August 18, 2011: Reflective Competency and its place in the consciousness competency learning matrix, by Sharleen.

     Sharleen attended a conference on holistic medicine and participated in a session on Reflective consciousness.

The speaker presented a model to describe some key observations about learning and performance -- and the assessment of performance. The learner of a new skill begins at stage 1 -- 'unconscious incompetence', and ends of stage 4 - ' unconscious competence', having passed through stage 2 - 'conscious incompetence' and -3 'conscious competence'.

This model is a 2 X 2 matrix. See the URL sites for more details.

Various references can be found to an ancient Oriental proverb, which inverts the order of the highest two states:

He who knows not, and knows not that he knowns not, is a fool – shun him (= Unconscious Incompetent)

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not is ignorant – teach him, (= Conscious Incompetent)

He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep – wake him, (=Unconscious Competent)

But he who knows, and knows that he knows, I sa wise man – follow him (=Conscious Competent

This is somewhat similar to the matrix above.

It is clear that consideration of this model can become important in teaching. If the teacher is unaware where the student fits into this matrix, the method of teaching may not be appropriate.

“Trainers often make the mistake of assuming that a learner is at state 2, and focus their effort toward achieving stage 3, when in fact the learner is still at stage 1. This is a fundamental reason for training failure – because the learner simply has not recognized the need for new learning. Until the learner has achieved awareness of a weakness or a training need (conscious incompetence), the learner has no interest, attention or motivation for the learning process. Learners only respond to training or teaching when they are aware of their own need for it, and the personal benefits they will derive from it.”

This model would be incomplete if it did not acknowledge the idea of a 5th level which has sometimes been called “reflective competence” or even “enlightened competence”. The model illustrates how skills become so integrated that they become “unconscious” and instinctual. But if we stopped there, it would give the impression that this “unconsciousness” is the highest state of learning – such as the artist, dancer, craftsman who practices their skill at the highest level but cannot articulate it or teach it to others. Of course, the level beyond this is the coach, the expert teacher, the mentor, the master craftsman, who can demonstrate a skill in practice and also articulate the fine details of the skill, art or craft.

“When someone becomes conscious of incompetence, emotions of “anxiety’, ‘happiness’, fear’ and or ‘deial’’ may be experienced. Feelings of ‘threat’ (to previous learning), ‘guilt’ (at departing from previous leanring) and possibly ‘depression’ (at having to relearn) can arise until a firm commitment is made to the new learning. If the commitment to the new learning is not strong, feelings of ‘hostilityu’ or ‘disillusionment’ can arise. The ability to demonstrate the skill partially is the beginning of a “gradual acceptance’, which through practice then naturally leads to Conscious Competence. A lack of discipline I in this area could repeat emotional sequence of earlier transitions. Mastery at this stage enables Unconscious Competence and builds confidence to teach others the skill. This is arguably the fifth ‘reflective’ stage.

“I would not call mastery ‘unconscious’. It is simply ‘wired in.’ that, literally, occurs when the neuro-cognitive system acquires new brain cells.”

If you are interested in delving deeper into this matrix and its meaning here are several URLs that go into these ideas in more details.

http://www.businessballs.com/consciouscompetencelearningmodel.htm

http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/learning-a-new-skill-is-easier-said-than-done/

http://www.businessballs.com/benzigerpersonalityassessment.htm

or http://www.benziger.org/

http://www.businessballs.com/personalchangeprocess.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431209&sc=emaf

August 11, 2011: Sue presented Whatchamacallit!

     Our sched ule will be a little off from the listing in the previous post. Jean couldn't be with us last week nor will she be with us this weel. Therefore, last week Sue did her presentation. Her Whatchamacallit was a discussion of improving friendship relationships. Several readings and writings about this topic were discussed.

Scheule for next 2 months.

A Schedule for the next two months of SpiritMindbody Group

August 11, 2011   Jean H. will discuss Listening  with Presence.

August 18, 2011   Sue D will present Whatchamacallit.

