Go To Basics

We chase about trying to find things to enhance our enjoyment of life. We look for treasures in the pursuits of objects and experiences. And yet the real treasure, the one that matters, is our experience of aliveness, our simple presence. The real wealth in a life is in what one is doing with one’s attention.

Transcript

Welcome to In the Deep. I'm your host, Katherine Ingram. The following was excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues, Which was broadcast from Australia on August 2nd, 2020. Let's go to basics. We sometimes forget, Until we remind ourselves, We sometimes forget what is actually precious to us. And the experience of our own presence is our greatest treasure. And we overlook it amazingly, Unless we really make a habit of noticing that and of resting as that in all the ways that we can and as much as we can. I spoke last night quite a bit about the disparity of the lives that we thought we were leading and all the plans we were making. We who are privileged, We had lots of opportunities to make lots of plans. And for the most part, We could enact most of them or many of them. But now we live in a time where we can't really make plans. We can make local plans, Perhaps. We can't really count on those necessarily either. So we're thrown back into these very simple reflections. OK, Well, What's important? What is the treasure here? Now pre-COVID, We were all galloping along. And we were often distracted, Distracted by our pursuit of experiences and objects. That was a grand old party we were having for a very long time. Those in the wealthier countries where we could just pursue a lot of experiences and pleasures and objects. And to some great degree, Those pursuits have been replaced now with a kind of worry and foreboding and anxiety and depression in our tribe, In our Western societies. Because not only are a lot of those things not on offer anymore, But well, We realize some very bad things could be on offer instead, As we're seeing around the world. So is there another possibility of where we allow our attention to be? So it's almost like we're being forced into presence. We're being forced into the recognition because it's your only safe spot. Now, This was always the case, But now we're just seeing it in high relief. And we can let that be a blessing. You can let this be your Dharma bell, Your Dharma bell that is ringing every morning when you wake up. It's another day for you to enjoy the experience of just pure presence, The experience of being, The privilege of your senses, The feelings of love that might arise in you about those who you love and about this world that you love, Or at least perhaps there are many parts of it you love. And all of those kinds of experiences and reflections are basically just pure Dharma. That's what that is. That's the teachings, The very, Very ancient teachings that we have heard for many, Many years. Many of us on this very call have dedicated our lives, Our adult lives to immersing ourselves in those understandings. And now in this time, This message is being delivered loud and clear to those who can hear it. And even people who never had the slightest interest in Dharma are coming to these very realizations. I'm seeing this in various blog posts and from sources I am surprised sometimes to see that there's an awakening to what matters. James talked recently on one of our Zoom calls, He's on tonight as well, There in London, About how as a young lad, He was born two years before the beginning of World War II, And he grew up in London. So as a young boy, He was hearing the sirens and having to go into shelters at night in the blitz of London. And he spoke about how this time is reminding him of the feelings of uncertainty that he had in those days as a young boy, The feelings of uncertainty. And yes, That is a very profound feeling that we're all having. It's just that we were mistaken when we thought we had uncertainty. This is the actual truth. But it does feel a bit like a wartime as well in other ways, In that there's a collective consciousness happening. Right? We're kind of all on the same story, Pretty much. Some people are a little slow to get with the program, But in terms of a world focus, A world conversation, It is almost like a world wartime. But we have this invisible so-called enemy, And there's a lot of cooperation to deal with that. Nevertheless, We live still in extreme uncertainty, No matter how cooperative we become. We don't know how this is going to go. We don't know what the cost, The cost in lives and the cost in disease and disabilities is going to be. So here we are, Precarious. It's precarious, The time we're in. And like I said last night, COVID is not our only problem. We already had big fish to fry before that. And so for myself in these last few years, In fact, I've been noticing how I am just not willing to indulge a lot of my usual neurosis. It arises, Of course, But I have this sense I don't have time for it. I certainly gave it its due, Certainly indulged in younger years. But now I really want to experience whatever days are left. And even if I get to live what would be considered a long life in my socioeconomic class and strata, It won't be long. It won't be long no matter what. And it'll be