With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen is the practice of living your actual life as it actually is. Many of us live our life as if we think it should be something else, better: more money, more love, more peace. But this is not the Zen way.
In an effort to live the Zen way, though, we think we should know what this "Way" is, so we pick up a book and read, learning about what others say the Zen way is. We think we are inadequate to know the Zen way, that just sitting is somehow not enough. But this is not true.
Sitting Zen is the Way. Sitting Zen will open your heart and mind to your actual life. It will teach you to be in your actual life fully and completely as it is.
Books point us, guided our mind, or offer suggestions about our practice, but it is our practice that is our teacher and we must never forget that.
Zen is awareness; it is presence of mind. Seated Zen disciplines us to be present and have awareness of mind at all times. It teaches us all we really need to know about how to live.
How do we treat a door when closing or opening it? How do we treat food as we prepare and eat it? How do we treat our partner in conflict? Presence of mind, Zen, will be your best teacher.
Some say the best way to "solve" a koan is to enter the koan. So too, the best way to treat a door, food, or your partner, is to become your door, food, or partner. That is to say, we must enter them as they are, not as we wish them or think them to be. In this way we offer them the greatest respect.
Now practice.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen is the practice of living your actual life as it actually is. Many of us live our life as if we think it should be something else, better: more money, more love, more peace. But this is not the Zen way.
In an effort to live the Zen way, though, we think we should know what this "Way" is, so we pick up a book and read, learning about what others say the Zen way is. We think we are inadequate to know the Zen way, that just sitting is somehow not enough. But this is not true.
Sitting Zen is the Way. Sitting Zen will open your heart and mind to your actual life. It will teach you to be in your actual life fully and completely as it is.
Books point us, guided our mind, or offer suggestions about our practice, but it is our practice that is our teacher and we must never forget that.
Zen is awareness; it is presence of mind. Seated Zen disciplines us to be present and have awareness of mind at all times. It teaches us all we really need to know about how to live.
How do we treat a door when closing or opening it? How do we treat food as we prepare and eat it? How do we treat our partner in conflict? Presence of mind, Zen, will be your best teacher.
Some say the best way to "solve" a koan is to enter the koan. So too, the best way to treat a door, food, or your partner, is to become your door, food, or partner. That is to say, we must enter them as they are, not as we wish them or think them to be. In this way we offer them the greatest respect.
Now practice.
Be well.
Oh, it's good to see you here!
ReplyDeleteIt's Jaime (Girly) your friend from Yahoo & Multiply. I was missing your posts.
Glad I've found you. :)