Dharma Podcast: Get out of the way

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Fiona writes: Kaspa & I are Buddhists, of the Pureland variety. We have a separate blog here, but today I thought I'd bring two usually-separate-parts-of-my-life together and post my Dharma talk here as well as over there.

We have a weekly meeting with our lovely local sangha, and usually Kaspa is celebrant (he leads the service). This involves making water offerings, leading walking and sitting meditation and chanting, and lots of bowing. There are lots of things to 'get right' (although it's not as complicated as being bell-master, which Caroline did beautifully last night). I'm still very much a learner.

Last night I decided I'd be celebrant a few minutes before the service started. My talk was about how it feels to go out of your comfort zone, and how often our egos get in the way.

A 'wagesa' (the thing I forgot to bring to the service) is a strip of coloured material we wear around our necks, as a 'membership badge' like a dog collar - the translation of the Japanese is 'small robe'. Namo Amida Bu is what Pureland Buddhists call the 'nembutsu' - a simple calling out to/remembrance of/praise of Amida Buddha. You can learn more if you're interested here.

After the service, Kaspa told me I'd got everything right, apart from the terrible faux pas of walking down the centre of the material in front of the shrine. This is reserved for EMPERORS ONLY. Talk about giving myself a promotion...

Namo Amida Bu.

Podcast: Judging Art (& Fiona loses her temper)

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Fiona writes: Today I lost my temper at Roshi for climbing up the curtains.

We also explored the paradox of wanting to encourage people to write whatever they want to write, and having a (in my case, overly stern) critical eye. How can things be perfect as they are, and in need of a little improvement?

The online magazine we mentioned in the podcast was qarrtsiluni.

If you listen, do let us know what you think of the themes we covered today.

Also do let us know if you think these podcasts are become more and more chaotic. I fear they are. And I can't quite work out if this is a good thing or not. : )

Podcast: Show don't tell (& Roshi kitten makes his first podcast appearance)

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Fiona writes: Today we talked about why it's so important when we write that we can show and not tell.

The conversation took some diversions (as, to be honest, it sometimes does) into Kaspa's funky hat, drama, Buddhist theory of self & (of course) kittens.

The article written by a science fiction writer that Kaspa mentioned is Robert J. Sawyer's Show Don't Tell.

There is also a very special guest appearance from our kitten Roshi.

Podcast: Why are we doing this? (and kitten photos)

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Kaspa writes: This weeks conversation is sparked off by Fiona asking what it is we are offering with these podcasts, and what is good to offer...

We quickly start talking about what makes anything interesting to listen to, content, personality, freshness... Just what it is that draws our attention?

We mention two other podcasts in our talk today. Fiona did a couple of shows for SheWrites (listen online here), a a few months ago we were recorded in conversation for Dave Bonta's Woodrat podcast.

Sunday evening we collected our two new kittens, Tsuki and Roshi. We've created an album of photos on the WOWH Facebook page: our new kittens.

Podcast: There certainly are wobbles

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Fiona writes: This morning, we spoke about the kinds of things that are difficult to talk about.

The kind of thing that poetry attempts. What are we, as people? Where do our personalities come from? Is there such a thing as a 'real me' or a me at all?

We also spoke about the terrible raw risk of being alive as opposed to ossified, and what happens when we push our aliveness up against other people's aliveness (ouch). Mark Waldron speaks about this in his poem, 'Well yes, where we interface', which Kaspa reads at the beginning of our podcast, and which you can also hear Mark reading here. Do buy Mark's latest collection, The Itchy Sea (Amazon UK/Amazon US) - it really is splendid.

Podcast: Autumn wistfulness

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Fiona writes: We speak up for the merits of wistfulness this week, and ponder over Basho's directive (below).

I also mention kittens, as there are only two weeks until our pair arrive...

What are your thoughts about Autumn? Your experiences?

Do share in the comments, and thank you for listening.

*

An autumn night
don't think your life
didn't matter.

~Basho

Podcast: What do people want?

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Fiona writes: We got really lost in the middle of this podcast. But then we found our way again. Fatty also contributed by fighting Kaspa's bag, and by prompting me to think about animal instincts.

The whole podcast is a response to an invitation from Elizabeth Howard over at Letters from a Small State. She was inspired to think about the question "What Does America Want?" by 'the riots in London, her thoughts about the economic downturn and its impact on the Western psyche'.

She asked us, "What do people want?", and we've responded in a Fiona-and-Kaspa way.

Thank you for the invitation, Elizabeth. Her series continues through September. Do visit her lovely blog and submit your own work. And if anyone else has anything they'd like us to talk about, suggestions are welcome!

Click here if you'd like to subscribe to the RSS for all our podcasts. Thank you for listening.

Podcast: Divine inspiration

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We hadn't the foggiest what to talk about this morning. We were fresh out of inspiration. And so we talked about inspiration.

The conversation (and this week we were accompanied by Fatty who contributed by sleeping on my lap) includes walruses, my novel The Letters & how we can find inspiration when it's deserted us.