August 25, 2011  Rumi and Mark Twain by Sky

September 1, 2011  Bake Off

September 8, 2011  Rumi and Mark Twain by Sky

September 15, 2011  Gary  A Topdown Perspective

September 29, 2011 Gunther Pohlmann Society

October 6, 2011  Topdown Perspective continued

October 13, 2011  Reflective Competency  and its place in the consciousness competency learning matrix, by Sharleen.

October 20, 2011 Dick will present something on the 18 Voids.

October 27, 2011  Nick

August 4, 2011: BAKE OFF

     This was a BAKE OFF!. We had a lot of participation and discussion. I am putting some of the things we read here in this post.

     Here's a piece on worrying. This is an excerpt from Vicki Hitzges' speech. Vicki has worked as a TV journalist in Corpus Christi, and later out of Dallas, TX. After discovering great talents at interviewing, she began to do motivational speaking. Now she is one of the higher paid motivational speakers in the country.

     "I used to worry. A lot. The more I fretted, the more proficient I became at it. Anxiety begets anxiety. I even worried that I worried too much! Ulcers might develop. My health could fail. My finances could deplete to pay the hospital bills.

     "A comedian once said, 'I tried to drown my worries with gin, but my worries are equipped with flotation devices.'  While not a drinker, I certainly could identify! My worries could swim, jump and pole vault!

     "To get some perspective, I visited a well known, Dallas  businessman, Fred Smith. Fred mentored such luminaries as motivationsl whiz Zig Ziglar, business guru Ken Blanchard and leadership expert, John Maxwell. Fred listened as I poured out my concerns and then said, 'Vicki you need to learn to wait to worry.'

     "As the words sank in, I asked Fred if he ever spent time fretting. (I was quite certain he wouldn't admit it if he did. He was pretty full of testosterone -- even at age 90.) To my surprise, he confessed that in years gone by he had been a top-notch worrier!

"I decided that I would wait to worry!" he explained. "I decided that I'd wait until I actually had a reason to worry --something that was happening, not just something that might happen-- before I worried.

     "When I'm tempted to get alarmed," he confided, "I tell myself. 'Fred, you've got to wait to worry! Until you know differently, don't worry.' And I don't. Waiting to worry helps me develop the habit of not worrying and that helps me not be tempted to worry."

     Fred possessed a quick mind and a gift for gab. As such, he became a captivating public speaker. "I frequently ask audiences what they were worried about this time last year. I get a lot of laughs," he said, "because most people can't remember. Then I ask if they have a current worry -- you see nods from everybody. Then I remind them that the average worrier is 92 percent inefficeient --only eight percent of what we worry about ever comes true."

     Charles Spurgeon said it best, "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

      Another piece brought forward and read was by Will Allen Dromgoole (October 26, 1860-September 1, 1934)  who was an author and poet born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She wrote over 7,500 poems; 5,000 essays; and published thirteen books. She was renowned beyond the South; her poem "The Bridge Builder" was often reprinted. Will Allen Dromgoole was the last of several children born to Rebecca Mildred (Blanche) and John Easter Dromgoole in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[1] Her paternal grandparents were Rev. Thomas and Mary Dromgoole. Her great-grandparents were Edward Dromgoole, a Scots-Irish trader from Sligo, Ireland, and his Cherokee wife Rebecca Walton. He married her after immigrating to the North American colonies.

     Dromgoole was ahead of her time. Her parents sent her to the Clarksville Female Academy from which she graduated n 1876. Her father taught her law, but she was not allowed to become a lawyer. However she did work for the state legislature. She worked as a journalist for the Nashville American, a newspaper, and became a prolifid writer of prose and poetry. She taught school on two different occasions, then founded the Waco Women's Press Club. She even served as a warrant officer in the US Naval Reserve during WWI.

     Here is her most famous poem:

      The Bridge Builder by Will Allen Drumgoole

          An old man, going a lone highway,

          Came , at the evening, cold and gray,

          To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,

          Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

          The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

          The sullen stream had no fears for him;

          But he turned, when safe on the other side,

          And built a bridge to span the tide.

