Awakening through writing: Can writing be your contemplative practice?

The idea of writing as a spiritual or contemplative practice is addressed in a three-part series from Upaya Zen Center. Here are the links:

• Henry Shukman: 02-08-2012: Awakening Through Writing
• Natalie Goldberg: 02-15-2012: Ginsberg
• Jimmy Santiago Baca: 02-22-2012: Awakening Through Writing: Poetry with Dance

If you like the idea that writing can be a contemplative practice, here's another resource. I just finished listening to The Writing Life, an audiobook with Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron. For me, driving in the car creates a good time for listening to this kind of book; I enjoyed and recommend The Writing Life. Easy, entertaining listening, yet some gems to make you think about your

thinking. My favorite part: Natalie tells a story about listening to a book as she drives across Arizona. She has a way with words that will keep that story in my memory for a long while.

In the audiobook, Natalie mentions the time when she worked in a restaurant on Canyon Road. I worked there at the same time. Pauline Nestor, now a writer and going by Theo, was working there, too. That restaurant, The New Haven, employed a talented gang. [Clip of the restaurant now with friend Jan Prince in front.]

When I first moved to Santa Fe, I lived at Upaya. Back then that lovely place on Cerro Gordo Road was owned by Richard Baker-roshi and was called Dharma Sangha. Natalie sat (meditated) with us. Living there at Dharma Sangha was the beat poet Philip Whalen, a kind and gentle man who taught me the zendo's ritual and rules. The New Haven was owned by Sarah Grayson one of Baker-roshi's students and managed by Steve Allen one of his monks.

The restaurant was often chaotic. My days waiting tables on Canyon Road at a business being managed by a Zen monk, and the years following in Santa Fe, could be the topic of a long short story or a book. A book that would be more exciting, dream-like, and unexpected than fiction.

In writing this blog post, I realized that, compared to some sessions of meditating, writing my New Haven story would be much more fun! Contemplative AND fun—a winning combo. Writing can be that and more. Do you write? I plan to make writing my practice for this year's Lent.

Comments

[Sharon Lippincott]

Stephanie, go for the book. The world needs to hear this story, and as you say, it will be a fun write!

[StephanieWestAllen]

Sharon, I so appreciate your saying that. The thought of turning it into a story seems daunting. So much else happened in those few years: I worked for an eccentric trust funder at a beautiful resort, met people like Shirley McLains channel (and actually liked him a lot), learned the rich and unique history of New Mexico, lived next ranch over from descendants of the Daltons and learned from that experience a different kind of law from whats on the books, etc., . . .

And, as you know, I learned all about my beloved chile peppers!

I envy one of the duo of writers of Ellery Queen mystery novels. One thought up the stories and the other wrote.

[StephanieWestAllen]

PS Sharon, click on the Sarah Grayson link in my post for a fascinating story . . .

[Anne Stuart]

There was one exercise that my professor taught us in college. Get a piece of paper and pen. In 5 minutes, write all you can, anything that comes to your mind. Anything. From the most mundane thoughts, to the most disturbing. You'll be surprised what you'll be able to read afterwards. It's definitely contemplative.