Grass Hut - 5 - Enjoyment

[Jundo]

Dear All,

I hope you enjoyed this week's section ... Enjoyment.

A couple of possible discussion seeds:

- Has Zen Practice aided you ability to enjoy moments in life?

- Can one richly and deeply enjoy without being overly attached to enjoyment?

Gassho, J

[Jishin]

Hi,

Yes

Yes

Gassho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Nindo]

Of course.

I know this glass is already broken, therefore I enjoy it immensely.

Gassho
Nindo
sattoday

[Joyo]

Nindo, yes so true. One of the most profound teachings I have come across. Also one of the most difficult things to accept.

I look forward to this week's reading. I find that reading it over several times during the week really helps for it all to sink right in.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Mp]

Hello everyone,

Yes, as this life is my practice and my practice is my life.

Yes, by richly and deeply enjoying each enjoyment for what it is and not what I want it to be. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday

[Jundo]

Hi,

Yes

Yes

Gassho, Jishin, _/st\_

Yes, well, I meant that folks might actually discuss should they wish. Thank you for the literal answer ... I enjoyed it!

Gassho, J

[Myosha]

Hello,

Yep.

'Nuff said.


Gassho
Myosha sat today

[Meishin]

Hi,

I can describe my experience best by writing about photography. With Zen, I shoot (photos) without as much analysis as before. That is, I may be shooting birds with a friend, and what I notice now is that I don't look at the LCD screen to evaluate a shot as much as my friend does. I shoot faster and am better focused on what might happen next (now). So there may be a shot I get that he/she won't because he/she is evaluating the previous shot (moment). I used to do that too, but now I'm better at "what now?" That seems to involve enjoying each moment more fully.

That also speaks to the second question. It's dropping an experience that may have been wonderful, not attaching to it. The moment (photograph) may have been great, but attaching to it is a mistake.

Now if I could do that with experiences that are not pleasant, that would be nice.

Here's a shot that would not have happened if I'd been attached to a (previous) good moment.

near collision-2.jpg

Gassho
Meishin
Sat today

[Kyotai]

Thank you Jundo,

Im going to borrow a quote from this section because it sums it up for me.

"Regularly practicing meditation and mindfulness cause the categories of what you enjoy to expand and the separation from your life caused by ceaseless mental activity to fade." Pg 28.

Sort of like that for me I think. The slow fading away of intrusive thoughts, and settling in to the experience here, here and here. I feel less and less interested in trying to seek outside myself enjoyment and realizing enjoyment can be found in this moment regardless of the situation I find my life in.

I like the example Ben gives from his own life, where he is doing some household chores and some family members are arguing in the background...sweeping with the chaos while feeling love and joy in that moment.

So...Yes.. and YES!

Gassho, Kyotai
sat today

[Byrne]

Meishin,

That is an exceptional photo you took. But you aren't finished yet. I cropped it several ways and each one is very interesting. Many decisions to make.

Seriously cool shot. Well done.

i am finding that my saddest times are becoming very quiet and peaceful. I am finding my most pleasurable times to be exactly the same as they've always been. Very enjoyable but nothing new to discover.

Gassho

Sat Today

[Anshu Bryson]

I think that Ben has put it well when he says: "A balance exists between accidently cultivating attachment by being present to life and denying oneselfthe enjoyment of your moments as a means to letgo of attachment; it is a Middle Way between realizingimpermanence and realizing the present moment..."

Gassho,

Anshu/Bryson

sat today

[Troy]

Of course.

I know this glass is already broken, therefore I enjoy it immensely.

Gassho
Nindo
sattoday

Thank you!


..sat2day•

[Tb]

Hi.

Yes and yes.

Why?
The smile.
Have you ever seen the smile sort of Always lingering at the side of the mouth of a practitioner of the way?
Thats why.
That one tells the whole story.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Kyonin]

Hi all!

- Has Zen Practice aided you ability to enjoy moments in life?
Yes. And I have changed a lot over the years actually. I remember 5 years ago that I was able to enjoy things for what they were. I always looked to stuff with a nice and fat layer of ego. Like movies, for instance. I was one of those movie-critics-wann-be that wasn't able to simply sit and enjoy a film without finding the bad in it. Hell I even had a podcast about how much I hated movies!

And I had that behavior pretty much with everything. Music, games, books, movies and people.

In contrast, I was overly enthusiastic and passionate about the things I liked. This prevented me from seeing other options or even more important stuff. I found that being like that was as bad as hating stuff.

But the more I sat, the more I let go of that.

I'm not saying I'm perfect or the portrait of equanimity, but I can now relax and enjoy something like Sharkando or a nice quiet sunset with the same kind of joy. It's all part of the experience and everything has a moment to be.


- Can one richly and deeply enjoy without being overly attached to enjoyment?

Yes. One can enjoy everything, even hard times, without being attached. Not in a masochistic way, but in a beginners mind way. That is to say that even hardships in life have a lot of learning and dharma for us to discover.

I still enjoy movies and computer games, but now I don't get to the point of being passionate or blind about them. I just sit, enjoy, have a great time and that's it.

These days I have been enjoying this book a lot. Tons of learning and a lot of parallels with how I lead my life.

I am actually very happy with what there is, despite hardships and challenges I face everyday.

And I am a happy man because there is a ripe mango in the fridge which I'll have for breakfast. Doesn't get any better than that.

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Troy]

Grass Hut - 5 - Enjoyment

- Has Zen Practice aided your ability to enjoy moments in life?

I use to think my life was miserable, but then I figured out it was just my misguided perception of reality. Thank you Zen.

- Can one richly and deeply enjoy without being overly attached to enjoyment?

Yes. The opposite is called addiction which in my case was drugs. Pick your poison it is the same thing.





..sat2day•