Now

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

The Zen way is the way of no “Way.” The Zen way is the way of picking up a piece of paper on the sidewalk without thinking much at all about it. Or if annoyed, being completely there with the annoyance, doing what is necessary to deal with the annoyance.

There is no perfection other than this moment exactly how it is and if we engage it exactly how it is, everything is as it should be and is “good.” On the other hand, if we imagine our situation as needing to be other than it is, measuring this against that, our mind is separating us from what is, and this is not a good situation.

Perfection is easy for a mind that engages reality directly and without preconception. Our practice is to be in this “now” as fully as possible and doing within it what the reality demands of us. It is no problem.

When hungry eat; when sleepy, sleep.

By all accounts, I should be miserable. Nevertheless, I am not. Instead, I am alive in this moment, experiencing all of the thoughts and feelings that arise out of it and am doing what I must in each moment. Feelings and thoughts come and go: they are impermanent. Holding them is like trying to hold air in motion and just as futile...be it a gentle breeze or a storm.

To me Zen is about practicing appreciation of the now.

Be well.