Rest

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

The sun is rising over the mountains and the cool desert air is rapidly warming. We are forecast to hit the 100 degree mark today, tomorrow, and the next day. We have our thermostat set at 82 degrees. Our ceiling fans cool us nicely, as the condo is set facing east so that by afternoon, the windows are all in the shade. I open our windows overnight and close them around 8:00 AM, dropping the blinds as well. This procedure allows for fresh air overnight and cooler inside temperatures through the heat of the desert day.

This is my "off" day from exercise and I look forward to not running, biking, or swimming. We all need a rest day, a day to recover ourselves, nurture ourselves, and re-set our spirits.

In Judaism we call this day Shabbat. Christianity refers to it as Sabbath. Zen has no such day. I've wondered about this. Why no day of rest in Buddhist practice?

In the days of the Buddha (and even today in some places) monks arose early and walked to villages where they stood silently in front of houses with begging bowls seeking food. A day without begging was a day without food. Monks had no possessions other than their robes and begging bowls. They did not cook, nor did they store up things: monks were "shukke," home-leavers.

There are other reasons however. The categories of work, play, and rest, are mental constructs. We add these concepts to our activity. A being who is awake lives without such categories. From an outsider's perspective he or she might be working or sitting or resting, but from an insider's point of view, he or she would always be at stillness. When we practice Zen, we practice being awake in all postures: sitting, walking, lying down. This "awake" is very particular. It means being one: no separation between the person, activity, and environment. No separation between the consciousness of this or that. Just this. Living thus means we are never in opposition. By definition, there can be no work: we are always at rest.

This is every moment Shabbat.

Be well.