A Recommended Blog

There's an older so-called "Zen" based blog that I stop by from time to time. It's called Zenhabits.

I liked it a few years back. Not so much anymore. It doesn't feel welcoming.

The author, Leo Babauta,  strongly believes in being an example of what he thinks are Zen Habits. However, to me it's become so Spartan, so lean and mean that I find its style is just "too much."

He says lots of people like his stuff and I've no reason to doubt him. it is interesting just too austere for me. It's as though he was following Wabi-Sabi and started with Austerity but is now out of balance somehow. It's probably just a matter of taste, but I think it lacks one of the factors of Wabi-Sabi, intimacy. Intimacy is of course the feeling of closeness and kinship: boy friend / girl friend, good friends, mentor and apprentice, parent and child, nephew and uncle, aunt and niece, etc. (No disrepect to pople with alternative life style there's often very dedicated intimacy in those lifestyles, no disrepsect to animal lovers either.  There is another important factor Zenhabits might seem lacks "aloneness." Now "aloneness" might not be expressible on a blog, not at first. But I understand that aloness is meant to cultivate into a deeper feeling of "All Is Oneness" through mindful actions and of course, Zazen, deep meditation.  Subtle. Mysterious. Profound. Not so much on ZH on first glance, but Leo Babauta covers this elegantly. He simply recommends the habit if medittion. He pledged to himself to meditate five minutes a day. It's not bad. I think ten would be better. But I mainly agree with Genkaku Adam Fisher over at Genkaku-Again <http://genkaku-again.blogspot.com>. Genkaku posted in several places that he sits for the lenght of time it take to burn a single stick of good Japanese incense. I gather than means about a half hour (25 - 40) minutes depending on the incense. That's a really nice practice goal! But it takes prioritization and discipline and a realization that many thing will keep until tomorrow and even sort themselves out during zazzen meditation or even while one is fast asleep.

Still.  Visit it. It is nothing but instructive and, I believe, sincere. The author has some very good ideas so look beyond his aesthetics if they do bother you. You just might cultivate a new good habit or track down why you can't get a handle on an old undesired one.

If a person can help me to change a habit using pebbles, stick figures or crayons or letter blocks why would I complain. "Grasshopper, you might learn to really appreciat plain steamed veggies if you follow Leo Babauta's advice."

Zenhabits.