          "Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,

          "You are wasting strength with building here;

           Your journey will end with the ending day;

           You never again must pass this way;

           You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide -

           Why build you a bridge at the eventide?"

           The builder lifted his old gray head:

           "Good friend, in the path I have come, he said,

           "There followeth after me today,

            A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

            This chasm, that has been naught to me,

            To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

            He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

            Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

   

An anonymous piece entitled Symptoms of Inner Peace

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fear based on past experiences

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

A loss of interest in judging other people

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others

A loss of the ability to worry

Frequent atacks of smiling

Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation

A contented feeling of connectedness with others and nature

An increased tendency to let things happen rather than to make things happen

An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as an uncontrollable urge to extend love in return

     If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of Inner Peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable!

     Irwin Compston said: "The human mind is not contained in the human skull." Worry may be useful, but we are so much more than that. We are so vast. Instead, handle worry by saying, "Let go, Let God."

   

     During the discussion, someone presented some quotes from My Stroke of Insight, a Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Tayler PhD. She is a neuroanatomist who experienced a massive hemorrhagic stroke in 1996 at age 37. After recovering her speech, she has been very vocal in describing her experience. The book describes the whole process very succinctly. She has since appeared on the Oprah show and other TV shows to tell her story and to promote her book which has been translated into dozens of other languages.

    Here are some quotes from her book and what she felt: "Could I rejoin the rat race without becoming a rat?"     "I was a being of light."    "I was a liquid, not solid. Finally after 8 years my body became solid again." If these quotes intrigue you, her book is readily available.

      Also the book on NDE, by Jeffrey Long MD which I reviewed and has a summary here in these posted notes.   December 13, 2010.

     Dave presented the book Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles, edited by John E. Sunwalt. There are apparently very moving stories here that were brought together by a local minister.

Another quote, from the Ojibwe:

     Sometimes I go about pitying myself

And all the while I am being carried across the sky

By beautiful clouds.

Another offering:  by Rabindranath Tagore.
     Greatest writer in modern Indian literature, Bengali poet, novelist, educator, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Tagore was awarded the knighthood in 1915, but he surrendered it in 1919 as a protest against the Massacre of Amritsar, where British troops killed some 400 Indian demonstrators protesting colonial laws. Tagore's reputation in the West as a mystic has perhaps mislead his Western readers to ignore his role as a reformer and critic of colonialism.

Here is his poem, The Eternal Dream.

It's born on the wings of ageless Light.
that rends the veil of the vague
and goes across time
wearing ceaseless patterns of Being.

The mystery remains dumb,
the meaning of this pilgrimage
the endless adventure of existence
whoese rush along the sky
flames up into innumberalbe rings of paths
'til at last knowledge gleams out from the dusk
in the infinity of human spirits,
and in that dim lighted dawn
she speechlessly gazes throught the break in the mist.
at the vision of Life and of Love
emerging from the tumult of profound pain and joy.

     Great job! Group. This is the best Bake Off for participation that I recall here at SpiritMindBody. Thanks everyone. 

A Bonus: Consideration of Tonglen

     I found this single page of guidance in the practice of Tonglen, lying around our home meeting place, the Mindfulness Center of Milwaukee. I would suspect that it was written by Paul N.

     Tonglen, The Practice of sending and taking.

     Tonglen is an old Tibetan practice for the development of compassion. It basically consists of a visualization of other's suffering and learning to transform it.  There are many good authors who talk extensively about tonglen. Pema Chodron is one of my favorite teachers who explores this method. It is a bit presumptuous to try to summarize this practice in just a few words, but I will try. If you find this useful, I strongly recommend you read further.

     The important part of tonglen is the wide open bodhicitta heart. If our hearts are small, then when we experience discomforts, we are unable to handle it, like a glass of water becoming undrinkable with a handful of salt in it. If our hearts are large, we are like the river that flows along unphased by the handful of salt, open to accepting. How do we get there?  Practice, Practice, Practice.

