Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Micro-climates

San Francisco is of course famous for the singularity of its weather. There are long stretches in the summer when it can be grey all day. This week we have been starting grey and getting brighter, with the fog closing in during the evening; today the sun was out from the off. It has been warm to sit in the courtyard at lunch time, but we all know that the fog could be encroaching even to the top of the block on Page Street. Sometimes you can head west and it will start at the entrance to Golden Gate Park; other times you can be almost to the beach and suddenly there it is. Today was one of those days, though I wasn't heading to the beach, just a midweek spin on the bike to clear my head and test my legs. From Twin Peaks I could see the fog rolling over the bridge and hovering over the ocean.
I have had some strong periods of zazen this week, even though some of them have just been spent looking at emotional pain. I have also got to feel how it is when that subsides and internal energies start flowing again. The difficulties I was having stemmed from some incomplete, and what seemed to me to be unskillful, communication, and they were by and large resolved by being able to follow up and have a more open and complete conversation. I had other helpful resources as well - a dokusan with Abbot Steve, as we set the ground for practising together at Tassajara; friends to listen and sympathise; and not for the first time, Young Urban Zen: I went to the meeting feeling at a low ebb, not really wanting to show up, but having shown up, and been met by the group, and by the two people in my small discussion group, and even by the people who came for zazen instruction, I was very aware of how grounded this left me feeling, more at ease than I had been for a couple of days, though that wasn't yet the end of the story.

A 'file photo', from about a month ago, to illustrate how the fog can creep in to the city

3 comments:

Sandy's witterings said...

You can just about judge an Edinburgh day by looking north and see what is still there. If Fife can bee seen across the water it's probably fine. But then it disappears and then the cloud and fog overtake the docks and various blocks of flats and so it goes on...

I've found in recent years that many problems can be talked out and, as you say here, occasionally need revisiting. It suggests that most aren't problems at all but misunderstandings.

Mike said...

Wiggins. Hope you are enjoying the Tour and images of racers going up mountains are not appearing in your zazen. The ride of the Col de Fer was impressive.

In honour of the TDF, I wonder if a post on the Zen of the Bicycle would be appropriate.

Hope all is well.

Shundo said...

Thanks Mike, I will put my mind to work on that one - feel free to browse all the posts tagged 'bike', just in case there is anything that appeals to you already. As for the Tour, each day it looks better...
Sandy, sorry to hear the weather has been so dire over there of late. It really looks like I caught the only sunshine of the whole summer on my visit... and yes to the talking, especially when we can put aside our egos or our old wounds, as happened successfully this time.