Keep It Clean

Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius. - George Sand in the Zen Calendar (April 30, 2009).

Day 134. It should not take 2,400 keystrokes to get to my blogging screen. This dinosaur I used to call a computer has embarked upon its own process of extinction. I would like to say that the laptop fund is steadily growing; however, a certain bursar account at a certain private college where a certain walk-on football player is supposedly salvaging a scholarship deems any other fund contributions unlikely. I haven't thought about my future book deal in a long time, but - Dang! It would be nice to buy a laptop.

The title for tonight's blog is not a reference to anything Green, nor is my son's social life being implicated. It's okay to keep reading, because I am not going to type a tirade about the Gulf. The phrase came up during a session with a client today when I suggested she make a bumper sticker that says "Keep it Clean" as a reminder of our discussion.

The client is newly divorced and attempting to re-enter the dating world. After much therapy, she has an accurate awareness of historic events that influence both her selection of who to date and how she interacts with him. On the one hand, insight into fathering issues, stepfather conflict, and what went awry in past marriages is useful and relevant information when it comes to starting a new relationship. On the other hand, excessive psychological analysis tends to clutter the present, make a person over think herself and the other, and prime a potential partner to be projected upon. Most of us have been on the receiving end of behavior influenced by factors originating way before the person even knew us. It's frustrating and confusing, leaving us with the instinctive feeling that "this isn't about me."

I explained the potential for damaging projections from past relationships to be levied upon the new man in her life. That's when the "keep it clean" idea came to me. We laughingly clarified that the recommendation was not referencing sexual decisions. I grounded the idea in a Buddhist conceptualization of living in the here-and-now and keeping interactions psychologically "clean" from baggage belonging to other times and other people. We discussed how "strategic" relationships have become, with both parties constantly volleying for the position of least risk and vulnerability. In weaving these tangled webs of assumption and speculation, we seem to have lost the ability to be authentic and straightforward. It's unfortunate, since authenticity requires much less energy and usually cultivates genuine intimacy.

I've written previously about this idea, but never with the slogan, "Keep it clean." The phrase is most useful if we understand it to mean "dwell in the moment, keeping it free of hypothetical debris." I like the simplicity of the phrase. It is a reminder to stay grounded, strive for objectivity, and be on the lookout for projections and assumptions. It applies to zazen, too. I think I'll practice it right now.

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc