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ILP
September 2006 
ILP - Day 15 - Diversions
Posted on May 10th, 2006
by 
Tuff Ghost
Tuff Ghost
Paul offers the following advice: And so Tuff Ghost, and everyone else feeling bad when practice apathy bites them in the butt, take solace: it happens to all of us, because practice is more than just four core modules.
It certainly is. Condensed to an essential mantra, practice is nothing more than the commitment to be better tomorrow than you are today. Or even more simply, to be better in the moment. Leaving aside the ultimate fruit of practise, which is the ability to just practise, or not practise, or whatever paradox best expresses the be here nowness effect for you, leaving that aside, we can't really escape (nor should we want to) that this is about betterment of self (body, mind spirit) through expression of self (self, culture, nature). Following that impulse can take you to some strange places. It can also have unintended consequences.
For example, a friend of mine took her first ever lecture the other day. We'd discussed how to go about it, and I employed her to do two things. 1) Keep it interesting, that is, don't just read a whole bunch of prepared notes. 2) Don't talk down to people. Assume that they're there and they're interested, and that they're willing to do the hard work to understand what is being said.
Well, she gave the lecture (on animal liberation), and not only was she called a terrorist, but one disgruntled student walked out. Others took to heckling her in the lecture, which is practically unprecedented in a liberal faculty with a mostly liberal student body (political science). But she stuck to her guns and came out of it with an interesting story to tell. Even though I don't agree with her position on most issues, I'm always engaged by her willingness to be engaged. I also feel really, really guilty when I eat meat now.
- - -
So with that in mind, I've decided to pursue writing my comedy show with a bunch of friends, and to use it as an active part of my practise. I've written about the connection between spirituality and theatre before, but suffice to say, there's not a whole lot of anything that's typically 'spiritual' about this show. It's edgy and smutty, and some will certainly find it reactionary (I prefer 'second-tier, you comedic plebians!). But it's about being committed to a public aesthetic and a private ideal, an expression of something I believe (through the ancient art of swearing at unexpected moments). And thus, not only does the mundane become an expression of practise, but so does the unusual and the extraordinary.
It's also nice to have a shining beacon when you're feeling particularly nonplussed about going for a jog or meditating. I suffer for my comedy. If you come and see the show, you can too! Thanks, I'll be here all week.
It certainly is. Condensed to an essential mantra, practice is nothing more than the commitment to be better tomorrow than you are today. Or even more simply, to be better in the moment. Leaving aside the ultimate fruit of practise, which is the ability to just practise, or not practise, or whatever paradox best expresses the be here nowness effect for you, leaving that aside, we can't really escape (nor should we want to) that this is about betterment of self (body, mind spirit) through expression of self (self, culture, nature). Following that impulse can take you to some strange places. It can also have unintended consequences.
For example, a friend of mine took her first ever lecture the other day. We'd discussed how to go about it, and I employed her to do two things. 1) Keep it interesting, that is, don't just read a whole bunch of prepared notes. 2) Don't talk down to people. Assume that they're there and they're interested, and that they're willing to do the hard work to understand what is being said.
Well, she gave the lecture (on animal liberation), and not only was she called a terrorist, but one disgruntled student walked out. Others took to heckling her in the lecture, which is practically unprecedented in a liberal faculty with a mostly liberal student body (political science). But she stuck to her guns and came out of it with an interesting story to tell. Even though I don't agree with her position on most issues, I'm always engaged by her willingness to be engaged. I also feel really, really guilty when I eat meat now.
- - -
So with that in mind, I've decided to pursue writing my comedy show with a bunch of friends, and to use it as an active part of my practise. I've written about the connection between spirituality and theatre before, but suffice to say, there's not a whole lot of anything that's typically 'spiritual' about this show. It's edgy and smutty, and some will certainly find it reactionary (I prefer 'second-tier, you comedic plebians!). But it's about being committed to a public aesthetic and a private ideal, an expression of something I believe (through the ancient art of swearing at unexpected moments). And thus, not only does the mundane become an expression of practise, but so does the unusual and the extraordinary.
It's also nice to have a shining beacon when you're feeling particularly nonplussed about going for a jog or meditating. I suffer for my comedy. If you come and see the show, you can too! Thanks, I'll be here all week.
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