Grass Hut - 10 - Ethics and Meditation

[Jundo]

Dear All,

We reflect on the "Ethics and Meditation" section in "Chapter 6, Cultivating the Way, Inside and Out."

Please feel free to post about anything at all you feel. But, I will toss out this just as a seed ...

Do you feel that your Zazen Practice has made you a more "ethical" or "other concerned" individual? Do you feel that being more "ethical" and "other concerned" has helped support your Zazen? Please explain.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jishin]

Grass Hut - 10 - Ethics and Meditation

Please explain.

If I could I would.

Gassho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Myosha]

Always ethical, noticed increased integrity (doing the right thing even if unnecessary).

Who are these "others"?


Gassho
Myosha sat today

[Koushi]

I would go so far as to say it's lessened my need to be an individual; and increased my ability to be an 'other.' More empathy, less individualism.

Gassho,
Jesse

|SatToday

[Kyotai]

Yes, zazen has certainly quieted the noise around me which helps me to make better, perhaps more ethical decisions then I may have done otherwise.

Compassion is a big thing. When I am constantly concerned what people think, how I can get ahead in this world monetarily or otherwise, looking around at the suffering can seem counter productive. That was then.

Sitting each day opens this space up, allows for a pause, followed by a little bit of understanding and kindness towards others suffering.

For me, behaving ethically for the betterment of others and myself becomes more and more effortless. And being "other concerned" reinforces practice.

Gassho, Kyotai
sat today

[RichardH]

Being ethical was never a big issue, but I began practice wanting to escape the world or just be alone, finding the signals in ordinary social situations confusing and overwhelming. Now there is very little social fear and more enjoyment of people and new situations. In fact it has swung around, and I prefer to work with people and am inspired by new kinds of social engagement. It is an opening up.

Gassho

Daizan

sat today

[Getchi]

Well, I can say that Shikantaza unlike other methods I've studied has led to a strong desire to share what I've learned, to help others lessen there unhappiness.
This has led in turn to me reaffirming my commitment to help others and made my practice stronger by making that frustration we feel by just sitting weaker.

yes, I feel zazen is a good base for moral purpose in life, which in turn supports my practice. win/win

SaTtoDaY

[Byrne]

I have a feeling of striving to be more ethical. Believing myself to be more compassionate.

But do my actions line up?

I really love the first line of Outline of Practice attributed to Bodhidharma

"Many roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice."

Feeling a sense of oneness with other people has been arriving often with me as of late. It feels good, but getting too attached to the good feeling may distract me from what's happening in the external world. Too much reason and not enough practice seems like a big mistake.

Gassho

Sat Today

[Roland]

Grass Hut - 10 - Ethics and Meditation

Sitting helped me to be less self-centered and yet at the same time more able to stand up for myself. Less self-centered as in 'more focus on what others feel, compassion'. Yet at the same time less dependent on what others might think about me, more able to do 'my own thing'.

Gassho
Roland
#SatToday

[Rich]

Before Buddha, narrow view of self, now bigger view to see how others helped or hindered.

Comments above mine are good examples of ethical thinking/behavior.

SAT today

[Daiyo]

After some more than two years sitting, I can say that Zazen has affected my vision of the other people I don't know.
It has made me more compassionate.

My first thoughts were always defensive or aggressive before.
For example some time ago, if someone got in my way int the bus or the subway, my first thought would be "get out of my way you moron".

Now my thoughts are of compassion, like "maybe he's late for work" or "poor old lady, having to travel in the rush hour, maybe she has to go to the hospital".
Some time ago I would think about the homeles in terms of "lazy smelly dirty punks" and now the first I feel is their suffering having to sleep in the cold streets.

Pretty primitive, but true.

Gassho,
Daiyo

#SatToday

[Joyo]

I can't say zazen has changed my ethics. But it most definitely has helped me manage anger, resentment, frustration etc. etc.

What I found so profound about this part of the book is how it woke me up to realize that I am too much in my head. I'm always lost in thoughts, stories, daydreaming. It makes it hard to be mindful of what is going on in the external world, just little things like the beautiful sky while walking for example. So part of my practice is learning to change this, and not get so lost in the mental/internal thinking world I live in.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Mp]

I can't say zazen has changed my ethics. But it most definitely has helped me manage anger, resentment, frustration etc. etc.

What I found so profound about this part of the book is how it woke me up to realize that I am too much in my head. I'm always lost in thoughts, stories, daydreaming. It makes it hard to be mindful of what is going on in the external world, just little things like the beautiful sky while walking for example. So part of my practice is learning to change this, and not get so lost in the mental/internal thinking world I live in.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

Nicely said Joyo, thank you for this. =)

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

[Anshu Bryson]

I think it is difficult to gauge. Without a knowledge of the precepts, or the noble truths/eightfold path, etc., I am not sure that 'just sitting' would influence my ethics. And, without being able to 'un-know' those things, it is impossible to conduct the experiment...

For me it is a whole package. Sitting, precepts, other Dharma teachings, engaged practice, etc... For me, 'Just sit' means "while you are sitting don't do anything else", as opposed to "you don't have to do anything else but sit", if that makes sense...(?) I need the 'package'...


All that said, I agree with Joyo that the practice has had an impact on things like anger, frustration, etc. in my case. So, if that has opened my mind, or softened my heart a little, perhaps my ethical stance has been affected after all...

Gassho,
Anshu

-sat today-

[Jika]

In these early practice days, I cannot comment on ethics.
See you in September...
What I'm experiencing is the difference between what I thought "ethics" was, like do not lie or kill, and what counts in daily life.
Hearing someone out who has a really challanging opinion and temper.
Letting other people direct a conversation and listening really to what is important to them.
I would have considered that "politeness" at most, now I see it is more.
This is, on my part, not selfless, as it takes stress out of relationships.
Last week, having not one of the best of days myself, I noticed a coworker was not herself, simply by hearing her voice in my back in noisy surroundings. I was able to help, but I'm quite sure that without Zazen I would not have noticed her misery or would have been too self-absorbed to intervene.
And Daizan, good point.

Gassho,
Danny
#sattoday