Sunday in the City

Kim and I spent the afternoon in San Francisco last Sunday. We took BART over to the Embarcadero station and then switched to MUNI. BART was "single tracking" between stations, and that added an unexpected delay to our departure. Otherwise public transportation to and in San Francisco is quite a treat for me.

We took the N Judah line to Church St. and had good food at Duboce Park Cafe, especially The Cake -- they have many pastries but the layer cake is made by someone who really knows good cake; so far I've had the chocolate/white chocolate and lemon -- excellent! We were there about 12:30pm on Sunday, almost got a table outside, but had to eat inside where the music was just too loud. I had the hot chicken w/chipotle aioli sandwich and salad, Kim at a tuna melt w/homemade lemonade. The food is very good, the salad and lemonade was excellent.

We walked up a few blocks to Fillmore St. and caught the 22 bus north to the Marina. I am charmed by how the neighborhoods' personalities all appear distinct within just a few short blocks. The Lower Height and Hayes Valley areas are easy and interesting, with lots of local shops and eateries on each block. When I visited by myself a few weekends ago I walked straight up Steiner from the cafe past Alano Square, with its very good view to the west and north, all the way to Turk before turning east to Fillmore. From there I thought I'd catch the bus north but kept walking all the way to Geary -- the area is developing its roots of local jazz clubs into new clubs (including Yoshi's) and a culture district.

On the bus with Kim it is a somewhat brief drive up to the Marina district. I am very curious about the restaurants that pepper Fillmore north of Geary in to the Pacific Heights area and on down into the Marina. The 22 bus' terminal point if a few blocks from the actual Marina, so we walked through the charming and fancy homes that line Fillmore down to the water. When you reach the bay at ground level, the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, with the people walking left and right at the green and the sail boats and pelicans at the water, is spectacular! We sat on a bench by the walk by the water and feed the birds the leftovers of Kim's tuna melt.

Beautiful day. Thanks.

Back in the saddle

Now, where was I? Oh, yes.

I've been steeping in Ken Wilber's work for about the last 6 months. Although his work is very wide and deep I find there is something important to me missing: prayer. Although he is very involved with ideas of spiritual practice, the practice of it in his work is missing. In other words, as far as his published work goes, he's not a Guru -- he's a scientist, explorer, story-teller, a teacher, a sherpa even, but his practice is private. He is an integralist. For his very powerful work, check out his Sex Ecology Spirituality, Integral Spirituality, Eye of Spirit (esp. chapter on myth of the given), and Kosmic Consciousness [CD set]. Kosmic Consciousness is VERY accessible and easy to listen to (as these things go) and covers virtually all his foundational work. It could blow your mind, literally.

Alternatively, just recently, I have been very influenced by Robert Thurman's The Jewel Tree of Tibet. And there is plenty of prayer there. I have read one of Thurman's books with great delight, but I have seen him on DVD and also have recordings of lectures -- but the Jewel Tree of Tibet is a recording of a retreat that he led, immersed in spirit, and it is quite personal and personally moving.

I find Wilber's and Thurman's ideas and presentations compatible and complementary. The presentations are different in significant ways: the "Wilber Sessions" are an interview format with SoundsTruepublisher Tami Simon; the Thurman talk is a 12 CD monolog in the format of a retreat (without audible audients), excited and engaging but much like an internal dialog. There are outstanding ideas in both CD sets (I'll skip over the books mentioned above). The stages and lines of development (AQAL) are explained clearly and usefully by Wilber. (He explains Everything.) The motivation for practice and spirit of enlightenment are laid out in compelling and sincere and rational language by Thurman. Both do a special job of pointing out the relationship and taste of form and emptiness.

Both teachers (good companions on this journey) have made it progressively easier for me to recognize my practice in each step and turn. Each step is freer, each turn is fuller now.

Towering over our heads in more ways than one. Goodbye Sandy Allen.