Grass Hut - 20 - "Steady Practice"

[AlanLa]

It is probably not necessary (or possible) for you to develop a rigid, morning to night steady practice. However, have you been able to develop some stability and routine to your practice?

Yes to some stability in my practice that involves much more than just sitting. As for Zazen, I try to sit every day, but sometimes I skip on days i am not feeling well, and sometimes I just get busy and forget. But whether I sit or not on any particular day, my practice continues. Steady feels like a better word for me than stable, as in my practice is steady. Trying (and non-trying) to live up the the precepts daily, my progress is slow and steady, with steps backward and sideways on occasion, but always moving forward overall. And those backwards, sideways, and forward steps are all practice anyway when anchored by Zazen.

Is Zazen your anchor in the storm?

Zazent keeps me grounded. Not that I don't fly off or go adrift on occasion, but I always come back to Zazen at some point. Even when I am off adrift, I am aware enough to know it's only a matter of time until I go back to Zazen. I like that. I like that a lot. Anchors can get loose, you know, but eventually they catch on something and steady (rather than unsteady) practice resumes.

[Ed]

Yes, finally. I sit almost every day.
My practice now has traction, demands are soft.

Sat2day

[Jika]

During my last days of travelling I had the opportunity to watch this a bit.
I find it easier to stick to my routines sitting zazen at home, requiring my zafu, and the corner of my bedroom.
(Yes, now I admit too, the "inflatable travelling zafu" is instable and squeeky.)
I have used rolled up towels as zafu and a towel as zabuton, which is great when staying with people who have a spare bedroom and leave you alone there.
However, I feel embarassed when friends' children peep into my room to see if I am ready to play (i.e. awake) and ask "Why are you sitting on that towel?".
Or if, sleeping on a couch, there is no private space at all.

I was quite happy to be given some gardening work, weeding the garden path by hand.

On other occasions, my mental practice is lacking. I just run away if people "drive me crazy".

Gassho,
Danny
#sattoday

[Byrne]

I've spent so much of my life playing victim to my contradictions. When inner uncertainty presented itself I have the unfortunate tendency to let it run over me and take whatever scraps it left behind. So caught up in being confused and desperately trying to make sense out of what cannot make sense because it already makes sense... I get distracted and frustrated. Leads to more of the same.

Daily sitting has helped enormously. Some days I sit a lot. Some days I sit a little. But regardless of what life is throwing me that day I sit. It has been a sort of anchor in that it gives me the opportunity to examine those personal problems without the nagging feeling that I must make sense out of them. Or that these all need to be worked with on a rigid timeline. At the same time it makes me even more aware that I cannot ignore these issues either.

Zazen has been equal parts an anchor and the releasing of an anchor.

Recently a Christian friend posted a very candid declaration of faith in Facebook made an interesting observation. To him, the greatest teaching of Christianity is that the true state of reality is that of peace. I saw that his anchor was also mine, though the finer details are often very different. If there is a common thread to all spiritual practices perhaps this idea may be the anchor. Or maybe not. I dunno.

Gassho

Sat Today

[Getchi]

Hi,

Like a few above posters, Zazen has been a constant for me for many years. Now I am married and have children the content of my day is different, but the Dawn and the Midnight are still mine for Practice.

One interesting thing is living in the southern hemisphere, im sitting my nightly session with your Kessa mornig session, and my morning is your nightly. Its been very freeing indeed!.

Is it my anchor in the storm? I dont know. But developing an ability to appreciate quietly sitting still has been the most vocal and dynamic answer to most existential problems ive carried through life.

As Santana said, Spiritual and Essential will never go out of style on this planet.

Gassho,
Geoff

SatToday