Another exploration of Gift Economy

http://showmanshaman.wordpress.com/

Check out another version of Gift Economy exploration with lots of Lewis Hyde quotes. And the blog is by my son Ben Lloyd who's created a theater and arts residency program at this old magnificent mansion near Elkins Park PA.

Meditation and Ego gossip

EXPOSING THE GOSSIP OF EGO ~ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

The basic practice of meditation is related with exposing the subconscious gossip of ego as well as exposing the conscious maneuvers of ego. Other schools of thought might say the practice of meditation is about trying to get higher, gain more, or stuff all kinds of things into your mind. In other words, these approaches are concerned with numerous techniques. But here, the idea of meditation is not designed to be collecting or producing more, but it is letting go.

what is meditation practice in dance.art.lab?

what are we doing when we meditate?
is it important that we do the same thing?
what does it bring to us to train the mind through shamatha-vipashyana meditation techniques?
how much instruction is helpful?
when do we ask questions about the process and experiences of mind-training?
do some folks want to be left alone with their practice and others to receive more instruction?
how is your posture?
what do you do with big thought patterns that return again and again?
who is resting awake and relaxed?
who uses the eye practices/ear practices during sitting meditation sessions?
is anyone reading this?

evolution of DAL

What is organic?

How does BD want to participate, what does she need?

what’s the ethos/culture?

what’s the intention?

what’s the organizing principle?

SUPPORT IDEAS:

Submit what you’d be comfortable leading/holding space for, then be invited by Barbara to lead something. Also, don't mind volunteering for tasks

Zen practice models, seniors/students for taking care of administrative and timekeeping business. co-facilitators lead - holding the space of wisdom (wearing the space suit of wisdom & breaking down "little jobs" in style of martial arts/zen retreat)

EVOLUTION IDEAS:

How do we deepen/advance of dal?

people deepen practice perhaps with sitting, writing, etc? for the month before coming

silent lunch?

If incorporating/expanding to 24:

break out rooms in the afternoon and late morning model

WHAT'S NECESSARY?:

what’s the intention of DAL?

To:

continue BD's lineage & gathering of the tribe

laboratory & news from the front

retreat/renew/reflect

day three is the hard day: Barbara to lead the morning is important

Elements of a dal/some things are always there:

contemplative dance practice in mornings

solo quads & parallel corridors

afternoon - everybody brings in scores scores – laboratory

group conversation – on a relevant philosophical question

evening potluck at Barbara’s - celebration

what’s on Barbara’s mind (like "follow me" this year)

themes of investigation from Barbara like notecards

gift economy conversation

call to have participants keeping conversation going thru blog, response

CDP/NYC reflections from 8/16

CDP/NYC reflections from 8/16 (last date of summer session):

Myself, Carolyn, Taavo, Deb, Jeremy and Jessica:

We continued in the format of "flow" from sanctuary, sitting and personal awareness.

Warming up around perception: Jeremy quotes from CTR: "three levels/types of perception:

emptiness (recognizing space)

experience (noticing what's actually there and interacting with it)

luminosity (clarity to ?)

Taavo notes: In the search as actor for kinesthetic delight the support of gravity, weight & momentum act as support (great to have something fundamental occur as an "insight!)

* How does kinesthetic delight find support in character, story and image?

We continued the evolution of "the Solo Quads Aunt" with sound and light!

* How is the witnesser not part of a duet if they are holding a light

* How do we negotiate simultaneous music choice?

* Where is the line between influence/support/collaboration?

* How do we deal with questions around discretion, light as support, sound as support, witnesser as support (an exploration of all the elements via red square?)

The suggestion was made for each of us to contribute to a bag of support objects (lights, props) that may remain in the space/in circulation. evolving our recycled vocabulary.

Reflections from 8/9

FROM LAST SESSION 8/9

Jessica, Carolyn, Taavo, Deb, Teana, Benj and Damaris.

We tried a "seamless flow" from PAP to Open Space (one hour of open space!) Very delicious. General consensus of much more sustained kinesthetic delight. We finished up with a "five minute recall aunt" (rough changing brain works from lengthy open space to tracking...).

FOR 8/16

Our last session for the summer/721 Broadway!

We will repeat last weeks format of "seamless flow" from PAP to (45 minutes of) Open Space.

I would like to continue with the solo quad evolution, incorporating the call for witnesser to have the option of selecting music, AND having the witnesser have the option of a lighting instrument.

After practice we are going to Veselka, and there we can pick our next "evolution meeting" date.

We begin our fall session monday september 20th at Bill Young Studios 100 Grand, and continue for twelve consecutive mondays.

CDP/NYC refelctions from 8/2

FROM LAST SESSION 8/2

We discussed a quote of CTR's from Training the Mind & Cultivating Loving Kindness:

"When neurosis arises, you first have to recognize it as neurosis. Then you have to apply a technique or antidote to overcome it. Since neurosis basically comes fro selfishness, from placing too much importance on yourself, the antidote is that you have to cut through the ego. Finally, you have to have the determination not to follow the neurosis or continue to be attracted to it.There is a sense of abruptly overcoming neurosis."

We took a long sanctuary and sat, we then went into PAP and then played in open space.