Posts from — August 2008

Jimmy Ruffin

While writing my book on heartbreak (”The Wisdom of a Broken Heart,” due out in September ‘09), I’ve turned again and again to that time honored source of knowledge and solace: music.

Here are the lyrics to my current all-time fave. It is just so wrenching and poetic. Grab a kleenex and enjoy.

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED

Songwriters: James Dean/Paul Riser/William Weatherspoon

As I walk this land of broken dreams
I have visions of many things
But happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion

What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love, that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind, maybe

The roots of love grow all around
But for me they come a tumblin’ down
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
I can’t stand this pain much longer

I walk in shadows searching for light
Cold and alone, no comfort in sight
Hoping and praying for someone to care
Always moving and going nowhere

What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love, that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind, help me

I’m searching though I don’t succeed
But someone look, there’s a growing need
All is lost, there’s no place for beginning
All that’s left is an unhappy ending

Now what becomes of the broken-hearted
Who had love, that’s now departed
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind

I’ll be searching everywhere
Just to find someone to care
I’ll be looking everyday
I know I’m gonna find a way

Nothing’s gonna stop me now
I’ll find a way somehow
I’ll be searching everywhere

Click here for this 30-minute interview on Writing Spirit Resources website. Enjoy!

· If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

· Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?

· Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy; with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the fourth, a Danish.

· Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

· Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?

· The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

· There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?

· Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.

· The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides.The Tao has no expectations. The Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.

· Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You’ll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

· Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower blossoms ten thousand times. Each blossom has ten thousand petals. You might want to see a specialist.

· Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

· The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says, There is no self . So, maybe we are off the hook

From Zen Judaism by David Bader

JUNE 16-22, 2009
MORGAN’S ROCK HACIENDA & ECO-LODGE
SAN JUAN del SUR, NICARAGUA

CLICK here TO REGISTER

Join New York Times best-selling author and Buddhist teacher Susan Piver for a week of relaxation, writing, hiking, and fun day trips. Give yourself the gift of immersion in your own writing and enjoy the company of fellow-writers. Learn how to meditate and explore the relationship between meditation and creativity.

Open to writers of all genres and styles, published and unpublished. Bring existing projects, new ideas, or simply the wish to explore your own creativity. In paradise.

“Susan is a caring, compassionate person whose presence, insights, and instructions made for a valuable week exploring meditation practice and writing.” Heather R, Albany, Travel Writer

“Susan Piver is very wise, intuitive, and insightful and has had great impact, with a very light touch.” Gil D, St. Johnsbury, VT, Corporate Consultant & Business Writer

“Emotionally moving, spiritually a gift, cathartic beyond my wildest imagination.” Miriam L, Cambridge, Essayist

Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge is more than just a hotel or luxury resort. It is a unique and natural haven for the true traveler who is looking for a touch of luxury while enjoying the adventure and excitement of an exotic and tropical destination. But most importantly, it is a project of nature conservation, community development and reforestation offering Agro and Ecotourism at its best.

Enjoy the solitary companionship of one of Nicaragua ’s most beautiful beaches while slipping back into your spacious private bungalow overlooking Pacific sunsets and tropical wildlife.

The hacienda is located just north of San Juan del Sur, about a 45-minute drive from the Costa Rican border and two hours from the colonial city of Granada in southern Nicaragua. Endowed with a private, white-sanded beach visited by sea turtles to lay their eggs, the hacienda also hosts its own primary tropical dry forest ecosystem.

“The room was exquisite, spacious with an amazing view. The daybed on the porch was a sweet way to feel time slip away. The beach was absolutely perfect beyond belief, from the cabanas to the hammocks to the warm waters; and we were almost virtually alone! The cocktails were delicious, the pool (along with every other aspect) is beautifully designed. And once again, the staff was wonderful.” –Gay Kalember & Adrianna Pavloff

For a tour of Morgan’s Rock, have a look at this short video clip.

__________________________________________________________________

Morgan’s Rock is part of a full-scale tree farming, reforestation and conservation project that extends over 1,800 hectares. And the rooms are gor-geous. In fact, the whole place is gorgeous. It’s been reviewed favorably by Conde Nast, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Travel & Leisure, and so on.

Join me June 16-22 for this amazing retreat. You’ll have plenty of time to sink into your writing, and we’ll also share day-trips, hikes, and fun, focused group conversation about our work.

CLICK here TO REGISTER

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Article in New Orleans Times-Picayune, in which I was quoted.

So this is what I’ve ended up with, with around 30 hours to go before returning home after one month away.

48,366 words and many short chapters. Laid out as follows:

“The Wisdom of a Broken Heart”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Part One: Relax
Chapter One: How the Light Gets In
Chapter Two: Depression vs. Sadness
Chapter Three: Nothing Happens
Chapter Four: It is a Dark Night
Chapter Five: Making Friends with Heartbreak
Chapter Six: Yes, You Have Lost Your Mind (But it’s Okay.)
Chapter Seven: How to Meditate
Chapter Eight: If You Accept Pain, It Cannot Hurt You
Chapter Nine: Sex Might Help
Chapter Ten: Have Faith

Part Two: See Where You Are
Chapter Eleven: Of the Four Responses, One is Helpful
Chapter Twelve: Act Like a Queen
Chapter Thirteen: Give Your Demons a Dinner Party
Chapter Fourteen: Expect Allies
Chapter Fifteen: Become Wrathful
Chapter Sixteen: Intensify to Let Go
Chapter Seventeen: Trump This
Chapter Eighteen: Mirrors
Chapter Nineteen: “I Forgive You”
Chapter Twenty: Really Unhelpful Things
Chapter Twenty-One: Really Untrue Things
Chapter Twenty-Two: Intimacy is Always There

Part Three: Be Where You Are
Chapter Twenty-Three: A Luminous Journey
Chapter Twenty-Four: Authenticity
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Meaning of Love
Chapter Twenty-Six: One Sorry-Ass Bodhisattva
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tears and the Bodhisattva
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Practice of Loving Kindness
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Extending Loving Kindness to the One who Broke Your Heart
Chapter Thirty: Turning Off the Projector
Chapter Thirty-One: The Importance of Sadness

Part Four: Broken Hearted to Wholehearted, A X-Day Program

Afterword

Goodbye, Colorado! Thank you. I love you.

