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 8, 2010

February 5, 2010

Today, I am grateful for….

1. Job security
2. A 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. How Jessica and I can’t seem to stay mad at each other for very long
10. Friday!
11. Mike Lombardi
12. Adam Carolla podcast
13. Day old braised pork chops
14. How much Jessica and I make each other laugh
15. Reconnecting with old friends
16. Breathing
17. Any form of nuanced thinking
18. My health
19. Keeping my cynicism in check
20. Still not completely believing in the concept of being comfortable
21. Not being a betting man
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. Foreign languages
26. A wonderfully productive meeting with Paul
27. Life forcing me to multitask
28. Jeff Ross’ unique brand of humor
29. Anthony Bourdain
30. A more festive than usual Spider and Hench Podcast
31. The touching Bald Bryan fund raiser
32. Dana Gould
33. The rush of positive thoughts and feelings I have every time I see Jessica
34. Tiki
35. Larry Miller’s surprisingly good stand up act
36. My smart and talented friends old and new
37. My increasingly reliable intuition
38. My Brita filter especially on those days when Illinois Water decides to put WAY too much chlorine in it
39. The music playing in my head – Miles Davis “Solar”
40. Comedy Central Roasts
41. Competent and dedicated coworkers at both of my jobs
42. Old Time Meat and Deli’s pulled pork
43. Not getting caught up by Super Bowl hype
44. This computer stand from Ikea
45. Our cable and internet being back on
46. Old Time Meat and Deli
47. The kitchen still smelling like the dinner I made last night
48. Jessica's cute faces
49. Corkscrew Wine Emporium
50. Today being a better day than 11 years ago
51. My Isotoner slippers
52. Meetings where drinking is allowed
53. Random Boston jokes on 30 Rock
54. Not feeling compelled to search a thesaurus for a replacement for surprising
55. How good of a listener Jessica can be
56. Google Wave
57. Some important upcoming meetings
58. Clothes that fit me even though I’ve gained too much weight
59. Bill Simmons
60. No longer worrying if today will be the day our car will completely fall apart
61. My new Ted Baker glasses
62. The moktak that my mom sent me
63. The copy of the Korean Zen Buddhist prayer CD that my mom made me
64. The snow not being as nearly as bad as everyone thought
65. How good cracking various joints feel
66. My new earmuffs that don’t mess up my hair
67. Jackson 5 version of "Who's Loving You"
68. The fact that my seasonal excema is finally subsiding
69. Everything I have yet to learn
70. My passion for music slowly returning
71. How much more enjoyable The Bodyguard is when you convince yourself that it’s a thriller not a romance
72. Fart jokes told by smart people
73. Any browser better than Safari
74. Our Simmons Beautyrest
75. My cautious optimism
76. How my fingers smell after cooking
77. Allowing myself to not care so much when needed
78. My rejuvenated reading mojo
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
81. The Blind Pig Brewery
82. The new cafeteria service at work
83. The cute names Jessica used for the alarms on my Palm Treo
84. Our various French Presses
85. Jessica's hourglass figure
86. Memories, good and bad
87. The pavlovian response Jessica induces in me when I hear her keys just before she opens the door when coming home from work
88. The several unintended benefits of using my earbuds at work
89. My desire to seek out the positve in my life
90. Sensodyne
91. Free floss from the dentist
92. Orthotics
93. Finally having a clean office
94. Not having to worry too much about what to wear for work
95. Having hope
96. The pajamas that Jessica bought me
97. My Brandeis BPA free Nalgene bottle
98. Spooning
99. A new day
100. Completing my fifth post

Object of my metta practice – n/a

Reflection of the Day – I didn’t get around to meditating today. I had an important meeting today where I was self conscious about how I would act in it. I still feel like I have a long way to go in terms of this attitude adjustment. It went surprisingly (there’s that word again) well. Sometimes, I feel silly listing some of this stuff. The list at times comes across as overly materialistic. I just have to be honest and follow through in this process I guess.
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