     There are four parts:

     First we open our minds and hearts as wide a we can, what is sometimes called bodhicitta. By being centered and calm, we do our best to open up to the wide world of sentient beings around us.

     Secondly, we work with the visualization of breathing. We see ourselves breathing in a hot, gritty, dark, smelly substance. We exhale something cool, fresh, light and sweet smelling.

     Thirdly, we imagine ourselves being with a person who is suffering, be it physical, emotional, or whatever. Using the great vehicle of our breath, along with our wide open heart, we take in their suffering and breathe out comfort, compassion, and lovingkindness.

     Fourthly, we extend this compassionate heart. We can give our comfort to those like the single person we visualized, i.e., if that person had AIDS, we might visualize and try to transform the suffering of all people with AIDS. If we feel adventurous, we might extend our thoughts and energy to all who suffer.

     Tonglen is certainly a daunting practice. it takes some courage and some patience. It does not usually feel as easy as metta practice. But it can be very powerful.

     Tonglen can be done for oneself as well. If you feel uncomfortable, or don't feel you are grounded enough to do this well, you might start with tonglen for yourself.

     Tonglen and Anger:
     When confronted with an angry person, it is useful, if you can, to extend kindness to that person. This is where gounding in tonglen may help. Imagine that you are breathing in that person's distress and energy, and breathing out calmness. If nothing else, you might feel calmer and more ready to make the right decisions, without being hijacked by emotions.


  

Depression and Leaders in Good Times and Times of World Crisis. Sent by Tom R.

JULY 30, 2011. Wall Street Journal
Depression in Command

In times of crisis, mentally ill leaders can see what others don't.

When times are good and the ship of state only needs to sail straight, mentally healthy people function well as political leaders. But in times of crisis and tumult, those who are mentally abnormal, even ill, become the greatest leaders. We might call this the Inverse Law of Sanity.
Consider Neville Chamberlain. Before the Second World War, he was a highly respected businessman from Birmingham, a popular mayor and an esteemed chancellor of the exchequer. He was charming, sober, smart—sane.

Winston Churchill, by contrast, rose to prominence during the Boer War and the first World War. Temperamental, cranky, talkative, bombastic—he bothered many people. During the "wilderness" years of the 1930s, while the suave Chamberlain got all the plaudits, Churchill's own party rejected him.
When not irritably manic in his temperament, Churchill experienced recurrent severe depressive episodes, during many of which he was suicidal. Even into his later years, he would complain about his "black dog" and avoided ledges and railway platforms, for fear of an impulsive jump. "All it takes is an instant," he said.

Abraham Lincoln famously had many depressive episodes, once even needing a suicide watch, and was treated for melancholy by physicians. Mental illness has touched even saintly icons like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., both of whom made suicide attempts in adolescence and had at least three severe depressive episodes in adulthood.

Aristotle was the first to point out the link between madness and genius, including not just poets and artists but also political leaders. I would argue that the Inverse Law of Sanity also applies to more ordinary endeavors. In business, for instance, the sanest of CEOs may be just right during prosperous times, allowing the past to predict the future. But during a period of change, a different kind of leader—quirky, odd, even mentally ill—is more likely to see business opportunities that others cannot imagine.

In looking back at historical figures, I do not speculate about their relationships with their mothers or their dark sexual secrets, the usual stuff of "psychohistory." Instead, I base my diagnoses on the most widely accepted sources of psychiatric evidence: symptoms, family history, course of illness, and treatment. How, then, might the leadership of these extraordinary men have been enhanced by mental illness?

An obvious place to start is with depression, which has been shown to encourage traits of both realism and empathy (though not necessarily in the same individual at the same time). "Normal" nondepressed persons have what psychologists call "positive illusion"—that is, they possess a mildly high self-regard, a slightly inflated sense of how much they control the world around them. Mildly depressed people, by contrast, tend to see the world more clearly, more as it is. In one classic study, subjects pressed a button and observed whether it turned on a green light, which was actually controlled by the researchers. Those who had no depressive symptoms consistently overestimated their control over the light; those who had some depressive symptoms realized they had little control.

