David Given Schwarm

Married, Father, United

Tag: Prayer

  • Seven of Wands

    feel the fear and do it anyway

  • CASE 55: Seppô in Charge of Cooking


    Seppô came to Tokusan and became in charge of cooking food.

    One day, the lunch was late.

    Tokusan came down to the hall carrying his bowls.

    Seppô said, “Old Master, the bell has not yet rung nor the drum sounded. Where are you going with your bowls?”

    Thereupon Tokusan went back to his room.

    Seppô told this to Gantô.

    Gantô said, “Great Tokusan though he is, he has not yet realized the last word.”

    Hearing of this, Tokusan sent his attendant to summon Gantô and then asked him, “Don’t you approve of this old monk?”

    Gantô whispered his intention.

    Tokusan remained silent.

    Sure enough, the next day, when Tokusan ascended the rostrum, his talk was quite different from usual.

    Gantô, rubbing his hands together, laughed and said, “Wonderful! How happy I am that our Old Man has realized the last word. From now on he’ll be subject to no one on earth.”

  • Starbuck’s Sumatra


    Country of Origin: Sumatra
    Appellation/Region:
    Estate/Farm: Farms
    Grower: Farmers
    Certification:
    Rating & Roast Notes:

    This is a generic big batch copy. The over roast from Starbucks make it a nice coffee–rich and well roasted. I like this coffee a lot for the a late night brew–it carries a strong sense of Jazz that I really enjoy. It tastes like a good French roast to me, more then an Indonesian super coffee.

  • CASE 54: Ungan’s "Great Mercy"


    Ungan asked Dôgo, “What does the Bodhisattva of the Great Mercy use so many hands and
    eyes for?”


    Dôgo answered, “It is like a person in the middle of the night reaching with his
    hand behind his head groping for his pillow.”

    Ungan said, “I understood.”

    Dôgo said, “How did you understand it?”

    Ungan said, “The whole body is hands and eyes.”

    Dôgo said, “You said it very well. But you expressed only eight-tenths of it.”

    Ungan said, “How would you say it, Elder Brother?”

    Dôgo said, “The entire body is hands and eyes.”

  • Princess of Swords

    These are good traits to have for NaNoWriMo month ” intellectually inclined, perceptive and intuitive” — I could use all the power of observation possible during this month.

    I will get to use my negotiator tactics this month–that is good!

    I get to be more honest and more frank.

    I need to watch for “angry, emotionally distressed and probably feeling vicious” type stuff, which I always need to watch for + I am not really feeling right now.

  • 21. Biting Through

  • 0 The Fool

    I feel that I get this card often–I guess that the deck I have has three version of this card, but still–it seems to come up a lot.

    I could definitely use more eagerness and freshness–some of this I am finding in a return to where I was before–a return to the healthy choices I was making previously, like jogging.

    Faith in god and an absence of fear, I feel that I relate to–and I definitely expect my path to be happy and rewarding.

    Bringing up the child within while my mom is staying with us is good, but I am not sure I am staying immune to others negativity.

    I shall see.

  • CASE 53: Ôbaku’s "Drinkers"

    Ôbaku instructed the assembly and said, “You are all drinkers of lees. If you continue to go on your Way like this, where will the ‘Today’ be? Do you know that in this great empire of Tang there is no Zen master?”

    Now a monk came forward and said, “What would you say to the fact that in various places there are people who accept students and direct their assemblies?”

    Ôbaku said, “I don’t say that there is no Zen; I only say that there is no master.”

  • CASE 52: Sôzan’s "Dharma-body"

    Sôzan asked Elder Toku, “‘The true Dharma-body of Buddha is like the empty sky. manifests its form corresponding to things — just like the moon on the water.’ How do explain the principle of this corresponding?”

    Toku said, “It is like a donkey looking into well.”

    Sôzan said, “You put it in a nice way, but you were able to say only eighty percent.”

    Toku said, “How about you, Master?”

    Sôzan said, “It is like a well looking at a donkey.”

  • Princess of Disks

    “often represents conception”

    I am not sure why this card came up–I am glad to be over the previous period of Nine of Wands, but I am not sure where I am going with this stage manager–behind the scenes sensitive woman.

    I am glad to be paying more attention to the ideals of others + be out of my own personal problems.