I am going to say something that might be missed or not emphasized enough in many explanations of Shikantaza Zazen. (I apologize to any teachers who do in fact say this).In Shikantaza, trains of thought and stormy emotions might come. and we are told to release the thoughts, become untangled, returning to the posture or breath or 'open awareness,' the stillness and silence free of thoughts. Then, when more thoughts come, we just repeat. That is correct.
HOWEVER, many Zen sitters then think that the point is just to be in that "still and silent" good place as the objective (and longer and longer too, until maybe somewhere down the road even all the time, off the cushion and on). I don't believe so. Rather, the real power and process of Shikantaza requires the thoughts and emotions, and their release, in cycle after cycle until we come to know that the thoughts and emotions (and all the chaos of this life) AND the stillness and silence (and light of Illumination which shines through all the chaos) are not two. True Stillness is present both when the head is quiet and when it is noisy, just as the Sun is always shining in the sky whether it is a perfectly clear day or a cloudy and stormy day (and we can perceive the Sunlight to shine even at the heart of the dark cloud).
Thus, the point of Shikantaza is truly to experience that which is present and transcends both thoughts and emotions AND their absence, a Wisdom which is present when thoughts and emotions are gone AND even within thinking and life. This is a realization which occurs in the repeating, flowing cycle of thoughts and emotions coming then going into silence, coming then going into silence ...
Of course, that does not mean that we should indulge and wallow in always being tangled in thoughts and emotions all the time in Zazen either. No, and we release the entanglements back to the breath or posture or open awareness 10,000 times and 10,000 times again and again. Nor do I mean that times of abiding, deep and profound Samadhi are to be avoided. No, far from it too ... they are part of the journey as well. But the Real Teacher is the movement of the mind back and through all these changes ... finding the True Light and Stillness which shines through and as all the changes of the mind and life.
I would not wish to live as anything but a human being who sometimes is happy and sometimes sheds a tear when sadness comes, who appreciates beauty but also sees the sometime ugliness in this world and wishes to deal with it rather than avoid. In fact, I could not live as a human being without human emotions and thoughts. Nonetheless, I also want to know that Flowing Wholeness, Stillness and Light which shines through and as all happy and sad days, thoughts of problems and joys, both ugliness and ordinary worldly pleasures.
And as we sit so, letting thought and emotions appear and release, appear and release ... we sit with a profound Trust in our bones that Zazen is always right. Storming Zazen is good Zazen, and quiet Zazen is good Zazen because Zazen ... and all to a Buddha's Eye ... is that which is Good beyond and right within all ordinary worldly storms and quiet, birth and death, beauty and ugliness, joy and grief and all the rest.
So, let thoughts come, let them go, let them drift from mind ... let thoughts come, let them go, let them drift from mind ...
If you would like to hear more thoughts about this (some which I thought up --during-- part of sitting Zazen today before letting them go and returning to quiet sitting
), here is a little talk. Gassho, J
STLah
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