and

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ 

Beginning-ing, Elohim, Shaper of Form, created heaven and earth  The earth was a fertile void, tohu va vohu
Genesis (Bereishit) (The opening verse of Torah, my translation)

 

As I prepare to enter the Jewish year 5784 and the first 10 days of preparation for a year of continued aliveness, I am struck by the beautiful weaving of Jewish, Buddhist and Nonviolent Communication concepts and practices.

The Hebrew name for the new year, Rosh ha shanah, means head of the year. This is a call to enter into mindful, concentrated attention to what's going on in our heads and how we can attune our minds to hearts that bring us into greater connection to and engagement with life this year.

In Buddhism, this mind state is referred to as beginners mind, the mind that is cleared from limiting concepts and beliefs about ourselves, other people and the very nature of the world. When we lead from this open, fertile mind, we can become intimate with whatever aliveness we encounter moment to moment.  We begin anew in every moment. In Torah, the Initiating Creative Energy emerges from this fertile void, called by a mysterious, beyond defining name of the tohu v vohu.

This year Rosh Hashanah begins Friday night. Here is a story of a Jewish-Buddhist teaching and a practice from Nonviolent Communication that emerges from the first verse of Torah, the story of beginning-ing.

A Jewish koan from Bernie Glassman

A story about Beginning-ing
. About 25 years ago a few hundred of us were seated in rows on the floor of a large chapel in a Catholic convent in Litchfield, Connecticut. We assembled there yearly with Roshi Bernie, as Jewish Zen Buddhist teacher Roshi Bernie Glassman asked to be called, for a New Year’s meditation retreat. Seven days of silent sitting, chanting, and quiet contemplation.
Roshi Bernie spoke to us one evening about beginner’s mind, beginning-ing. First he introduced a koan, a Chinese Zen teaching story:

The old Chinese master is sitting peacefully in his pagoda, sipping a hot cup of tea. His student comes to the door and calls, Master, Master.

It was the way Bernie said Master that went right through me. “Maaaaaster,” in a raspy, singsong voice, stretching out the vowel sounds in ”Maaaaaaster”

I heard the voice of my childhood, a Brooklyn-accented Jewish singsong intonation. Bernie and I were from the same neighborhood and went to the same high school. I knew that earthy voice.
Bernie went on with the story, bellowing out the Master’s one word answer in an increasingly deeper, steadier baritone voice, “yes.“

Silence.

And the student came again the next day and stood at the door and once again called, “Maaaster, Maaaster,” in that raspy  singsong voice, stretching out the sound of the vowels in ”Maaaaaaster.”
And the Master replied in the same steady sonorous voice, “Yes.“

Silence.

And, Bernie said, this went on, day after day.

Silence.

And I am just sitting in the hall, listening and wondering, what is the Dharma, the Torah, the teaching of this story for my life?

And then Bernie looked out at us again and he said,

it’s like when you put your child to bed, and you tuck them in, and you turn out the light and go into the hall, and you hear a little voice from under the covers calling, “Daaaaaddy," stretching out the “a” in Daddy so that it sounds like Daaaaddy,” and you go back in and you say “yes, my love,” and the little voice says, “I’m scared, it’s dark…”

You say, “yes,” and you turn on a night light. And you head out, and the little voice calls again, "Daaaaaddy," stretching out the “a” in Daddy so that it sounds like “Daaaaddy,” and you go back in and you say, “Yes, my love. ”And the little voice calls again, “I’m cold,” and you go back in and you ask, “Would you like to be tucked in again?” And you tuck them in again, touch their forehead, and brush your lips against their forehead, and you head out and again you hear the little voice calling again, “Daaaaaddy,” and go back in and hear, “I’m scared.”

And you go back in, and on and on.

And Roshi Bernie said, "Can you go in each time as if it’s the first time?"

What unfolds when I see this moment and this encounter as if it’s the first time?

Nonviolent Communication Practice

Call to mind a time you lost your patience and you are feeling sad or puzzled or disappointed about it.

What made it hard for you to keep leaning back into the way that person was showing up?

What were your feelings and needs that made it hard? (Use these sheets to help identify your feelings and needs: NVC Basic Feelings and Needs Lists)

Can you hold your own feelings, maybe frustration, exhaustion, fear, anger, with care.

You felt that way because you needed a new alive connection to life. Use the list to help identify the connection to life that would bring you more alive and available to life as it was presenting itself to you in that moment.

Fill yourself with the beauty of your own needs that made it hard for you to be present, open, maybe even loving, with the person.

Now can you feel the energy of curiosity about what was going on in the other person arising in you? What was the other person feeling and needing?

Do you have energy now to revisit the situation and listen to them now? This is a new year. We can return now to the quality of care and presence we couldn't access then!

(Here is a link to a video with guided instructions to a meditation from NVC and Torah at the Intersection for connecting with your feelings and needs. You may want to start at 11 minutes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlT33qkZPrs)

 

Meditation Practice

Years ago Rabbi Miles Krassen led us in a meditation practice for emptying the mind from the first verse of Torah:

• Sit in a quiet place where you feel safe to close your eyes and follow your in breath and out breath for at least 15 minutes!
• Keeping most of your attention on the in breath and out breath, bring to mind the words, tohu v vohu.

 

Mind may attach concepts to these undefined words whose letters are from the opening verse of the Torah.

• Return to your in breath and out breath to let go of any meaning making of the words tohu v vohu.
• Be present to your breathe without pressure.
• Breathe in saying to yourself or quietly, tohu v vohu or just tohu.
• Breathe out saying to yourself or quietly, tohu v vohu or just vohu.
  (Mind may jump in- there's nothing for mind to do when we abide in the fertile void, in not-knowing. Its natural for mind to do that. Just smile to it and return to the next in breath and words, tohu v vohu.)

There is no goal, nothing to do, nowhere to go.

• Merge into the tohu v vohu of just breath.

Rosh Hashana is the birthday of the world. Let yourself enter a new world from the meditation.

The Creating Energy, Elohim, pronounced whatever emerged as good. Welcome to life! Pronounce what ever emerges from your practice as good. Anything!

Wishing you a sweet new year, a year of aliveness, resilience and connection.