The Zen Master's Dance - 9 - Fukan Zazengi (Middle of p. 38 to Bottom of p. 41)

[Jundo]

We continue from middle of page 38, "The Mechanics of Sitting," stopping right before the discussion of "Think of not thinking" at the very bottom of page 41.

This week's reading looks at the physical posture of Zazen, but also talks about our attitudes during sitting.

Assignment:

Describe a "problem" in your life that would literally disappear, no longer be a "problem," if you stopped thinking about it as a "problem." In other words, is there a "problem" which is only a "problem" because you think of it as a "problem?" This will not work for all problems in life or the world (e.g., if you have bad health, you still will no matter your view about it; Global Warming will still be a world problem even if we ignore it, although your approach to even these bad situations may cool down quite a bit, and become more level headed, through this exercise.).

Instead, I am talking about some other problem that literally only (or pretty much only) exists because you consider it a problem.

To try to identify such self-made "problems," try to consider them with these attitudes discussed in the reading:

(1) Rain is just rain. It just is what it is.
(2) I am obsessing about this thing, overly focused on it, and I will now put the obsession down.
(3) I will treat it just like a table in the room during Zazen that I will not ponder.

See if you can find and describe a "problem" that largely evaporates when you do so.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Fâtih]

When I evaluate, judge, and measure myself, I feel bad. When I evaluate, judge, and measure existence, I feel bad. When a voice from my old belief tells me I'm a heretic, and when I take it seriously, I truly feel like a heretic, and it hurts. When I realize I don't actually have a definition, I feel at ease.

Gassho
Fâtih
Satlah

[Jundo]

Yes, I think "heretic" is largely in your own mind ...



Gassho, J
stlah

[Houzan]

Our apartment is a mess. Toys everywhere, exploding laundry baskets, plates and cups on the kitchen bench, beds unmade, dust on the book shelves. It should have been tidy and clean.

However, it’s safe for the kids. We manage. We get some rest. It’s not too bad. It’s ok.

Gassho, Hōzan
satlah

[Koriki]

Where I live it is very hot for 5 months out of the year. Our electricity bills in the summer are very high and I had looked into installing a new style of whole house fan in our ceiling that will draw the cool morning air into the house and send it through to the attic. Even though I deal with illness I am still stubborn enough to try to do a project like this myself even though it will surely make me feel much much worse. I had been fully down this rabbit hole of reading about the options, looking at my low attic with terrible access and seeing that this project would be miserable, expensive, and had a good chance of failure. Hiring people to do it would be cost prohibitive. After weeks of looking at dimensions and trying to figure out how I could do it I found that even this evaluation process was making my brain function worse and I was starting to spiral down. Finally, I talked with my wife about it and I just said while shaking my head, "We don't really need a whole house fan, do we?" She replied, "No, we don't." And immediately I didn't have that problem anymore and started to feel much better.

Gassho,
Koriki
s@lah

[Jundo]

I can solve both Koriki and Housan's problems: A GIANT fan inside the house that blows away all that stuff!

.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Hosui]

This morning I found out that I’ll be made redundant, after 23 years at my university: a great lesson in impermanence. Fortunately, looking inwards, beyond discriminative thought of permanent and impermanent, problem and solution, emptiness and form, reveals my original face and the path I must walk. There is only continual practice, going beyond even buddhahood. This present moment of devastation I’m feeling right now is my practice. During zazen we just sit still and upright, as a (walking) mountain.

Gassho
Hosui
sat/lah

[Jundo]

This morning I found out that I’ll be made redundant, after 23 years at my university: a great lesson in impermanence. Fortunately, looking inwards, beyond discriminative thought of permanent and impermanent, problem and solution, emptiness and form, reveals my original face and the path I must walk. There is only continual practice, going beyond even buddhahood. This present moment of devastation I’m feeling right now is my practice. During zazen we just sit still and upright, as a (walking) mountain.

Gassho
Hosui
sat/lah

So well said, teach.

And the next step after step is something new!

Gassho, J
stlah

[Jorge]

Hi! Joining a little late — I’m catching up on the reading and will be sharing past activities as time permits if able.

For me, it’s really about what I think others are thinking about me.
This can be very annoying because I know it’s just my self-awareness doing its thing, and in reality, people are usually much kinder, more open to talking, accepting, and having fun than my mind leads me to believe. This has always bothered me — the feeling that I have to be perfect in everything I do or else face some terrible consequence has made me miss out on a lot of fun and important decisions. But when I started learning (and I keep learning every day) to stop thinking about that, the problems went away, and I felt like I could truly live more in touch with the present.

Gassho.
Jorge
SatLah.

[Furyu]

I'll pick something trivial for this one. I think many of our daily "problems" are just of our own making. I cook and bake a lot. Yesterday I was trying a new recipe for a pizza dough to try to achieve a specific texture. So, of course, I was worrying about it - the problem being "will it turn out ok? will it turn out the way I want?" And of course, however it turns out, it will be just fine, anyway. So much chasing after nothing. We worry a lot about our wants/needs, even when they are truly unimportant. And, yes, by the way, it turned out fine but we would have enjoyed it even if it hadn't. Seems to me me that once we can get away from rigid and specific expectations, we can face things in a much more positive way. Bread is bread, you eat it. Rain is rain, you get wet.

Gassho
Furyu
sat-lah

[Jundo]

image.png

Gassho, J
stlah

PS - I am sure, Furyu, that you don't load on the cheese like the pizza in the picture!

[Furyu]

PS - I am sure, Furyu, that you don't load on the cheese like the pizza in the picture!

As tempting as that would be... better not. Buddha.jpg Not the look I'm (not)aiming for...

Gassho
Furyu
sat-lah

[Hokuu]

Sometimes I'm kind of obsessed with doing things "right".
For example, I might feel anxiety with sitting in a "Burmese position only," while Dogen was very clear about full and half-lotus. Thinking about all the arguments against this false belief doesn't help; thinking about Buddha himself, who most likely wasn't a full-lotus purist, doesn't help.

When I manage to let the obsession go, I see that it's not a problem at all. I realize that many people can't sit in full or half-lotus, and this shouldn't be a requirement. I still try to sit in a half-lotus when I can, and the obsession comes again and again, but I also realize (although often forget) that this "problem" will pass.

Gassho
Hokuu
satlah

[Jundo]

Hokuu, this is the only correct posture for sitting ...

image.png



Gassho, J
stlah