Only four more days until I go home.

I’m at Shambhala Mountain Center right now, where I’ve been for the past few days. I’m sitting in my very favorite room in the Shambhala Lodge–#308—watching and listening to the thunder and lightning and the sound of rain.

Of course it’s nowhere near as luxurious as where I was house sitting, but in some ways it’s even better because when I’m here, I’m in the kingdom of Shambhala. That is what it feels like. There are several hundred people on the land right now and they’re all here to practice, to look at their own minds. It’s quite intense and at the same time, nothing is going on. I have my writing desk set up just below the window (as you can see) and it’s just wonderful to sit here and work and occasionally see someone walking by. Where I was house sitting, I had the marvelous sensation of being in a cloud aerie. Looking out the windows, I saw an enormous landscape. Here, there is an equally wonderful feeling of being on the earth. It feels so good.

I’ve been having a great writing experience here. I’ve been waking quite early, around 5:30, getting a cup of tea, and getting right to work. My goal is to write 2000 words per day and in the last few days, I’ve been done by around 8:30! That’s it. Then there is the whole day ahead of me. I am very hopeful that I’m going to meet my goal of going home with 50,000 words towards my new book, since as of this morning, I’m up to just under 45,000. It’s due in October. If I can complete the manuscript by the end of August and then have all of September to simply think carefully about everything, that will be a miracle, a joy, a tremendous blessing. Not to mention a first. In the past, I’ve been writing the book basically up until the final fedex delivery on the final day before it’s due. NOT fun.

So much of my time is spent thinking of my teacher, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and of his father, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who is the person who entered me into the dharma in the first place, through his books. I think about Trungpa Rinpoche all the time. I often wonder what he would tell me about my practice, if he would think I was a good student or not. I usually weigh in on the “not” side. In any case, in writing “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart,” it is clear to me that this book is my attempt to meet the mind of Trungpa Rinpoche. I hardly dare admit that, but nonetheless it’s true. His teachings on warriorship, tenderness, loneliness, and sadness, are so completely beautiful and perfect that I feel like I must have been born with them already in my heart. They touch me, not in the way of exciting new information, but more like someone waking you up from a dream and reminding you of where you really (already) are. There is no possible way to express gratitude to him, or to Sakyong Mipham for teaching me how to know my own mind, moment to moment. Well, there is one way. I could become completely enlightened. That would probably be the only way to say thank you.

On the land here at Shambhala Mountain Center is the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya, built to commemorate and preserve the spirit of Chogyam Trungpa. It is unbelievably beautiful and ornate.

Inside is a 25’ statue of the Buddha.

To get to the Stupa, you walk along a path that leads through the most gentle and wonderful little aspen grove, with a rock bench. When I’m back in Boston and wishing I could calm down, I think of this bench.To me it’s the best seat in the world.

I love the aspen grove. Aspens always look like they’re at a cocktail party.

So today I practiced in the Stupa and all I can say is, it’s the best place in the world to practice. And sitting outside it, I look out on my very favorite view in the world. Shambhala Mountain Center is home to many personal superlatives as you can see.

Shambhala has its own anthem, written by Trungpa Rinpoche and, here comes another superlative, it is my favorite song ever. Whenever it’s sung, there is always, always one line that make me cry, even though, every single time, I swear that it won’t.

Rejoice! The Great Eastern Sun arises!

There is so much goodness in this world. You are made of it and so am I. All troubles are workable. Raw and tender beauty is palpable in each moment. This is what is meant by Great Eastern Sun. Rejoice!

This from Philip Pullman, author of “His Dark Materials” trilogy, which I love. To read the whole interview, click here.

Thank you, Mr. Pullman. Very clear and wonderful. I especially like this: Then I read it all again and think it’s horrible, and get very depressed. That’s one of the things you have to put up with.

I hear that.

What is a typical day like for you? I’ll get up at about half past seven and take my wife a cup of tea, and have my breakfast at the kitchen table reading the paper. I’ll sit down at my desk at about half past nine and work until it’s time for lunch, with a break for coffee half way through. If I’m lucky I’ll have written three pages by then, and I can fool about with my power tools in the afternoon. If not, it’s back to the desk until the three pages are covered. I write with a ballpoint pen on A4 sized narrow-lined paper. The paper has got to have a grey or blue margin and two holes. I only write on one side, and when I’ve got to the bottom of the last page, I finish the sentence (or write one more) at the top of the next, so that the paper I look at each morning isn’t blank. It’s already beaten. That number of pages amounts, in my writing, to about 1100 words. When I’ve finished a story I’ll type it all on to the computer, editing as I go. Then I read it all again and think it’s horrible, and get very depressed. That’s one of the things you have to put up with. Eventually, after a lot of fiddling, it’s sort of all right, but the best I can do; and that’s when I send it off to the publisher.