Bird Droppings January 25, 2013 Who is at the center of your universe? “Tung-shan was asked, ‘The normal mind is the way; what is the normal mind?’ He replied, ’Not picking things up along the road.’” From Teachings of Zen, edited by Thomas Cleary, © 1998 One aspect of the Zen teachings is the process…

Bird Droppings January 24, 2013 Can we define our own success? Yesterday in a teachable moment I drew upon my experiences and while discussing the phylum arthopoda and one of my favorites the black and yellow garden spider, Agriope aurantia, or writing spiders. I then proceeded to offer a Creek Indian view of early morning.…

Bird Droppings January 23, 2013 We are neither wolf nor dog It has been some time since I first read a book by this name written by one of my favorite authors Kent Nerburn. In much of his writing Kent Nerburn addresses the spiritual significance and depth of life of our Native Americans. While to…

Bird Droppings January 22, 2013 Can passion be acquired? “To speak so listeners long to hear more and to listen so others’ meaning is grasped are the ideals of the impeccably great.” Tirukkural 65:646 When I first read the passage from the Tirukkural I thought of a few words from Albert Einstein that I have…

Bird Droppings January 21, 2013 Looking in a direction to start a morning “Beginnings start in the east – from where the sun rises we begin a new dawn. Each day is a good new day with a fresh beginning, a new start. East is the direction of the physical body and newness including children…

Bird Droppings January 18, 2013 Trying to find a way back to normal   “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, we’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it soldiers are cutting us down should have been done long ago. What if you knew her…

Bird Droppings January 17, 2013 Learning is a journey strewn with boulders   “In a word, learning is decontextualized. We break ideas down into tiny pieces that bear no relation to the whole. We give students a brick of information, followed by another brick, followed by another brick, until they are graduated, at which point…

Bird Droppings January 16, 2013 Within the mirror can the reflection go beyond the moment?   I was glancing at a book this morning “Qualities of an effective teacher” by Dr. James H. Stronge, Professor in Educational Policy, Planning, and leadership at the College of William and Mary, WilliamsburgVirginia. Stronge looked at students and how…

Bird Droppings January 15, 2013 Walking and listening among the Cotton Woods   I walked outside earlier as I do many mornings listening observing trying to understand this reality I am walking about in. The sky was bright this morning with a very faint moon still hanging around and a few wisps of clouds were…

Bird Droppings January 14, 2013 Teaching is more than just passing along knowledge   It has been nearly ten years since my wife and I attended a turning and burning for the first time, near Gillsville Georgia. It was a gathering of potter’s, getting together to sell their wares and turn a few pots and…