TEACHER: Jeff Warren
THEME: Not Knowing
MEDITATION: The Beautiful Bogglement of the Beginner
INTERACTIVE: Embracing the Alien
Meditation is an interplay between knowing and not knowing. Sometimes we know exactly what’s going on: inhale, distraction, butt-itch, eureka! But sometimes – just as importantly – we have no idea. We are genuinely out in the open, without even the simplest thing figured out. And oh man is this a productive place to be – the mind of the beginner, not racing for answers but allowed to float in the rich bogglement of what Zen folks call “don’t know mind.” This is not about confusion; it’s about trusting we can survive in a space where we’re no longer limited by all the crap we have crammed into our noggins.
We’ll cultivate exactly this mental space in Part One’s meditation, and then for Part Two we’ll intensify the experience with partner work, using human presence to slingshot us into our inner alien, ultimately unlearning all the good work of civilization, so you leave the zendo walking backwards on your hands and knees, bat-shit crazy and spoiled for all future employment.