A Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage Like No Other

[Rough timestamps and transcription notes, with editorial liberties, by Peter Crimmin]

00:00 Intro comments, reference to the Anna Oneglia postcard “Alone Together”, and the need to care for hearts and minds

02:00 Taking care of the mind – deciding how much of the political news to take in.

04:15 The theme of pilgrimage: different places, religions, stepping into the unknown, being willing to undergo change, aiming for the sacred

05:00 Taking in too much news media distracts us from the sacred. The kilesas play out in full color, and if we’re indiscriminate, we forget the beautiful potential of life.

06:40 Sacredness of the settled and stilled mind.

07:30 The clutter drops away.

08:00 Living in a forest helps gain perspective.

08:30 Proceed like this – However you conduct the pilgrimage, bring to mind the quality of sacredness as part of what you are. Greater than each of us, but part of each of us.

09:00 Turn back. Conduct your pilgrimage with faith, energy, perseverance, persistence. Receive the conditions and let them go.

10:00 Breaking through – As you cycle and have challenges, or arrive at views, perhaps you’ll experience a break-through.

11:00 Life as pilgrimage. Not getting pushing around by the kilesas. Not getting stuck. Keeping going with the goal/destination in mind. Retaining the sacred potential.

12:00 The Journey – Ups and downs are the details. The place of letting go, the freedom is the destination.

13:00 Matrix of the world – the mind-made world of greed, hatred, delusion. This keeps us spellbound. It’s an energy field we create. We manifest as money, power, whatnought.

14:00 Buddha points to the matrix of delusion – it can direct our lives however insubstantial. We can awaken to this.

15:00 No problems – what motivation arise once there’s nothing to fear? To engage with energy. To withdraw and let go.

16:00 Matrix of human warmth, kindness, friendship, patience, presence. Simple qualities that breakdown the delusion, the coldness.

17:00 Stay connected – as you conduct your pilgrimages stay connected to what is warm inside. Be willing to be transformed in any way it transforms you.

17:50 Samadhi/Jhana factors – these are the means of getting connected and making transformation.

18:30 Vitaka – Settle on something simple – Letting go of greed and sensual desire. Withdraw attention from the chaos and problems and wanting. Settle on something that is present and immediate and simple… like the breath.

19:30 Vichara – Stay with the simple thing – Stay, stay, stay on the simple object and the mind will settle.

20:00 Piti – Joy arises in the settled mind. “Just a little bit of joy is good enough for us.” Analyo

21:00 Sukkha – Pleasantness. Sweetness. Physically lower in the body. Look for this. Guide the mind in this direction of well-being.  Find it and settle on it.

23:00 Nourishment – these qualities amplify with attention – they grow when we settle our attention on them.

23:20 Ekagata – the collected one-pointed mind. Not narrow-one-pointed but large-open-awareness-one-pointed. A collected presence.

24:00 These qualities arise naturally when working hard on a bicycle.  Not striving on the bike. Train yourself to train just a little more gently.” And this can lead the place of peace, of letting go.

26:00 Find our way back to the state of awakeness, and bring it back into the mix of worldly life as best we can.

26:45 Upeka – Equanimity. Evenness of not wanting and not wanting to get rid of.

30:00 Remember – whatever pilgrimage you take, this one on bicycles or the larger pilgrimage, keep these qualities in mind. Come back to what is sacred, precious, and true

31:00 Question – Can you say more about paying attention to politics and getting caught in views. Where is the balance? Where does the action come from?