poof, Poof. I talk about things, I'll say, Oh, Gosh, I haven't been there in 20 years. And it seems like it was yesterday. And I'm realizing I don't think I'll be having those kinds of reflections or statements later on. I don't think I'll be referring to those kinds of things because I don't think, You know, Who knows, But I don't quite see being here in 20 years myself. So given that no matter what the time frame is, It's a quick run. It's a short run. I have really been letting myself have that as my ally and being simple in my days and simple in my heart as best I can. And just coming back to the basics, Presence, Just looking at the mountain, Just looking at the sky. Noticing this breath. Hearing the bird Twitter. Back to the basics. Thank you so much for doing this, Catherine. It's my pleasure. And I'm so I, You know, It's it's hanging out with Sangha for me, Which is wonderful, Because otherwise I'm pretty alone here. My house. Just something to do. Yeah. So I, I'm part of a men's group. I've been part of it for probably 10 years plus. Some of the members have been members for 20 years. And we're a group of guys, Probably 65 to 85. All liberal minded. This is a pretty liberal community. And we talk about almost everything. That's why we're in the group. But after reading your extinction essay, Which by the way, Was strangely comforting to me. I've been feeling these things for years, And feeling kind of watching the freight train, So to speak. And knowing it wasn't going to go well. So just to read your essay was really, It released something in me, I felt like I could, I could start walking again. That's the reason I wrote it exactly for people like you. Because I was such a person and I was desperately looking for anything to make sense of it. And I was reading everything I could for years and trying to collate all this, All these feelings in my own self and wanting so much to feel somebody else could articulate it or was at least looking at it. So yes, I hear you loud and clear. That's the reason I wrote it. I only wrote it for people like you. I did not write it for any kind of proselytizing or you know, You know, Riding through the streets saying the British are coming or anything like that. I was, You know, I have no interest in being a missionary. I wrote it for people who are already struggling. Yeah, Well, You did it. You gently pushed the button for me. And very nicely. I mean, It was very balanced in a way that I could, Well, I was very happy to hear that someone else was seeing this, You know. But you did a gentle job of it, Which was very nice and comforting. So my question is, I want to have everybody in my, We take turns leading our group. And I'm leading in about a week and a half. I want to bring this up. I'd like for them to read your article. But I don't want to, I'm a little afraid to upset them. I know them all pretty well. I don't think I will. But what do you feel about that, About sharing that kind of thing? I don't want to force it on them. But I want to have that discussion. I understand your need in this very well. I would just say from my own direct experience, Be cautious about that. For people who are not ready to hear this, It is not welcome. And it can bring up anger and separation. And not only that, But then even when you're in a room with them subsequent to this meeting, There can be a an agitation by your very presence, Even if you're not talking about it at all. Just that you're a reminder of something they don't want to know about or hear about. So until someone is ready, I would say, Be very, Tread lightly on it. That's my direct experience. I'd like to have that experience. You can imagine, Not only all the years that I was studying this and desperate to talk to someone about it, And I did find a few people along the way. And I was just glommed onto them. And we would call each other every day. And then since publishing the essay, Which has had about a million downloads, I'm in touch with people all over the world. But I've also been very in a position of having some people, When they come to know of the essay and read it, Having huge reactions. So I'm just saying, As someone who's been walking on this path a while, Be careful about it. There's no real need, Actually. I know there's a loneliness for you, But find even just one or two who are completely on your page. And if you want, After we're off this call, Write me and I will make some suggestions. Okay, Great. Well, Fortunately, My brother is one who I can talk to. Thank goodness. Good. Good. That's huge. Yes, That's huge. But what I am seeing in the world is that COVID has definitely leapt us forward into a lot more people are asking these kinds of questions, Realizing that anything can happen, That all of the assumptions we have had need to be revisited and mostly discarded. So, You know, It is living truly in the mystery. And there is no doubt in any of the major climate scientists' minds, The ones who've not won Nobel Prizes, And who are the heads of the, You know, All of the different climate and ecological studies, And not in the pockets of anybody. Some people will say, Oh, You know, They're in the green technology pockets. No, They're not. And that is just a very specious argument. But anyway, It's not a