My meditation journal

[Thittato]

5th session of kayaking this year

Wow. So awesome. I'm totally getting into a very decent 4th season with this activity.

2021: 20 sessions

2022: 30 sessions

2023: 11 sessions

2024: 5 sessions so far.

So kayaking really peaked in the 2nd season I was doing it. Then I was a bit lukewarm about it in the 3rd season. And this year I thought was maybe going to be my last year, but now I'm really enjoying it again.

Edited July 10 by Thittato

[Thittato]

45 min meditation today. Really, really nice. Deep concentration.

Been inconsistent with my meditation suddenly. I think something has been triggered. Been a lot of resistance. But I do meditate with my girlfriend over videochat occasionally. In order to work on our relationship we have started to study the buddhist meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh together, and having this as a common ground has really improved our relationship. It has given us some tools to stear our relationship in the right direction, and a conceptual framework we can both agree on when it comes to having an understanding of what kind of climate we wish to have in our relationship. Also work has been really demanding lately. Or I guess both work and the relationship has required quite some focus and energy, and I've been having quite some resistance towards my formal meditation practice. But suddenly my relationship feels much more like a safe haven with a loving and supportive girlfriend who is there for me. She is very fun and nice, when she is not dissatisfied with the relationship hehe.... Anyways. We have been exploring walking meditation together. We read Thich Nhat Hanh together, and then we do walking meditation, and then we share about our experiences with the meditation and buddhist studies in general. A very nice format seems to have emerged. And I'm super-happy I can have someone there to study buddhism together with. She is also a nerd, like me, so it is pretty cool.

Edited July 13 by Thittato

[Thittato]

6th session of kayaking this year

Wow. This is the longest and most demanding trip I've ever done. I paddled around 3 islands, one of them really big. Distance is approximately 25 to 30 km. It took me 4 hours and 40 min. Almost didn't stop. There was open ocean coming in towards one of the sides of the biggest island, so it was a challenge to cross that stretch, especially since this was my first time around this island.

In total it was really, really awesome.

Edited July 14 by Thittato

[Thittato]

45 min meditation today. Very nice concentration today as well.

[Thittato]

45 min meditation today as well. Really deep and nice concentration. I'm very tired these days, so this helps a lot.

[Thittato]

45 min meditation today as well. Very nice. Not the same depth of concentration as yesterday, but still very nice.

[Thittato]

7th session of kayaking this year

On sunday 4th of August. 2 hours, including training with my girlfriends dog to join me for a 1 hour trip around an island. It was so fun to train and paddle with the company of a dog. So besides that I have been all over the place. Doing yoga, weight-lifting, sometimes meditating, guitar-practice, etc, but my daily routine has dissolved.

[Thittato]

8th session of kayaking this year

Paddled for 8 km with my girlfriend yesterday. This was her first time kayaking. It was really nice, she really enjoyed it.

I took a break from my meditation practice for a while. Somehow my focus shifted to exercise when I started kayaking again. Didn't kayak an awful lot this summer, only 8 times so far, but the kayaking triggered an interest in weight-lifting again, and I've been working with kettlebells for some time now.

However my girllfriend and I went on a buddhist seminar 31st of August to 1st of September (saturday and sunday) in the tradition she has been practicing in - Nichirin Buddhism in the SGI tradition. They chant the Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo there, which is a celebration of and reflection on the Lotus Sutra.

I felt really inspired about this practice, so I have been chanting this chant for at least 30 min per day since this seminar. Yesterday I discussed this practice with ChatGPT and I got some really interesting answers.

This is what I asked:

So I'm experimenting with SGI buddhism these days. Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. What benefits could this give me compared to the normal breath awareness / vipassana practice I usually do?

This is what ChatGPT answered:

Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, as practiced in SGI Buddhism, is centered around connecting with your inner potential and manifesting positive changes in life through vocalizing the chant. It’s a form of active meditation that can offer different benefits compared to breath awareness or Vipassana meditation. Here are some key distinctions and potential benefits:

Focus on Transformation: Chanting in SGI Buddhism is seen as a practice of shifting your inner state and bringing about external change. The idea is that by chanting, you align with the fundamental law of life and activate the ability to overcome challenges. This could complement your breath awareness practice by introducing a more vocal, outwardly expressive form of cultivating inner change.

Energy and Vibration: Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is rhythmic and vocal, which can generate a powerful energetic experience. The vibration of chanting might lead to a different kind of emotional release and stimulation compared to the silent, contemplative nature of Vipassana, where the emphasis is on observing sensations and thoughts without interference.

Immediate Engagement: Chanting may help when you’re feeling distracted or agitated, as it provides an active focal point, making it easier to engage the mind compared to breath awareness practices that can feel more passive. The repetition can create a strong, immediate sense of concentration.

Community Connection: SGI Buddhism often involves group chanting, which can provide a sense of community and collective support. This could be a contrast to the more solitary nature of Vipassana and might introduce a feeling of being part of something larger, which could influence your spiritual development differently.

Affirmation of Goals and Desires: SGI Buddhism encourages chanting with a focus on manifesting concrete goals in life. This can be appealing if you’re looking to reinforce intentions or desires more explicitly, whereas Vipassana tends to focus on insight and acceptance without striving toward specific outcomes.

Each approach offers unique paths toward personal growth. Experimenting with both might provide you with a balance of active, transformative energy through chanting and the grounded, mindful awareness from Vipassana.

[Thittato]

Back to my normal meditation it seems like. 45 min on saturday, none yesterday, and 45 min today (monday). Me and my girlfriend did approximately 10 days of her meditation together after the course we did in SGI buddhism. It was pretty cool to try it out. I learned a lot more about her background.

[Thittato]

9th session of kayaking this year

Another session of kayaking with my girlfriend yesterday. 2 hours. Approximately 7km. It was really nice. So even though I've been reluctant about kayaking this year, it seems to turn into one 4th pretty ok year of doing this thing. So at least I will do one more session so I get 10 sessions this year. These 4 years of kayaking has been creating a nice support structure within my meditation practice and this meditation journal. Like "Zen and the Art of Kayaking" or something like that.