Zen Running

One. The ground is not your enemy. Do not pound the ground. Move on supple springs. Touch the ground with a sense of continued appreciation.

Two. Breathe, relax, smile. Breathe, relax, smile. If you forget everything else, linger here and you will still be well ahead. Breathe, relax, smile.

Three. Lead with your hips. (Surge your pelvis forward). Sink into your legs so that they become springs. Don’t forget to smile! Surge, Sink, Smile.

Four. Relax all your joints. Run supple and light, like a ghost in the twilight region of reality. (In both worlds while remaining in your own).

Five. The ball of the foot touches first, then the heel and toes gently kiss the ground. Forefoot then whole foot. Forefoot then whole foot. Let it come off the ground the instant it touches completely, like running on a hot tin roof.

Six. Your legs should be bent more than you think they should be. Bend your legs deeply, then bend them some more. Sink into your legs as if running under a low bridge.

Seven. Settle into a breathing that fits your movement. Do not force it; find it. And above all else, smile!

Eight. Head over shoulders. Shoulders over hips. Hips over feet. To run straight do not lean back. Instead, surge the pelvis.

Nine. When you realize you have outrun your smile, slow down and let it catch up. Breathe, relax, smile.

Ten. Do not be stiff, but do not allow your arms to swing across your centerline. Keep them loose but in gentle control.

Eleven. Do not run with music. Your run is a dance to the music of your environment. Ear plugs are for those trying to run from running; for those just trying to get through it.

Twelve. Be soft. Allow all of your senses to open. Be grateful, gentle, generous. This is mindful running. This is ghost running. Light, open, relaxed, appreciative. Leave no trace.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Manifesto?

I am unconcerned with reputation.
I am impervious to insults.

I am unimpressed by credentials.
I am impatient with respectability.

I do what I want, when I want,
saying whatever I wish.
I am my own man, with my own style,
a free human being.

Go on living someone else’s life,
too afraid to create your own.
Go on paying your association fees,
tattooing yourself with corporate logos.

You are a coward.
Grow hair on your testicles.
Think for yourself.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Ronin

I have no teacher,
I make observation my teacher.

I have no lineage,
I make experience my lineage.

I have no credentials,
I make ability my credentials.

I have no secrets,
I make principles my secret.

I have no strategy,
I make expedience my strategy.

I have no enemies,
I make ignorance my enemy.

I have no concerns,
I make the moment my concern.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Fusho Zen

Burn
your robes
your temples
your chant books
your wooden bowls
your gongs
your sandals
your cushions
your selves.

Return to the unborn.
Remain in the unborn.

The unborn
is undying.
The undying
is unborn.

Burn your world
and return to
everywhere.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

A Few Samurai Haiku

In the lap
of the meditating Samurai –
White kitten.

Too much sake –
the Samurai grabs
The wrong ass.

Rain trickles
down the Samurai’s face –
And blood.

Old Samurai –
his last
Cup of tea.

Cold night –
the Samurai cuddles
His dog.

Making soup –
the Samurai’s
Widow.

Abandoned by his
wife – the Samurai
Finds comfort anywhere.

Polishing his sword,
the aristocrat
Dreams of Samurai.

In the graveyard –
the Samurai hunches
Over his cane.

New Years Day –
the Samurai and the
Young boy.

Tavern –
the voices of Samurai
Getting louder.

After the storm –
the Samurai finds a
Fallen nest of birds.

In his barren cave
the Samurai lounges
Royally.

Walking the countryside –
villagers watch the Samurai
Suspiciously.

Taking a nap –
the Samurai dries his clothes
Over his fishing rod.

Low on funds –
the Samurai is without
A companion.

His wife dying –
the Samurai goes to temple
Just in case.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Reminder

01. Never badmouth anybody, including so-called enemies; even in retaliation.
02. Always keep an open mind to different ways; even those of competitors.
03. When one person improves, we all improve; help others to improve.
04. Be grateful for everything, even the so-called negative things.
05. Be gentle with everybody, because we are all fighting invisible battles.
06. Be generous with your thoughts, words, actions, time, encouragement.
07. Life is short. Let’s spend it building people up, not tearing them down.
08. We are all in this together. If you forgot that, it’s time to remember.
09. Go barefoot often. The world is supposed to be felt, not trampled.
10. Get away from all negativity, fear-mongering news, and drama queens.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Pearls and Swine

“My love has so possessed me that no place remains for hating even Satan.”
– Rabia Basri

You wonder why I am against
capital punishment.
You wonder why I am against
violent retribution.
You wonder why I am against
eating animals.

You would no longer wonder
what I am against
if you sat with me and looked
fearlessly in the direction
of what I am for:

Unconditional love for every
sentient being,
no matter what they’ve done
or to whom they’ve done it.

You will go on misunderstanding me
if you remain confused
about ultimate love.
Until you figure it out,
on your own and for yourself,
I refuse to spend energy explaining
a sunset to the blind.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

To Shame!

“I know I am mad.”
– Salvador Dali

I’ve grown tired of soups, broths, noodles.
Beans, leaves, stalks, starches.
Asparagus? Bok choy?
I want meat! I want my jaw tired by gnawing.
I want to shred fibers from bones.
Gristle! Fat! Blood and tendon!

Soon, I pray, I will tire of this insanity.
I’m a madman!
To eat the suffering of others?
To gorge on the sorrow of life?
To please myself temporarily
for someone’s extinction?
My head hangs. To shame!

Keep your bodies.
I will not be coming for them.
I will subsist on the softness
of my garden.
But please forgive me
if I occasionally consider you
meat.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

One Practice

Make your practice simple:
Expand in love with every breath.
Loosen your mental fist.
Soften your features.
Breathe fully, relax, smile.
This should be your practice.

Love which is not unconditional
is surely not love.

As you expand outward
expand also inward.
All is expansion,
or else solidification.

Liquify the solid,
Vaporize the liquid,
Rarify the subtle.

There is one practice:
expanding in love.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Same Fence

After the Zen monks
completely dry me out,
I go to the Sufi poets
to become damp again.

After Zen sobriety
I seek Sufi intoxication.

After partying
I sit, cross-legged,
aware of my hangover.

Sitting with the monks.
Dancing with the mystics.

I take root in the
slow soil of sitting.
I take flight in the
ripe revival of reverie.

The drought of the mind;
The flood of the heart.
I am both seasons.

Two sides
of the same fence.

© William Banks and “Zen Broom” 2014. All content of this blog and website, unless specifically noted otherwise, is protected under U.S. copyright. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material in whole or part without express written permission from this blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to William Banks as author and “Zen Broom” as source with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.