If anyone is interested in following up any one of the millions of references Kaspa makes during the podcast, do leave a comment & he'll get back to you! Here's Mr John Cleese talking about creativity. And here's Elizabeth Gilbert's talk (which you might not like if you don't go for any of that divine inspiration stuff). 

Click here if you'd like to subscribe to the RSS for all our podcasts.

Thank you for listening, and do tell us about your experiences of inspiration in the comments.

Podcast: Finding fundamental security in an insecure world

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This week’s conversation ranges over what we can do when we’re afraid and uncomfortable, whether Fatty will jump up onto Kaspa’s lap or not, where we can find a fundamental security, and Kaspa crying in coffee shops.

It also includes the following quotes from Ezra Bayda’s book, ‘Saying Yes To Life’. Deep gratitude to Bayda for his ongoing inspiration (especially from Fiona).

"You’ll never be free from discomfort and fear – yet liberation comes from not needing to be free from them.

Ultimately we need to understand that spiritual life isn’t about being safe, secure or comfortable. It’s not that we won’t sometimes feel secure in the course of our spiritual practice; we surely will. And so too will we sometimes feel insecure. Yet there is a fundamental security that develops from many years of practice – though it is a far cry from the immediate comfort we may now crave."

Click here if you'd like to subscribe to the RSS for our podcasts.

Thank you for listening, and do let us know what you think in the comments.

Podcast: Sowing good seeds

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Fiona writes: This morning Kaspa & I talked about sowing good seeds, and how patient we need to be when we're wondering if they've sprouted or not. We refer to the talk Kaspa gave at the weekend on how to live a meaningful life.

We use the f-word a few times (I'll say more about that tomorrow) (it's not the f-word you're thinking of).

I also read out this quote:

"Any ordinary favor we do for someone or any compassionate reaching out may seem to be going nowhere at first, but may be planting a seed we can't see right now. Sometimes we need to just do the best we can and then trust in an unfolding we can't design or ordain."
Sharon Salzberg

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Thank you for listening.

Podcast: Remember to be happy (thank you very much)

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Fiona writes: Yesterday, I was grumpy. This morning Kaspa & I spoke about how easy it is to get caught up in the endless things-to-be-done, and why it is that we so often 'forget to be happy'.

Amongst other things we cover the Eastern Therapeutic practice Naikan, vegetable & coriander soup, impermanence, and Dave Bonta's Odes to Tools. And how tightly I clung to my grumpiness!

Kaspa mentions Cat, who's the friend I had lunch with (waving at Cat) and David, who's our Buddhist teacher Dharmavidya.

Do let us know if you listen to this, and what your thoughts are on the subjects. Thank you very much, thank you very much, thank you very much.

Podcast: Speaking authentically - and getting feedback

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This week Fiona and I are mulling over receiving criticism, sparked off by my receiving a negative comment about a talk I posted online, and Fiona losing some newsletter subscribers.

We've both had lots of good feedback as well, of course. But it's impossible to say something meaningful without upsetting someone. It's also impossible to connect to people in a real way if you don't say anything meaningful.

What we don't say explicitly in the podcast is that we both think that receiving both kinds of feedback positive and negative, is a good thing. That getting snipey comments or emails is a sign that you are being heard, and that you are saying something that has some energy behind it.

Podcast: Saved by a Poem

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What does it mean to learn a poem by heart?

A couple of weeks ago Fiona and I led a week long course in France, Connecting with others through words and movement. Inspired by our experience running that course and by reading Kim Rosen's book Saved by a Poem, we've been thinking about different ways of working with poetry, and how you can learn about yourself through working with poetry.

You can find out more about Sage Cohen's book Writing The Life Poetic, which Fiona mentions in the podcast, here.

Fiona also reads Esther Morgan's This Morning. Esther's third collection Grace will be available in October. This Morning  won the Bridport prize in 2010.

Podcast: Entering the Silence

This morning Fiona and I spent ten minutes talking to each other, and sometimes an imaginary third listener, about our recent experience of being on silent retreat. We recorded the conversation as a podcast and you can listen to it using the player above or by downloading the mp3 below.

This podcast doesn't tell you how to make lots of money or become popular... it doesn't give any useful information at all.  It's just some thoughts about an experience that we both found fascinating, and that we think others might be interested in as well.

We're both feeling unwound, and settled, after the retreat and perhaps you can hear some of this in our voices.

The plan is to record a short conversation, either with each other, or with some other interesting folk, once a week. This one is twelve minutes long - let me know what you think.

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Amazing podcast: Tea with Dave Bonta

Dave Bonta, poet and blogger extraordinaire, best known for his via negtiva blog, and for the literary journal he runs with Beth Adams, Qarrtsiluni, also audio blogs the interesting conversations he has with the people he bumps into. He calls these recordings his Woodrat Podcast.

Back at the beginning of May, Fiona and I had the pleasure of (deliberately) bumping into Dave when he came to Wales for the launch of The Book of Ystwyth. 


We sat down over a couple of pots of tea in one of my favorite coffee shops in Aberystwyth, the Orange Grove, and recorded a fascinating conversation, covering writing, religion and the river of stones, as well as some personal sharing (and singing!). The result is Woodrat Podcast 42: Tea with Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita. Listen online now.