DonovanM Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 ...and it was righteous. I completely let go of control and just let it happen. It's amazing how much my conscious mind/ego has to be in control all the time. It's never quite happened this way before, and I can't wait to bring this feeling to shooting. This changes everything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Super awesome! I would normally say something like "nice work," but "you" didn't do anything, which is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I drove home 2 nights ago from Calgary (3 hour drive) and I have no idea what happened in that last hour. I just know I entered the city, and I was "back" I'm more worried than rejoiced at finding Zen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I drove home 2 nights ago from Calgary (3 hour drive) and I have no idea what happened in that last hour. I just know I entered the city, and I was "back" I'm more worried than rejoiced at finding Zen! That's not uncommon - in the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I've become more aware lately, just how much desire opposes the resident joy in most everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I've become more aware lately, just how much desire opposes the resident joy in most everything. The perfect things in life are the things that just happen...... Some mornings the first cup of coffee is just better than normal -- better on a whole different level. I don't know what affects the change in perception; coffee gets brewed the same way every day. Maybe it's something I ate the day before, but I've learned to just accept the surprise and enjoy the sensation..... Some nights I walk out of work, and the light is just magical -- gorgeous and contrasty, without being as harsh as the sun can be in Summer and Winter, filtered just right.... In the spring I like to walk around the yard each night when I come home. I know that something will have changed, but since I can never predict what, it's always a great surprise..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangram Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Author) Might be worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I've become more aware lately, just how much desire opposes the resident joy in most everything. As usual, well said and beautiful. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangram Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I've become more aware lately, just how much desire opposes the resident joy in most everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigdogg316 Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 at yesterday's match, i was really calm. only had one mike all day. shot a good match but i was never that calm before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikethor Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 " We are what we think, all that we are arises with out thoughts with our thoughts we create our world " I cannot remember who said this it may have been in one of Richard Bach's books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I drove home 2 nights ago from Calgary (3 hour drive) and I have no idea what happened in that last hour. I just know I entered the city, and I was "back" I'm more worried than rejoiced at finding Zen! Maybe you should drink a little less "Zen" if you have to drive home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 That's a good one Toolguy! If zen could be bottled and consumed, there would soon be laws prohibiting it's possession. (From this day forward:you are not allowed to be in possession of nothing!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirecounter Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 (From this day forward:you are not allowed to be in possession of nothing!) I almost replied about the double negative, but I "got it." LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grunt Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) I've become more aware lately, just how much desire opposes the resident joy in most everything. Hi Sam, I have little knowledge/understanding of Zen, so I was hoping you could help me understand this a bit better. First, I believe I understand what you are saying. In essence, desire can get in the way of just doing (perhaps that is incorrect on my part?) But if this is accurate, then is desire something we should avoid? Do we strive to remove desire from our lives? I spoke to a Buddhist one time and he eluded to desire being a bad thing. Maybe I misunderstood him. Anyway, just trying to understand if there is a larger context to this concept. Thanks! Grunt Edited January 1, 2012 by Grunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Texas Granny Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) You know sometimes this Zen seems to find me when I 'm not even looking for it. This past Saturday was one example as it found me on the shotgun range as I was about to shoot a round of trap. It was if time slowed down. I felt like I had all day to line up on the bird and engage it. It was simply a great feeling. I didn't miss a single bird until my 18th shot. It was on the 17th bird that I realized I had a chance of shooting my first round of 25 that day. Started thinking then missed the bird. I found my place on the 19th bird and keep hitting them till bird # 25. Shooting from the far right position the bird flew out of the house on a hard far right trajectory. Missed it. Not even close. The puller consoled me by saying that left handed shooters like me have difculity with that shot from that position. I'll be at the range this week working on just that one shot. So I ended the day in Trap with 23 out of 25. My first 25 is so close I can taste it. I shot a round of skeet and improved to 12 out of 25. It's a vast improvement from my last round of 5 hits so I feel good about it. It's even found me when I'm shooting a pistol match. I step into the starting box and it hits me. I feel separated from everything around me with the only intrusion being the RO's voice and the buzzer. Off goes the buzzer and I end up with some of the best shooting I've ever done. Now figuring out how to replicate that every time is now the challenge. I do have a problem though. I've noticed that I experience pressure when I'm shooting with others. I know I shouldn't feel that way but I do. Edited January 2, 2012 by West Texas Granny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Grunt, The whole spectrum of the dichotomy of desire is a difficult one to fully resolve. Top competitors have found they perform at their best when not a trace of desire is present - during their performance. But there has to me a realm of desire present - or you won't be at the match, or practing. So no expectations and no attchment is key. From a famous Zen poem... The Great Way is not difficult for those who are not attached to their preferences. You could substitute "desiire" for "preferences." be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grunt Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Top competitors have found they perform at their best when not a trace of desire is present - during their performance. But there has to me a realm of desire present - or you won't be at the match, or practing. So no expectations and no attchment is key. OK, that makes sense. The idea of eliminating desire on a grand scale always seemed a bit absurd to me. Desire is innately human. But limiting it to a time, place, and intensity is reasonable, and even beneficial. Thanks for the 'splanation. Grunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Texas Granny Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Grunt, The whole spectrum of the dichotomy of desire is a difficult one to fully resolve. Top competitors have found they perform at their best when not a trace of desire is present - during their performance. But there has to me a realm of desire present - or you won't be at the match, or practing. So no expectations and no attchment is key. The only reason one is in a match is competition against others or themselves. The desire to perform is there and with every single living being. One may say it's not but desire is there and in abundance or they would never had gotten out of bed. Desire is hard wired. Just no way around it. Without it we would be no different then a rock laying on the ground. As far as the top shooter claim I would suggest it's a separation from the moment idea. No external or internal disturbances of ones physical, environmental or mental state. A total separation that the simplest of thoughts can shatter. Music is the best analogy I can think of. If one actually listens they can hear every single note from every instrument and will be able to tell if a single note was skipped or off key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe L Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 West Texas Granny, I had a similar experience to your trap experience this week... After a 1000 rounds weak hand only with a 22, followed by 200 rounds with the 9mm over the last few weeks, I was finally able to get 18 of 20 rounds (picture note is incorrect) on a 7" plate from 25 yards standing, weak hand only. The two misses were very close. This is with a REALLY weak left arm that I have been training to shoot as if it were my strong arm. The strong arm is in a sling...for one more week...then physical therapy after rotator cuff surgery. I really think I was able to shoot this group by simply releasing the shot when the sight alignment was correct--on autopilot, but not by "trying". I had already trained to do it. This time, I didn't get to round 16 and think, wow, I might be able to shoot 20 out of 20, even though I had checked the plate every 5 shots and was very happy with what I was seeing after 15 rounds. I don't even remember when I shot the near misses, since I was rejoicing in the hits, and not thinking of the misses. Instead, I simply enjoyed what I was able to do. My kind of zen experience. Sorta. I think. This is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 That's good stuff Joe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 something that I learned when I had anxiety disorder before and hyperventilation was to stay in the present and BE on the now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John K Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 While I am no master class guy, I have had this experience: When I am a bit tired, I shoot better. It seems to flow better, as if my ego and expectations did not get booted up because being tired has taken all the RAM. Sometimes it seems as if I was a spectator to the front sight rather than the driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 The best enos advice ever is/was: once you're done aiming, you're done aiming... Devote all of your attention to the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Sometimes it seems as if I was a spectator to the front sight rather than the driver. That's when you realize later that you were in the flow. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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