question. It's not a doubt. The earth is heating up and I mean, Very rapidly. And that is going to have dire consequences for huge swaths of this world. The middle of China right now is basically underwater, Which is a lot of their farmland. So they're going to be having millions and millions and millions of people are going to be starving there in a quick hurry. It's the whole Wuhan region, Actually, That huge region is a gigantic agricultural region of China. Right. And as we're seeing, There's Liz and my mother in southern Florida, The hurricanes that are coming that are swirling around the Atlantic are early, Right? They're coming in early. Last month, There was a day in the Arctic Circle was 101 degrees, Breaking all records. The ice is melting fast, And so on. I could go on all day, As you know, If you actually start looking at the data, It's going in one direction. Now, I feel that part of the resilience that we need to consider is a Dharma resilience. I mean, It's also smart to figure out being around community and having food and sharing resources and knowing how to fix things. And actually, COVID is forcing some of that as well, Which is great. That part is really great, Getting us more resilient and less connected to these big industrial systems and having the powers that make our decisions for our lives far, Far away, Thousands of miles away. That's all very good. And a lot of people are turning to much more local lives. Smart. So there's a kind of practical survival food and water resilience, But there's also a psychological and Dharma resilience. And this is where we come in. This is where we can be helpful and stay clear ourselves. And we still are in a mystery. We don't know how this will play out, But we are going to be hitting some bumps, Right? That I think is without a doubt. And so to really, Like I just said at the beginning, To come back to the basics in your heart. And so another aspect of answering your question about speaking to your friends in your group is the question that can live in your heart is what will be helpful to speak about? Not so much helpful to you. You may, It's fair for you to find help in smart ways that don't harm anybody else and don't scare anybody else. Sure, Not fair enough, You know, But also to approach the group with how can I be a supportive presence knowing what I know and sensing what I'm sensing. What words can I speak that will be calming and will be encouraging for us to be with each other through this, But maybe just start talking initially just about community support. And like what happens if the grid goes down? And what happens if the trucks don't come? Right? And who has what and who has which tools and who's willing to, You know, Basically you make a plan together. That would be a good use, I think. Yeah. Good. That's I love that answer. Thank you. You're welcome. Lovely to meet you. Hi, It's really lovely to be here. Thank you so much. What was coming to mind for me to talk about was around I have a brother and a sister and a brother in law who are all three teachers in elementary, Middle school, High school. And they're the decision makers have all decided that they will be attending school at least part time or they'll have to be there the whole time doing some remote. And it's invading these thoughts about them being in the school. I just feel that this is the wrong decision. And I'm trying to not be like live with it. I feel I'm feeling angry at whoever's making these decisions. And trying to be the support for I used to be a teacher, But I guess I lucked out here. I'm not going to be in schools, But I just am so worried about them all with, You know, Underlying my sister has asthma, My brother has a pace, My brother in law has a pacemaker. And my brother has lung issues. And there's no nothing to be done about it. And they're all at their wits end about it. They're all at their wits end. And I, You know, It's just invading every part. Yeah, Yes, I can certainly imagine. Yeah, Yeah. That would be very, Very concerning. And I mean, The kind of things that I have recommended to a few people I know in a similar position about going back to school. It doesn't work for everybody. And some people might find it quite offensive to suggest this. But I would just say, Don't, Don't do it, Quit the job and figure something else out. You know, And I've been thinking, I don't understand why this isn't happening more, That teachers could just start doing online programs that anybody with kids anywhere doesn't even have to be in their same school system. Just as long as the kids are learning, Just start offering for pay and inexpensively, Zoom sessions of classes. Because then instead of then it frees up the parents. And if enough of the kids are all doing a Zoom session from, You know, All over the country and various teachers' classes, It would pay the teacher and it would also be free babysitting for a while for the parents and also have qualified people teaching. But this is just my practical kind of thing of what I've been telling people who are more connected as friends to me. For you, Maybe that isn't something you can be saying to your relatives, Then what you've got to deal with is your own sense of worry and foreboding. Maybe you could say, You could say that, Why not quit? You could actually. And if that just, If they just block that and say, No, There's no way we're going to do that, Then at least you've tried. You know, At least you've said. Sometimes it can be that somebody, Even though they might be a little murmuring in the back of their mind that they could do that, It might take someone else saying, Why don't you just do that? And it gives a little more added permission in case they need that. But to come back to you and for all of us, We are watching a lot of bad decisions. And I say bad in that, It's not that they're necessarily only morally bad, In some cases I think they are, But also bad in the sense it's going to be resulting in a lot of death and a lot of suffering. So bad in that sense, More suffering. And so we're having to kind of stomach a lot of things that are very painful to watch in terms of bad decisions that are going to lead to death. And how do we bear this? Well, We have to, We have to, We have to bear it somehow. We don't have to like it. We don't have to cooperate, But we do have to somehow bear the fact of it because it's happening. And in this world, As far as I can tell, I don't necessarily trust history. I don't really know, Because I can see in my own time, You can hardly get the straight story. And we have plenty of ways to get information, But in the olden times where basically information was controlled by the powers that be of the time. So I don't entirely trust history, But what we can know of history and what we know of the fossil record is that previous times were quite brutal. In fact, They were very brutal. There was a lot of mean behavior going on. Yet people had to live, People had to go on with life. People fell in love and had babies and some people were incredibly kind and merciful and generous, Others not. And terribly ignorant decisions were made along the way and so many perhaps missteps, Considered missteps in lives that led to ruin. And this is what it is here. And I hear you and I know that this is a huge one, Having people you love be at risk. I have that a bit in my own family. It's just so, What I think is going to happen is that there'll be a death somewhere in the school district and everything will get shut down. But they can't, It's like they won't just do it to start. And my brother's dead, I just hope it's not, You know, He has just started a teaching job. He's 39 and he had trouble younger and he just started. He is, As I heard you say in the last, That song I believe was in the gallop of life. I feel like he's just there and it just breaks my heart that this is happening. Well, That part might be extra for you, Extra suffering. Just because he was in the so-called gallop of life and now that seems to be stopped. You don't really know how that part's going to play out as long as he lives. There may be another type of gallop or another type of way of being that is very satisfying. So that part we can leave aside as a, Don't have to paint a scary picture there. The risk part is real, I agree. And may they be safe and you can just be a, You know, A kind of a vessel of peace around them, Right? Expressing your concern, Offering a few options that you can think of. If they just say no, No, No, Can't do it, We're not in that kind of position, Then you've done everything you can. You can't really chain them up or anything. And so. . . Don't give me ideas. But it also, It's also, It's both a sign of your love, Your concern, Right? And it's also a sign of your love to go into acceptance with their decisions once there can be nothing done about it. And then we are going to just have to live with the decisions that people are making. And we're seeing a lot of situations that look like they could have been preempted and there would have been an avoiding of hundreds of thousands of deaths, But we missed those opportunities in the case of the US in particular. So yeah, Just you have to just live with your own bright presence. And part of your presence can, Of course, Include the sorrow that arises in any kind of loss or concern. It can include that. But keep shining, Keep the shine very strong. I spoke a lot last night about the need for us to be strong. I really addressed fear on the Zoom session last night. It was the primary opening talk. And the need for us to, This is now what we've been being readied for, Is to be strong, To be courageous, To live in our shining, Be grateful to live in your presence of your heart and of your mind and your senses and your love. The basics, Getting back to the basics. Thank you. Connecting to family relations and danger. I've got quite a close family and quite an extended family. And we all live in London. And all of the generations younger than me are working in some way or other. My younger daughter works in teaching. So what I've noticed has been a spinoff from the terrible situation that we're going through is that there have been so many opportunities to be really open and really honest and really close in talking about all of these things that are dangerous. And it's one of those paradoxical things, I suppose, That in spite of it being pretty near the worst thing that you can imagine happening to the world, There is this possibility of connecting to whoever is near. And I feel much closer to my daughters and my extended family around this than I have before. I think simply by being older, Very often people presume that you're going to have some wisdom, Something useful to say, Because you've been around a long time. Maybe I have. I've been through a lot of difficult situations before. I just think it's a gift, That dimension of the times that we're going through. And it's not only in family. I noticed people just helping each other so much more. It might seem quite trivial, But it was very touching. And my daughter thought it was wonderful. But today was the first day that people in my category in England were allowed to go out and shop. I haven't been able to shop for four months. So there's a particular thing that I get from a health food shop in the neighborhood. I've known the guys who work there for about 20 or 25 years. And I'm almost out of this thing. And I went to get it today just to enjoy my shopping freedom. And the guy said, It must be intuition, James. I knew you were going to come in for it. And I ordered it from a new supplier. But he sent the wrong stuff. So even though I didn't get it, It was really touching that this guy had been thinking about me while I was not there for four months. Beautiful. I love that. I think there are so many opportunities for connection and warmth and love. All of these things. Yes. That's a beautiful story. That's great. Thank you. It's good to see you. Hi. It's so nice to be here and see you. Very nice to see you, Dear. Many years. It's been so many years, I know. Probably 10 years or something. Oh my. That's crazy. Maybe not quite, But anyway. I'm in LA and I work for NASA. I think you know that. So when this all started, We quickly scrambled and worked crazy hours to build a ventilator. Yes, Great. It's not what we do. We build spaceships and instruments that go on those. So it was a really amazing effort. Who knows if ventilators are good or bad, But it's sort of what we could do in the beginning with what we have as far as people and expertise. So then you've built a good ventilator. Oh, It's beautiful. In comparison to the other ventilators that were built in a short amount of time, It's really good looking. We had to get FDA approval really fast and whatnot. So that was good. So I've been working from home and LA is, The numbers are getting worse and worse and worse. It's pretty amazing. I live in a duplex and the guy next door, I can hear him right now, He's having a party. You're kidding. No, And I'm just like, Oh wow. I don't say anything, But it's just wild. I like being with myself by myself. I have no problem with it. I'm getting a little itchy, Like I'd like to interact with a human once in a while. My big thing was going to a supermarket and sort of making jokes with people in the market. That was sort of my social interaction and now I can't do that. So I think what I noticed- Let me ask you this. Is the mandate in LA that you guys can't go out at all? No, We can. I'm just overly cautious and go shopping every two weeks. But prior, For the first three months, I had everything delivered. It's just this fear. You go out, Everyone's paranoid. They've got opinions about you wearing your mask, Not wearing your mask. There's this whole level of different human interaction or non-interaction. So it creates this whole thing. So there's just so much going on. There's so much going on with the environment, Our climate, The government, People and their stuff, My stuff. I noticed just down to the little intricate thing, I'm just here with my little dog, But I am such a doer. I have like zero motivation to do anything other than to show up to work. It's like, Oh my God, You're supposed to play the piano. You should make that quilt. What's going on with like, Aren't you cooking amazing things anymore? It's like, I don't want to do anything. So it's very interesting to see this whole personality merge. Some days, I just don't know how to deal with it. It's just like, Okay. You know, Like today I've done, I've quilted, I put together some fabric, But it's just a whole new level of personality that's coming out. I think this is very common. I feel the same. I long for things and I know that things are changing with our politics and the climate and our world. I knew that before. Not everyone knows that. People want to be in denial. I mean, You know, The guy next door is in denial. I think. It's just my opinion. It's just my opinion. It's wild, Wild times and I'm really glad to see you. Well, It's wonderful to hear you as well. I'm so resonated with everything you just said. In fact, I think it is interesting the way that we, You know, When the kind of running about and do, Do, Do, Do, Do is off the table, Then it's almost like you're such a kind of mystery to yourself. It's like, Who am I now? And getting used to having very little happening in the day other than, You know, You are working, But then besides that, Just kind of getting used to a much more stripped down version of the to-do list. Yeah, It's okay. It's okay for us to exercise these kinds of flexibilities in ourselves, Being flexible and adapting in different ways. It's good, Though hard in this case. There's a lot of hard aspects to it. So I was like cleaning out my dad's shed