For the past twelve years I've been writing a book about my time at Brandeis University where my interactions with the religious Jewish community inspired me to become a more spiritually committed Buddhist. Lately, my Buddhist practice has all but slowed to a halt. I'd like to once again draw inspiration from Judaism in order to rekindle a once strong Buddhist practice. So, I've come up with a new practice that combines both traditions. First, some background info.

Meah Brachot literally means 100 blessings in Hebrew. Each Observant Jew is supposed to say at least 100 blessings each day. The implication is that if you can't find 100 things to bless each day, you're not paying attention.

Metta is the Pali word for loving-kindness. Interestingly enough, Hebrew has a word for this concept, too - Chesed - one of the ten attributes of G-d according to followers of Kabbalah - Jewish Mysticism. You begin the practice by repeating to yourself a set of affirmations:

May I be filled with loving-kindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy

You do this for 15 - 20 minutes a day. Once you cultivate loving-kindness within yourself, you move on to loved ones, acquaintenances, then to your "enemies" and finally to the whole universe.

Each entry will begin with a list of 100 things that I am grateful. I will then list the focus of my metta practice. As time permits, I may include a reflection of the day. I hope you enjoy this devotional journal and feel free to cheer me on!

Monday, February 1, 2010

February 1, 2010

Today, I am grateful for….

1. Job security

2. Great part time job that gives me constant contact with creativity of the highest order

3. My new Macbook - I now believe the hype

4. Some semblance of financial security after some scary and lean years

5. Jessica - everyday I am surprised at how much we love each other

6. Not worrying about where my next meal is coming from

7. Facebook being an easy means to keep in touch with friends all over the world

8. How exciting this year is shaping out to being

9. Worst Cooks in America – my one reality tv indulgence in schadenfreude

10. My down to earth chiropractor

11. How fast and easy installing MS Office was on my new computer

12. Adam Carolla podcast

13. Ralph Garman’s impersonation of Arnold Schwartzanegger

14. How much Jessica and I make each other laugh

15. Reconnecting with old friends

16. Breathing

17. Any form of nuanced thinking

18. Finding all the books I needed at the library

19. Keeping my cynicism in check

20. Still not completely believing in the concept of being comfortable

21. KFC value meals

22. The ability to have some fucked up and entertaining dreams

23. Having a washer and dryer in our apartment

24. Mike Ross, the director of Krannert Center

25. Chris Rock’s jokes from the presidential campaign

26. A slower than usual day at work

27. Life forcing me to multitask

28. Just how effective my first day of metta meditation was

29. Anthony Bourdain!

30. For bagels from Stewart’s Artisanal Breads

31. Keynesian economics

32. The Muppets Disney commercial

33. Under Armour

34. The rush of positive thoughts and feelings I have every time I see Jessica

35. Tiki

36. Schnuck’s having surprisingly fresh seafood for once

37. My smart and talented friends old and new

38. My increasingly reliable intuition

39. My Brita filter especially on those days when Illinois Water decides to put WAY too much chlorine in it

40. The music playing in my head – Sibelius Fifth Symphony

41. Dave Chappelle

42. Competent and dedicated coworkers at both of my jobs

43. An unseasonably warm day today

44. A team in the Super Bowl he can actually root for

45. This computer stand from Ikea

46. DVR – what would we have done without it?

47. Cathedral ceilings

48. The Wire

49. Jessica's cute faces

50. U of I Webstore

51. Space heaters

52. Owning a month’s worth of underwear thanks to Jessica

53. GQ making fun of annoying Facebook profiles

54. Random Boston jokes on 30 Rock

55. The insightful and heartfelt speeches given by the Rothsteins at their son's bris

56. Lady Gaga - only when performing live

57. Google Wave

58. Robert Schumann

59. Clothes that fit me even though I’ve gained too much weight

60. Bill Simmons

61. No longer worrying if today will be the day our car will completely fall apart

62. My new Ted Baker glasses

63. The moktak that my mom sent me

64. The copy of the Korean Zen Buddhist prayer CD that my mom made me

65. Nail clippers

66. How good cracking various joints feel

67. My new earmuffs that don’t mess up my hair

68. Jackson 5 version of "Who's Loving You"

69. The fact that my seasonal excema is finally subsiding

70. Everything I have yet to learn

71. The Three R’s of Zinfandel: Rosenblum

72. Ravenswood

73. Ridge

74. Celtics rebounding from a tough loss

75. Our Simmons Beautyrest

76. My cautious optimism

77. Not having seen more than five minutes of Jersey Shore

78. Making it through work without the aid of caffeine

79. The bizarre yet surprisingly effective baby talk that Jessica and I have developed for communicating

80. The Tanzanian Peaberry waiting for me at work tomorrow

81. Sales

82. Quarters

83. The cute names Jessica used for the alarms on my Palm Treo

84. Our various French Presses

85. Jessica's hourglass figure

86. Nuts

87. Clementines

88. Patton Oswalt's Sky Cake sketch

89. How ridiculously comfortable Johnston and Murphy shoes are

90. Sensodyne

91. Free floss from the dentist

92. Orthotics

93. Finally having a clean office

94. Having several great libraries in the area

95. My brother's success in life and career

96. The pajamas that Jessica bought me

97. My Brandeis BPA free Nalgene bottle

98. Spooning

99. Getting enough sleep for a work day

100. Completing my second post

Object of my metta practice - myself

Reflection of the Day – Here’s some background on the Jewish practice of meah brachot. Depending on who you ask, this tradition comes from Moses or King David. Blessings in Judaism follow a very strict formula - specific prayers for specific moments or experiences one encounters. There are blessings for just about every ritual, every major milestone in life and then there’s a final group. One of my old professors, Rabbi Reuven Kimmelman explained this group as follows - There is a brachah for every sensual experience permitted by Jewish Law.

As you can see that I have repeated several from yesterday. Many of the blessings in Judaism are said daily or several times a day even. As long as I reflected on a particular object of my gratitude, I’ll reinclude it. I was struck at how effective my first day was. Jessica was having a particularly rough day and I found myself showing a lot more patience than I’ve normally been exhibiting in these situations.

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