I feel like an idiot, but I need help keeping my pipe lit...

[Kyle Weiss]

Here, again, I thought I was a weirdo: I use a white piece of paper folded into quarters, and opened so that it lays flat "halfed." I dry a little, sort the pieces, and use the fold as a gutter to help load the tobacco (especially the pieces, which end up on top). It keeps things tidy and works a treat. *shrug*

8)

 

[number_seven]

A Zen Buddhist should seek solace in the pipe and the moment, rather than the numbers.

Here's some Zen Piping for thought:

"If the pipe requires more fire, it is of the pipe's asking, not your failure. In kind, it is as natural to you to ask for water when you are thirsty, and you drink until you are quenched--the amount of water is not important."

8)

Strangely enough, this is the lighting philosophy I live (or light ) by.

I like that quote very much; in, in truth, holds very well to the Zen philosophy I've followed for a long time.

Sen Rikyu had a quote that can be rephrased to the smoking of a pipe:

The Way of Tea is naught but this:
first you boil water,
then you make the tea and drink it.

My take:

Pipe smoking is a simple act,
First pack the pipe,
Light it,
then smoke it until it is finished.

 

[number_seven]

So I tried a technique mentioned elsewhere, where you use the prod to punch a channel through the center if you pack the pipeweed too tightly.

Normally, I empty the ash when the flame goes out. This time, not only did I not do this because I didn't feel the need, but it remained lit for a very long time and require a minimal number of relights.

I think I'm getting the hang of this.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Pipe smoking is a simple act,
First pack the pipe,
Light it,
then smoke it until it is finished.

"Smoking a pipe is no more difficult than a conversation with a good friend. You contribute, you receive, you enjoy, and afterward, both are wiser and better for it."

I wrote that down a few months ago, and it rings true. There is an exchange that both benefit...you, relaxed, and the pipe becomes broken-in and well-seasoned. Even new friendships are exciting and a little tense (like a new pipe that can bite a little), but mellow into a natural way of being. All it takes is understanding the nature of the pipe and the smoker.

Last night, for example, I was all out of sorts. I was not in harmony with myself, or my pipe. I was rushed, distracted, and disconnected. The smoke was wet, harsh, disappointing. I also had a misunderstanding with a friend that left me feeling the same way. That was due to my state of mind, everything else was just fine.

(...the cool part was, all it took was a little awareness, and I just started over...the forgiveness of a true friend...)

We all stumble while learning to walk, but it's awesome to get it "right." Glad you're getting the hang of it.

8)

 

[Fishfuzz]

Before I started smoking a pipe I watched this video and then when I started I used his technique and it has done darn well for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGPlulm_tEc&feature=plcp
I don't so much worry any longer about the technique but the feel of it as I go along. It comes with time....and it doesn't take too long if you pay attention to the pack and try to repeat when you have a good one. Like others have said, pack looser than you think you need to. I also find the light to be of high importance and still use the technique in the video. Hope it helps.

In the words of one of the comments: "That's a mustache that could slay a eff'ing dragon."