and downs, growing pains, joys and confusions of navigating life. I had some good times and bad times, made some personal mistakes, but also made some of the best decisions and life choices ever during that time. So, I'm not really complaining. However, by 1990 my family and I needed a change--I think the whole world did.

In September 1991 I had just left service in the Army and relocated to Tallahassee. The economy was in a recession. My wife was pregnant with our second child, and I was starting all over in the civilian work-world. Leaving Virginia and the military felt like losing 100lbs off my shoulders. I didn't have a job, housing, or anything near security waiting for me in Florida, but then again I didn't have it anywhere else either. We were quite literally starting all over. The 70s and 80s were nothing more than memories. The 90s were nothing less than dreams. We had no idea what we were in for and no sense of assurance anywhere. We had nothing to go back to, and no future to anticipate. We were literally living in the moment and it had a sparse soundtrack.

Then I heard that song. And I knew. Old things had passed away, all things were new.

Om

9/24/2021

"Rites that the Vedas ordain, and the rituals taught by the scriptures, all these I am, and the offering made to the ghosts of the fathers, herbs of healing and food. The mantram. The clarified butter. I, the oblation and I, the flame into which it is offered. I am the sire of the world, and this world's mother and grandsire. I am he who awards to each the fruit of his action. I make all things clean. I am Om!"
Bhagavad Gita. Chapter IX

Ultimate Reality is infinite and without attributes. It is the unseen basis of everything. The expressive aspect of Ultimate Reality is Primordial Nature and it creates space, time, and fine cosmic forces. It's vibration is "Om". We can lock into this vibration via meditation, Qigong, etc... and work with it to some degree in co-creating our Universe. Note, I said we can work with it. We can't use it or manipulate it, but in a very real sense, we are it. Further, we can observe it and take comfort in its consistent and impersonal nature.

In 1965, John Coltrane recorded an album entitled "Om". On first listening, it sound like chaos. In fact, it kind of is. But if you listen with an open mind, you will notice the different instruments each are doing something consistent. There is an order there, even if it appears wild and random.

It was speculated that Coltrane was doing LSD during this recording and later wanted it scrapped. Who really knows? It was released after his death. But I think it is very instructive in terms of Om itself, the expressive aspect of Ultimate Reality. How often does life appear to be falling apart, or proceeding in a direction much different from our plans, our desires? Yet, if you look back you will see that things worked out quite well most times. And that's true for all of us. Again, we can't really control or manipulate life, but we can learn to go with the flow, to cooperate. That takes wisdom and discernment. And it takes faith. Not blind faith based on mere belief, but functional faith based on understanding and patience.

This is The Way.

Equinox 2021

9/22/2021

I am and have been fond of the pointers we devise, the specific seasons being prominent. Today is the Fall Equinox, 2021. As of this writing, the weather where I live is great, a little chilly at night, still a bit warm during the day. The leaves are just beginning to change. In the broader world, COVID is still present in a big way, along with all the attendant fear and loathing. For the first time in a long time, inflation has become a major issue. But considering we have been printing money like it was going out of style, for a good 20 years, and giving it way just as freely over the last 18 months, who could be surprised? But that is a topic for another day, if at all.

I have dedicated a good part of this year learning, studying, and practicing Tibetan Yoga. This is and has been very informative. I'm not really a Buddhist (I don't claim any specific religious or other clannish affiliations), so my motivation is from a different angle. As a practitioner of movement and energy arts, these practices appeal to me. I am at this point still in the middle of a 4 month virtual retreat, so I don't want to draw any firm conclusions or, frankly, say much about the specifics at all. I have been and am enjoying the practices and so very grateful for the opportunity to learn. The environment for the last 18 months hasn't been conducive to a lot of the external practices I have been involved in. I have tried to take advantage of opportunities for other things as I find them.

Back to the environment: Over the next few weeks the temperature will really begin to change here. Accordingly, activity and diet will, or should, be tweaked as well. I think it is important to be outside as much as possible, regardless of conditions--unless of course it is storming, or otherwise overtly dangerous to our health. I have always maintained the best time to train Taiji-Qigong outdoors is on the hottest and coldest days. But even beyond that, just getting out to walk, work in the yard, etc... is crucial year-round.

As far as diet, I sometimes eat a bit more as the weather cools. My personal preference is to still focus on fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh fish as much as possible in the Fall, to extend Summer eating habits before Winter arrives. Over Fall, I like to increase warm liquids--tea, coffee, cider--but otherwise I don't tweak a lot between Summer and Fall. Once Winter arrives, I like to focus on root vegetables, heavier soups, and a bit more carbs. Throughout the Winter that will be my focus. Otherwise, I eat the same as any other time of year. As Spring begins to unfold, I will pretty much stay with what I was doing over the Winter, as local fresh fruit and vegetables aren't in season yet and I like to transition slowly, much as I do Fall to Winter. There are some Spring options, like Rockfish, that I will seek out. Note, these are small seasonal tweaks to a pretty standard Pescatarian diet that for the most part is standard year-round. I do take some advice from Ayurveda and TCM, but it is limited. I do not advise my diet, or any diet whatsoever, for other people. Following a template of any kind is never a good idea. We are individuals. Typology is a scam. The best "way" is the way that unfolds naturally in front of you daily. To that end, the best way to know what is the right practice, or diet, or routine, or whatever for you is to know yourself, intimately, spiritually, energetically, mindfully.

For now, there is a storm brewing right outside my door. Thunder will clap tonight and it will be 12-15 degrees cooler tomorrow, 20 degrees cooler tomorrow night. This is the Way.