For Lincoln, realism bordering on political ruthlessness was central to his success as a war leader. Few recall that Lincoln was not a consistent abolitionist. He always opposed slavery, but until 1863 he also opposed abolishing it, which is why he was the compromise Republican candidate in 1860. Lincoln preferred a containment strategy. He simply wanted to prevent slavery's expansion to the West, after which, he believed, it would die out gradually. When the Civil War came, Lincoln showed himself to be flexible and pragmatic as a strategist, willing to admit error and to change generals as the situation demanded. He was not the stereotypical decisive executive, picking a course of action and sticking with it. He adapted to a changing reality and, in the end, prevailed.

As for Churchill, during his severely depressed years in the political wilderness, he saw the Nazi menace long before others did. His exhortations to increase military spending were rejected by Prime Minister Baldwin and his second-in-command, Chamberlain. When Chamberlain returned from signing the Munich agreement with Hitler in 1938, only Churchill and a small coterie refused to stand and cheer in parliament, eliciting boos and hisses from other honorable members. At dinner that night, Churchill brooded: How could men of such honor do such a dishonorable thing? The depressive leader saw the events of his day with a clarity and realism lacking in saner, more stable men.

Depression also has been found to correlate with high degrees of empathy, a greater concern for how others think and feel. In one study, severely depressed patients had much higher scores on the standard measures of empathy than did a control group of college students; the more depressed they were, the higher their empathy scores. This was the case even when patients were not currently depressed but had experienced depression in the past. Depression seems to prepare the mind for a long-term habit of appreciating others' point of view.
In this we can see part of the motivation behind the radical politics of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Their goal was not to defeat their opponents but to heal them of their false beliefs. Nonviolent resistance, King believed, was psychiatry for the American soul; it was a psychological cure for racism, not just a political program. And the active ingredient was empathy. Gandhi and King succeeded to a degree, of course, but they also failed: India was fatally divided because Hindus and Muslims could not accept each other; segregation ended in the U.S., but it happened slowly and at the cost of social traumas whose consequences still afflict us. The politics of radical empathy proved, in the end, to be beyond the capacity of the normal, mentally healthy public.

Great crisis leaders are not like the rest of us; nor are they like mentally healthy leaders. When society is happy, they toil in sadness, seeking help from friends and family and doctors as they cope with an illness that can be debilitating, even deadly. Sometimes they are up, sometimes they are down, but they are never quite well.

When traditional approaches begin to fail, however, great crisis leaders see new opportunities. When the past no longer guides the future, they invent a new future. When old questions are unanswerable and new questions unrecognized, they create new solutions. They are realistic enough to see painful truths, and when calamity occurs, they can lift up the rest of us.

Their weakness is the secret of their strength.

—Dr. Ghaemi is a professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center. This essay is adapted from his new book, "A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904800304576474451102761640.html

Schedule for the Month of August, 2011

August 11, 2011:  Sharleen speaking on Competency.

August 18, 2011: Sue D. on Whatchamacallits.

August 25, 2011  Sku on Rumi and Mark Twain

September 1, 2011  Bake Off

September 8 or one of succeeding meetings in September, Gary S, will present.

July 28, 2011: A Christian Icon shows the Trinity by Todd D.

     From a Sunday lay sermon delivered by Todd on Father's Day and Trinity Day. The following are excerpts from Todd's sermon:

     In earlier Christian times, not everyone was able to read the written word, so pictures, stained glass windows and statues were used to help them remember. If you look in a children's bible you will see pictures to facilitate that remembering process. Often if there is something we really want to remember we do it with a picture. For instance to remember the flower "hibiscus" I picture a biscuit on a high tower. That is how this icon was used -- to help us remember certain things about the Holy Trinity.

