Sympathetic Joy

As I have said before, I am not much of a baseball fan, but I liked the idea of being at a ticker tape parade, and since our weekly senior staff meeting ended early, the tanto and I walked down towards Civic Center to see the Giants parade. For all I know he may still be there; the helicopters and advertising planes are still circling overhead. I felt I should come back for noon service, so I didn't see them arrive in the Plaza, but the crowds were already huge. There were numerous TV crews, a drum circle, some big motorbikes, and despite Prop.19 not passing, a fair amount of marijuana smoke in the air ("Don't they know it didn't pass?" - "Well, maybe they don't yet"...). All told though, the last time I was in a crowd this large and this good-humoured was during Gay Pride, another great San Francisco get-together.

I gave my pictures to Caren, who didn't get to go, and may be posting them on her blog. She added the following caveat:  "If, for some reason, you mention me in your blog, (which I don’t expect you to), please note that I am a diehard Red Sox fan, that all of my loyalties are to the Red Sox, but I have gained respect and admiration for the giants. A girl has to have her pride, right?  ( ;"

Chocolate Pudding is Wonderful

This was the title I suggested to Blanche for her wonderful talk this morning. I have heard most of Blanche's stories a number of times over the years, but when they are delivered in a skillful and timely matter as they were this morning, it doesn't matter. There was a great story from Tassajara, which included the line about chocolate pudding, and which I hadn't heard before, about sympathetic joy, one of the four Brahmaviharas.
I got to experience some of that (the joy, not the pudding), this afternoon. As is often the case, during the first period after work, it looked like a lot of people were a little tired and slumped, so I suggested to Blanche that she might like to offer some posture adjustments, which she did during the following period. Since I sit facing out, I didn't get an adjustment, but I remember clearly from other times that feeling of Blanche's hands on my shoulders, warm and very loving, and so I was getting to feel that vicariously as Blanche laid her hands on people around the zendo, and I could see how their bodies reacted, softened and straightened, and the energy in the room changed subtly. The afternoon wore on, and the schedule carried on pushing us gently towards stillness...