and came across this book that I had given him 20 years ago. And I googled you yesterday. And here you are. Where are you in the world? Where do you where are you? Greetings from Portland, Oregon. Yeah. I just, I moved him up here a few months ago. And so the family's here. And yeah, Your book was really moving to both of us. And so I just really touched by it. And I thought, Wow, I wonder what she's up to these days. You're we and you are. It's going to be amazing. I wanted to, I guess, I am always in this existential struggle of am I doing enough? Like what, What can I do? And then like that enormous guilt that I carry around for just like having a good day when the state of our world is like that and just like slowly finding, I write songs, I write music, I'm a musician. And often that that was the only sense of purpose. Like I was crazy busy 50, 60 hours a week playing music and touring and not really stable anywhere. And I, You know, I'm here in Portland since since my dad moved here. Basically everything. My life is completely different. I canceled so many tours and international stuff and like, What this is going to be the year, You know, And just like shifting and because I'm like a headless chicken in general. And when I'm on stage is the only time I can relax and be grounded on anything. I know how to be. That's all I'm doing. And I can meet the room and lift the energy and connect and I know who I am in those moments. And then the other stuff is just chaos and stereotypical music brain, Artist brain, Which is not every artist, But I'm just like in this moment or of course so much identity as a performer and as an artist. I'm on my own. I'm completely committed to family and being there for all of them. And so I am instead of having gigs every night, I'm with family and like suffering a lot. Like I deal with a lot of, You know, Depression, Anxiety, Sadness, And so many things that were a daily struggle before all this. And then I had the music and the friends to play with that would just get me. I didn't have this. What would I, You know, I couldn't function. And then I don't have that. We don't have that anymore. And we're all going through so many changes in every field, Of course. And so I'm just like more aware than ever. What can I do? What can I contribute? Like I'm just, I was too sad to play for a while and now I'm just starting to write songs again. And I think like, Oh, I don't even need anyone to hear them. I don't need them to be good. I just need to do something that energetically feels alive. But yeah, So I don't know. I don't know. The question is in there somewhere. Well it's sort of the new you, Right? And it's good to have this kind of flexibility, Right? That, Okay, You were romping along on one track and it was all grand and fun and lots of balls in the air and lots of creativity. And it was a way in which you knew yourself, As you say, That was where you were most yourself on stage and knowing how to do that. And now it's this for whatever good reasons, Which sound like very good reasons that you're being of help. So you were asking yourself this question of how can I be of help? Well, You are being of help. That is what, This is it. This is your dharma right now. It may change, Of course, In time, But this is it for now. So then the question is, How can I make this the most beautiful surrender in myself? How can I actually do this well and with a full heart? And even though you don't have to be perfect in that, And there may be moments when you think, Oh, I'll be happy when this is over, But fair enough. But to, For the most part, Be your best self in this. And it's also a kind of thing of, There's a little bit of careful what you wish for in some of this because, You know, Even though Portland has been rather unsettled for quite some time, But you're in your family home, You know, You've got people around, You've probably got enough food, You're safe enough, You guys can be careful. So all of that is, Those are all cause for gratitude. You know, That you're not entirely isolated, And you have help around. So these are the ways, These are the kinds of reflections that can counter a lot of thoughts of, You know, This is not my beautiful house, This is not my beautiful wife, Is the talking headset. You know, That this is your house now and this is your life now. And so be it, Right? It's always easier to go downstream with all of this, As I'm saying on this Zoom call today, To go to basics. Right? You think something is missing, Change it around. What's here? You don't have to lie about that either. You don't have to pretend something's here that's not here. What's here is plenty. You're still here. You're still functioning. You still have your senses. Right? You still have the ability to be of help. You still have your creative ability, Which you can putter around with while you're there if you want. You know, There are sometimes, It's in periods of what may look like fallow nothingness, Some great creativity can spring forth. Right? Sometimes it just looked like there was nothing happening underneath the surface and yet there was. So to really, Like I said, Have a true surrender and that will be a sweet surrender for you. Nothing's missing. Beautiful. Thank you. Yeah. You're welcome.