     This is perhaps the most famous icon of the Holy Trinity. It was painted by Andrei Rublev in 1410. It is the only icon attributed only to Rublev. Icons in the 15th century were often group efforts by several artists. It is currently in Tret-ya-kov Gallery in Moscow, a state repository of many pieces of Russia's finest art. You might wonder how did the artist know who God is? I think he may have used apophasis, that is he knew what God was not and painted the opposite. I will illustrate this when we look more closely at the icon.

     In regards to the Holy Trinity the story is told of Augustine of Hippo, a great philosopher and theologian. He was preoccupied with the doctrine of the Trinity. He wanted so much to understand the doctrine of one God with three persons and to be able to explain it logically One day he was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on the matter. Suddenly he saw a ;little child all alone on the shore. The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled her cup with sea water, ran back and emptied the cup into the hole that she had made. Back and forth she went to the sea, filled her cup and came and poured it into the hole. Augustine drew up and said to her, "Child, what are you doing?" She replied, " I am emptying the sea into this hole." "What do you think?" Augustine asked her, "Do you think that you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?" She answered back, "And you, how do you suppose with that tiny head of yours you could ever have room for the immensity of God?" With that the child disappeared.

     The doctrine of the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in such a way that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not three Gods but one, cannot be fully comprehended by the human mind...

     The doctrine of three persons in one God, equal in divinity yet distinct in personality, is not explicitly spelled out in the Bible. In fact the very word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. Early Christians arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith. Jesus spoke about the Father who sent him (the Son) and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. he said that the Father had given him (the Son) all that he has and that he had given that to the Holy Spirit as well. In this we see the unity of purpose among the three persons of the Trinity.

     Like Augustine we may not be able to understand the HOW of the Trinity but it is very important to understand the WHY. Why did God reveal to us this mystery regarding the very nature of the Supreme Being? The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be warmongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving. Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask is: What does the doctrine of the Holy Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be? Let's look at the Icon for answers.

     -- Look at the loving soft eyes of each person of the Trinity, eyes exuding warmth, welcome, and kindness.

     -- Notice how each person looks so similar to the other like they are of the same substance. (Nod distinctive individuals.

     -- Look at the matching staffs which each person holds in his left hand - indicating equality in power and perception. (Not hierarchical in power)

     -- Look at the way the son (in the middle) gazes toward his Father and his Father returns his gaze with respect. This indicates he is both God and man. (Both, Not one or the other.)

     -- Look at the father's hand held in the posture of blessing.

     -- Look at the Holy Spirit gesturing towards the chalice and pointing toward a place in the altar where the relics are stored indicating a place at the table for all of us to join the Trinity in Communion.

     -- Look at the three halos of the three persons in community. They indicate further the horizontality or equality of their relationship.

     -- See the verticality in the picture starting at the top of the tree next to Jesus and running down the side of his chair and through the altar and along the Holy Spirit's left leg. This verticality is the true welcome mat for us to join them. The horizontality and verticality form a cross. The halos are circles. Where circles and cross intersect we are invited to join the Holy Trinity.

     -- We are made in God's image and likeness. Just as God exists as god only in a Trinitarian relationship. so we can be fully human only in a relationship of three partners. We need to be in a horizontal relationship with our loved ones and others and we need to be in a vertical relationship with God. We look up to God as the immense ineffable transcendence. And like Augustine we are urged that we cannot get our little minds around that but we can experience the presence of God in a Trinitarian sense through our relationships with others plus our Relationship with God....

     Happiness research has shown that the single most important ingredient in happiness is a sense of community with family and friends. A sense of community with God is a multiplier in that happiness. True happiness on earth does not happen in the absence of faith.

On the next page is a reprint of another's view on this particular Trinity Icon and on what it represents.

July 21, 2011: More about Shenpa by P. Norton.

