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 8, 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. The sudden resurrection of the Peyton Manning Face!
11. Ralph Garman’s Arnold impersonation
12. Adam Carolla podcast
13. How delicious the palette de porc a la biere from the Les Halles cookbook came out
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. Adam Schein’s opening monologue
29. An even more hilarious than usual No Reservations
30. Belichick not drafting Rey Maualuga
31. Finding yet another podcast I can follow at work
32. Dana Gould
33. The rush of positive thoughts and feelings I have every time I see Jessica
34. Tiki
35. How awesome the Super Bowl was
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 – The Who Dat? Chant
40. Our roaring fireplace
41. Competent and dedicated coworkers at both of my jobs
42. The pork sauce poured over cous cous
43. Finally getting caught up by Super Bowl hype
44. This computer stand from Ikea
45. How fast my new computer is
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. Brunshing the rust off of my fire tending skills
51. My Isotoner slippers
52. My new favorite fast food burger – jalapeno thickburger
53. Random Boston jokes on 30 Rock
54. Comedy Central’s power hour
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. Not having to listen to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman last night
72. Fart jokes told by smart people
73. Finally settling on a new browser
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. How easy it is to find good beer
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 great ride to work
100. Completing my sixth post

Object of my metta practice – myself

Reflection of the Day – Took the weekend off. Nothing new other than what’s listed above.
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