the pathless path

Subscribers to this BLOG can now download 3 of my e-books, absolutely free. I’m not sure if this is a "forever" thing.
If you look at the top of the e-mail version of this BLOG, subscribers have a link to the free e-books.

If you know anyone who would benefit from my e-books, and benefit from this BLOG, send them to: http://www.phoenixcentre.com/cgi-bin/prolinkz/pl.cgi?free

So, today’s post is going to be a sort of “State of the Union” message, as we have some stuff coming up, and I wanted to talk about all of it.

Help, please!

On to the News

First of all, I’m doing a tele-seminar / webinar thingie.

I’ll be online and on the phone, talking about how to identify and change your thought patterns—how to shift from auto-pilot to Simple Presence. There will be a free, one hour seminar on Wednesday, May 27, starting at 5 Pacific, 8 Eastern time. There will be 4 additional one hour seminars, on the following 4 Wednesdays, same time. You’ll learn the details on the May 27th call, but broadly, I’ll be discussing the acronym NAIL–Noticing, Accepting, Integrating, and Letting Go.

Here’s the promo text for the event:

It has been said that life is 10% action and 90% reaction. How are your reactions in your life serving you?

This Could Be Your A-HA Moment

What if…

    * you could disconnect your auto-response mechanism and live with full awareness, presence and intention?

    * you were always acting with your highest and best self in mind?

    * your mind was constantly filled with loving thoughts?

    * you could instantly remedy undesirable states of being?

Are you ready to move "Beyond Beliefs" and rethink a new life for yourself?

Are you willing to commit to noticing your thinking and questioning your thoughts?

Are you willing to let go of the worries that are out of your control and accept what you cannot change?

If you are interested in making a lasting positive change in your life, please join Therapist, “Simple Zen Guy,” and Author, Wayne C. Allen for a FREE teleseminar and webcast hosted by TheSelfHelpSchool.com on Wednesday May 27, 2009 at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. We will discuss the formation of self-responsibility through exploration of how we create our lives.

Please click here for more information and to register for the event. Reserve your space now as space is limited!

We look forward to working with you at the Teleseminar!

PS. Forward this email to anyone who could use a change in their lives because there will be many A-HA!s during this call.

My New Book is Progressing

My new book, Half Asleep in the Buddha Hall, is out for review, and we still think we’ll have it available in June, or the beginning of July at the latest. I’ve picked June 15 as a target date, but a lot depends on the reviewers. I want to include their comments in the book, and the turn around on that is a couple of weeks.

Today, I want to share the cover with you, and to thank Dennis (Boogie Jack) Gaskill for the design. Dennis is a friend—we’ve written back and forth for a couple of years, he’s read my stuff, and has always been generous with comments and suggestions. I happened to mention the new book to him, and he offered to work up some cover designs. He donated his time and services, and I’m so grateful. It’s a great cover!

To whet your appetite, here’s the Intro of the new book. I’ll be posting sample sections over the next few weeks, too!

Introduction

Back in 2005, my book, This Endless Moment, was published. Fairly quickly after that, I thought about writing the next one. In This Endless Moment, I wrote from a Western perspective about several core concepts that related to simple presence and living. In this book, I am playing around with Eastern views of these same concepts.

I want to encourage you to step back from Western culture and belief systems, for no particular reason other than to give you a chance to air out your mind. This is meant to be like walking around a statue. The front and the back may seem different, but it is the same statue, seen from a different perspective.

Ultimately, my wish is that you expand your repertoire regard-ing how you choose to view, understand, and live your life. This book will suggest a moment-by-moment path to deeper, commit-ted, and purposeful living.

While you will see Zen stories, quotes from the Tao Te Ching, core Buddhist teachings, and material from the Bhagavad-Gita, this is not a Zen, Taoist, Hindu, or Buddhist sales pitch. I am not declaring what you are reading to be right, or correct. What I do know is that I have tested the concepts that I write about, and have found them to be ‘so’ in my own life. I write, as always, from the class-room of my own experience.

I invite you to join me, to evaluate what you read with a critical eye, and to experiment with the concepts presented. The Buddha said,

 “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

In this book, my overarching framework is the Zen perspective. I have made use of old, old Zen stories, as well as new Zen tales that come from my experience with life, with Darbella, with family, friends, and clients. If you are new to these Eastern stories, you might at first struggle with making sense of the plot or point. If you are familiar with some of the stories, you may find your interpretation of the story’s meaning differs from mine. In either case, hold what you read lightly, letting thoughts play in the depths of your mind and heart. I claim no authority over meanings—this book is simply a light-hearted invitation to loosen your grip on your interpretations, thoughts, and actions.

We can discover the essence of Zen in the practice of meditation (zazen) and contemplation (effortful mindfulness, or concentration.) In the stillness that arises, our normal busyness, analysis, and ‘monkey-mind’ (jumping from one thought to another) can fade into the background, as another, perhaps more interesting essence floats to the surface. In this empty stillness is great depth, insight, and wisdom, none of which has much to do with thinking, reasoning, or being ‘wise.’ We discover the realm of simple presence in the endless flow of Now.

This realm is where the mystery of us—of we ‘mere humans’—becomes less cloudy. As we bring ourselves into the discipline of stillness and Emptiness, our dramas, excuses, evasions, and lack of integrity begins to dissipate. We find ourselves, finding ourselves. Paradoxically, our finding reveals that there is no one, anywhere, to find.

In the Tao, we read, “If you mould a cup you have to make a hollow; it is the Emptiness within it that makes it useful.”  This concept of looking into Emptiness is a foreign one in the West, where externals, looks, possessions, and scorecards of various forms and stripes are the way we define ourselves. Yet, if we are to progress, look we must—into the Emptiness that gives form meaning.

Walk with me, then, into the depths of life, into the heights of who we are, and into the swirl and flow of the chi of life. In the stillness, there is both peace and presence.

This book is divided into sections.

In the First Section, we have a look at Zen living as it is reflect-ed in Traditional Zen Stories. What I write is not intended to be seen as the only, single, or even correct explanation of each story. Rather, I am sharing what arose for me as I related to the story.

In the Second Section, I present some Zen stories of my own, complete with hints as to their meaning for me. I urge you to read them and concoct your own meaning.

In the Third Section, I present for your consideration the utterings of a 20th century Zen Master, Yogi Berra.

In the Fourth Section, we explore living in a new way, as we re-late in openness, clarity, and integrity.

Enjoy.

Lastly, Here’s a Call for Suggestions

I’ve had several requests for relationship help, in the form of a new book. I’ve been playing around with this, trying out formats in my head.  A couple of days ago, I thought, “Why not ask readers for relationship questions?”

I’m thinking that the book could be in question / answer format, and the topics could be about anything relational – communication, sexuality and sensuality, conflict management, keeping the relationship alive—whatever.

So, please, if you have ideas or questions that would fit this format, send them to me at wcallen (at) rogers (dot) com. You know how to turn that into a proper e-mail address. Or, use the form, here:

http://www.phoenixcentre.com/info.htm