     During this session of SpiritMindBodyGroup, an article by Pema Chodron entitled The Shenpa Syndrome was discussed.
     Here is a link under which you can find the whole article.
http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/shenpa3a.php

     Short statements about Shenpa from the group's discussion:

     Shenpa is defined as attachment. But it's really a tightening sensation when something "hooks" you, whether a criticism, a mean word, a worry about losing something, a fear of failing, whatever it might be. The Shenpa is really about suddenness. It's also very common and it's OK that it occurs.
     The key to change is self-observation. We would benefit from identifying this sensation early. Then we can either decide to withdraw
 from the discomfort producing situation and try to bring the problem to the fore at a later time when we are more open to a solution. Many people are in continual Shenpa from all sides. You want to try to become open and practice Prajna -- loving kindness toward oneself in wisdom.
     Someone suggested the Chekhov novel The Cherry Orchard might show us how to recognize the tightness earlier.
     Some asked how Shenpa came about? What is the value of Shenpa? It is probably a survival mechanism. It is probably not our choice. We just get upset. But if we can learn to control it, it might help to keep our cortisol levels down -- less stress hormone levels. But in the area of survival, this mechanism is way over done, and our minds and bodies use it way too often. Cognitive therapy might help people get past Shenpa.
     People may feel shenpa in various ways and in various areas of the body. It might be a band around the head, a tingling in the legs, or a desire to move the body, or a gnawing sensation in the stomach.
    Shenpa can be adaptive or maladaptive. We probably need to learn to recognize the shenpa feelings and then befriend it. And don't make any decisions or hold serious discussions with friends if either or both are under the influence of shenpa. It may be better to walk way and undertake the interaction when neither are under the influence of this negative tightening.

July 14, 2011: Leaving Lasting Legacies: by Eric W.

     Eric has presented to us before about leaving an inheritance of values and intangibles to our heirs. This idea is a special interest of his and he does counseling to help families and individuals put together in words the values that they want passed on to their loved ones. Eric led a discussion today about just this topic. This form of legacy is called an ethical will. It is usually shared with loved ones before death but sometimes it is included in the will that transfers financial wealth as well.
    Follows some of the discussion at this session, led by Eric.
     When wealth is transferred, 70% of time the next generation loses it all -- money and the family relationship. By the third generation, 90% will fail at legacy planning. To be among the successful in this area, the element of communication is the most important, and accounts for at least 60% of the successes.
     Typically what is hard to pass on is the work ethic. If children are given a lot of things and money, through the work of their parents, they may not desire to work as much themselves. Warren Buffet, third wealthiest person in the world in 2011, set an example of this. He is reported to have given his children enough to get along well, but not so much that they couldn't get along.
     In his teaching on this matter, Eric uses the acronym, VOICE
     V  -- values and vision
     O  -- openness
      I  -- inclusiveness.  Successful families find a way.
     C --  calm connected communication
     E -- emotional neutrality

     If the only focus is on financial capitol, it often makes the passing on of that capitol negative. The word wealth derives from wellness. Unfortunately greed and other negative emotions passed on in traditional wills create the wrong atmosphere for loved ones to receive the good intentions of the deceased. The idea that a legacy can be passed on in an ethical will right along with the financial interests. Wisdom can bridge the gap. With a legacy will or ethical will we pass on values.
     One of the principles of an ethical will is integrity. As the writer who has it, we want to pass it on. We want to communicate an idea such as: When you peel a banana, have you ever gotten anything but a banana. Be inside what you appear to be on the outside. This is an example of a value that could be passed on in an ethical will. You don't have to be Hemingway to write an ethical will. The word HEART will guide you:

     H -- Hopes for future
     E -- Experiences in life, what you have learned
     A -- Appreciation
     R -- Religious idea, spirituality
     T -- Treasures

     DON"T: Script live of others
                   Grudge from the Grave
                   Be negative

     DO:  Write words from the heart
              Consider strong ethical questions in the ethical will.      

Here are two other links that are worth looking at in addition to using Eric's vast knowledge and experience in this area:

     http://www.genspring.com/documents/Passing-on-Values-to-the-Next-Generation-Ellen-Perry-GenSpring.pdf

     http://www.ethicalwill.com/index.html