With palms together,

Good Afternoon,

We are preparing to leave the refuge for the winter months. We have leased an apartment in Las Cruces and will be moving there next weekend. This comes as a sort of acknowledgement, I suppose, that we are not interested in dealing with the harshness of the mountain winter this year. There is a freedom that comes with this decision.

I would like to talk with you a little about this freedom.

Our thinking, as I have suggested to you before, often gets in our way. We all too often over-think things, stumbling this way and that, in our effort to get things right. And sometimes the thinking gives rise to great fear, greed, or hatred: the poisons that paralyse us or push us to do and say that which we would not otherwise do.

In the Zen tradition, we try to think in terms of "right" or "correct" thinking, action, speech, and so on.

Correct thinking is that which allows us to do what the situation call for. To have correct thinking, we must "see" as clearly as the moon reflected on a still pond's water. When we have a clear mind, it reflects exactly (and only) what is there in front of us, with nothing added. We then know what to do. We call this correct undederstanding.

Incorrect thinking is that which gets in the way, distorts, poisons, or otherwise disturbs us. It gets in our way and often causes us to wobble along, uncertain of what step to take next or in what direction to take it.

With correct thinking, when we are sick, we see a doctor. We take our medicine. This includes all forms of sickness: physical, psychological, spiritual, and emotional. When depression comes over us, we see a doctor. We take our medicine. When we feel alone and without connection to the heart of the universe, we go to our Three Treasures, the Buddha's example, the Buddha's Teaching and our Friends. We take the Buddha's medicine, stilling our mind, refreshing our heart, and centering ourselves.
Likewise, with correct thinking when the dog barks, we naturally let him out or feed him or otherwise tend to him. If our children break something, fail to acknowledge us, or in some other way 'bother' us, we pick up the pieces, accept them, forgive them, love them, and easily go to the next thing before us to do.

Complaining is "something added."

Complaining, as I so often do, can be a way of letting out the steam we are building in our heads with incorrect thinking. Sometimes it is good to let out the steam. Sometimes not. If others are present,m silence is better. Better still is not having the steam arise in the first place. That is our practice. That is our work to be done each day.

When we live this way we are living completely free. Just there. It is in this that we can see that the true shackles are those we create in our minds.

Be free.

May All Beings Be Free From Suffering
Sodaiho Roshi