Dear all
This week’s reading is pages 165-174 (from the beginning of the chapter ‘Paying Attention, stopping just before ‘Critical Mind’)
This chapter is a meaty one, dealing with the central practice of Zen – shikantaza – and the bringing of awareness to our situation. I will be dividing it up into four parts.
Darlene begins this chapter by talking about the practice of meditation – bringing awareness to just this moment and noticing all that is going on in terms of what are senses are telling us and what is in our mind. She notes how this kind of attention can take us out of being fixated on our usual jumble of thought and instead bringing clear awareness to what is going on.
Darlene speaks of the basic ways we can bring attention to this moment, by tuning into the sensations we are experiencing in terms of what our body is feeling, and the pattern of our breath. In the Satipatthana Sutta (The Sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness), the Buddha begins by pointing out attention to our breath. She then points to other senses such as sight and hearing that we can easily tune into if we bring awareness to them.
Darlene notes that while this kind of awareness practice is relatively easy on the cushion, or while listening to guided instructions, it is harder to maintain attentiveness throughout day to day life. However, this is a skill which can be cultivated.
The first practice offered in this chapter is ‘Concentration Practice’ that we would call shamatha meditation, in the form of breath awareness. While this is not a practice we typically do at Treeleaf, I do think it has a place when we are working with chronic pain and illness, in giving our awareness a focus to come back to. However, that should be done in addition to Shikantaza rather than instead of it in most cases.
Darlene talks about a San Francisco Zen Center Hallowe’en ritual in which the members give offerings to hungry ghosts and their own demons, calling them out by name. She suggests this is a very gentle and compassionate way to make peace with our flaws, and also notes that they are something we can become aware of during our sitting practice and be accepting of them in the same way.
Desire is the first hindrance or demon which is talked about in terms of yearning for things we don’t have (rather than enjoying pleasures in the here and now) and how that can set in motion a cycle of seeking one pleasure after the next, quickly moving on when the current one no longer satisfies.
Question prompts:
How good is your awareness throughout the day? Does it differ from your experience on the cushion?
When faced with pain or emotional difficulty, how does it feel to adopt this kind of awareness rather than be wrapped up in what is going on in your head? How easy is it for you to do this?
Wishing you a healthful week.
Gassho
Kokuu
This week’s reading is pages 165-174 (from the beginning of the chapter ‘Paying Attention, stopping just before ‘Critical Mind’)
This chapter is a meaty one, dealing with the central practice of Zen – shikantaza – and the bringing of awareness to our situation. I will be dividing it up into four parts.
Darlene begins this chapter by talking about the practice of meditation – bringing awareness to just this moment and noticing all that is going on in terms of what are senses are telling us and what is in our mind. She notes how this kind of attention can take us out of being fixated on our usual jumble of thought and instead bringing clear awareness to what is going on.
Darlene speaks of the basic ways we can bring attention to this moment, by tuning into the sensations we are experiencing in terms of what our body is feeling, and the pattern of our breath. In the Satipatthana Sutta (The Sutta on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness), the Buddha begins by pointing out attention to our breath. She then points to other senses such as sight and hearing that we can easily tune into if we bring awareness to them.
Darlene notes that while this kind of awareness practice is relatively easy on the cushion, or while listening to guided instructions, it is harder to maintain attentiveness throughout day to day life. However, this is a skill which can be cultivated.
The first practice offered in this chapter is ‘Concentration Practice’ that we would call shamatha meditation, in the form of breath awareness. While this is not a practice we typically do at Treeleaf, I do think it has a place when we are working with chronic pain and illness, in giving our awareness a focus to come back to. However, that should be done in addition to Shikantaza rather than instead of it in most cases.
Darlene talks about a San Francisco Zen Center Hallowe’en ritual in which the members give offerings to hungry ghosts and their own demons, calling them out by name. She suggests this is a very gentle and compassionate way to make peace with our flaws, and also notes that they are something we can become aware of during our sitting practice and be accepting of them in the same way.
Desire is the first hindrance or demon which is talked about in terms of yearning for things we don’t have (rather than enjoying pleasures in the here and now) and how that can set in motion a cycle of seeking one pleasure after the next, quickly moving on when the current one no longer satisfies.
Question prompts:
How good is your awareness throughout the day? Does it differ from your experience on the cushion?
When faced with pain or emotional difficulty, how does it feel to adopt this kind of awareness rather than be wrapped up in what is going on in your head? How easy is it for you to do this?
Wishing you a healthful week.
Gassho
Kokuu
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