AUTOGEOGRAPHY

​It might be appropriate to begin to link some of this website’s Category and Topic subjects together at this point. In my opinion, one’s life can reflect the most spiritual integrity if there is continuity within its disparate parts rather than appearing to be a series of compartmentalized life events.   
 
This belief was brought to my consciousness most poignantly during discussion with a Buddhist priest following zazen, a Zen meditation session. I’m pretty sure she has no memory of the significant lesson she imparted to me because the discussion was casual and not part of dokusan.  Dokusan refers to a private session between a Soto Zen priest and a zen practitioner that occurs between sessions of zazen.  I was the only practitioner who showed up for that scheduled session of zazen so we had almost unlimited time to explore a few topics.  For some reason the topic of Zen retreats arose and she probed the intentions I had expressed in that regard.  I’m sure the term “taking meditation to a higher level” escaped my lips…OR…..was contained in a question she asked.  I am sure there was reference to a trip I made to the southwest when I was lay ordained into the Zen Peacemaker Order and formally became a Buddhist in 2000.  That lay ordination could be seen as roughly equivalent to a confirmation ceremony in an Episcopal church which I had undergone 45 years before our discussion.
 
In my opinion, most lessons I received in Christian churches took the form of a person in authority preaching to me.  This would include subtle and overt directions as to what to believe and how to behave.  On the other hand, the Buddhist lessons I have received from several different priests have never included preaching.  Rather they have taken the form of a series of questions, the progression of which focused their importance on the procession of my own spiritual formation experiences.  This priest’s questioning led me to realize that the Buddhist “Four Noble Truths” and its “Eightfold Path” should not be compartmentalized into different levels of devoutness.  The observation of the Eightfold Path should be embodied in one’s everyday life events and not necessarily “heightened” during zazen or even sesshin, a term for a Buddhist retreat.  Each day this lesson imparted to me reaches my consciousness and that likely would not have happened without the questioning by that priest.  I probably shared one full hour of my life with this priest, likely no more or no less.
 
Therefore the formation of this aspect of my consciousness was dependent on my making the effort to participate in zazen at a small Buddhist center in the middle of a residential area of one of the Midwest’s largest cities seven hours distant from my home.  I simply, but with intention, filled the morning time between my airport motel residence and that afternoon resuming my duties as a Michigan Delegate to the National Presidential Nominating Convention of one of our country’s political parties.
 
Autogeography is predicated on the fact that one’s history is intertwined with, and is determined directly or indirectly by the places one lives temporarily or permanently, while the places one lives temporarily or permanently are somewhere between influenced by or determined by one’s history.  The outline of my memoir embodies the autogeography perspective.

Locations of my practice and/or sesshin participation, 1998-present

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