Inside-Out Zen

With palms together,
Good Morning All,

There can be a serious precision to our practice that gets in the way of awakening, as well as compassionate living. Some people become so caught in the net of this and that, the 2 centimeters of difference, that they fail to see the Buddha's face.

One of the truths of monastic practice is that life in a group can be a real challenge to serenity, but then we all know that don't we? It is easy to be a Buddha alone and undisturbed by the ticking of the clock or the needs of a baby. Some practitioners, especally those who revere monastic practice, view the exactitude of ritual as very important. Order on the outside rules.

Another finger pointing.

What is important is the inside out. I like inside-out Zen. Our precision is from the inside. That is to say, our internal to external correspondance to the Buddha and his attributes are the thing most important. But then, how do we get there?

On the one hand we can say that ritualized practice, the forms, so to speak, offer us a vessel within which we train ourselves. This is outside-in Zen. On the other hand, our zazen of mind and body, establishing from the inside the strength and discipline to sit upright, is inside-out Zen.

Of course, at some point along the way, we attain there is little difference. Inside and outside are the same.

Do not be so critical with yourself.

Be well.