Zazen for Beginners Series: THREAD for QUESTIONS, COMMENTS

[Shinshi]

Thanks for sharing your story Green Ben. I find that, like in life, it is the doing of the hard thing that leads to greater insight. The difficult sits are the ones where I can more clearly see my attachments or "monkey mind". Sort of like when I run. Easy runs are fun but they don't advance my fitness as much as the hard ones.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Jundo]

It was a really bad good zazen, as well a really good bad zazen session. Don't know how much came from the thumping of the dryer, and how much was just ego seeking attention. Weird, nonetheless.

Some days rain, some days sunny, some days snow ... all good Zazen.

The sky is always blue even on the cloudy and stormy days.

It is as foolish to wish to always be "clear" in Zazen as it is foolish to which the sky to always be sunny and blue, never a rainy day. Appreciate the clear days and skies, appreciate and bow to the clouds.

Better is to know the blue sky always present, clouds or not. The clouds are never other than the blue sky as clouds.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Green Ben]

Zazen for Beginners (21) - The True 'Quiet Room' reaction

My little home zendo is in my basement, and as fortune would have it, eldest daughter is doing some laundry tonight. Washer and dryer are 20 feet from where I sit. I was procrastinating sitting, hoping her dryer load would finish, and it started getting late, so I figured I'd at least watch a talk or two to get ready, and maybe dryer would finish.

Next video in the queue was this one. So, I listened to the talk, and sat for twenty-five minutes. Gassho'd, and sat down to write this react. The dryer is still going.

This was new, and not new to me. I have meditated on college campuses, at music festivals, and in parks. Sitting meditation, maybe close to zazen, but certainly not Shikantaza. Anyway, I'm comfortable with the concept. Just this last summer I sat waiting for my lady outside a merchant's tent, on the busiest market night of a historical reenactment, and found it quite pleasant.

Tonight however, was the stormiest mental weather I've encountered in a long time. Like probably since the first year I started meditating. And I did the worst job at just letting the thoughts go. Mostly the intrusive thoughts were subjectively "good", good ideas, good insights into various situations in my life, the beginnings of good plans begging to be considered and followed to their logical end. Returning to following my breath was not always getting me back to where I wanted to be, so I went to reciting the Heart Sutra Mantra, which usually works quite well to quiet my mind. Even that did not completely keep me from chasing after some of the more enticing thoughts.

It was a stormy, churning session... BUT, within all that, there were glimpses of a really clear crystal blue sky, and fleeting feelings of a deep and abiding peace.

It was a really bad good zazen, as well a really good bad zazen session. Don't know how much came from the thumping of the dryer, and how much was just ego seeking attention. Weird, nonetheless.

Dryer has stopped now.

Gassho

stlah

[Green Ben]

Just watched Zazen for Beginners (18), and one line in particular struck a chord with me.
I'll paraphrase, but it was about understanding Shikantaza through seeing the instant, the moment of sitting as sacred.

Suddenly all the ritual and Zendo etiquette made perfect sense. I've been meditating for decades, with a healthy respect for how that practice has helped me in all sorts of spiritual and psychological ways. But my practice has always been casual.

But when I heard that line, the purpose of gassho, and all these other new-to-me aspects of Soto practice, became clear.

These gestures are not vestigial dogmatic gestures, they are behaviors recognizing that what we are about to do, or what we have just done, in sitting Zazen, is sacred. It would be boorish and foolish to act in a manner which diminishes that.

Gassho

stlah

[Bion]

I feel like I should already have found this. But are there any service (samu) opportunities?

Gassho,
Mushin
sat today

Samu is mindful work, so really, you can engage in samu at any point throughout your day to day life, whether washing dishes, mopping floors, folding clothes, raking leaves etc .. During our Rohatsu retreat, in December, we have various opportunities to practice samu together, as it is included in the schedule of the retreat! Within Treeleaf itself, there are always opportunities for service. I'd say that for example that showing up to regularly sit with a group, supporting it and keeping it active is a service offered to the sangha, getting involved in the book study, engaged corner, contributing by welcoming folks, being present at zazenkai whenever possible, being present at tea houses, all these things are service to the sangha.
I hope that answers your question

Gassho
sat lah

[Mushin-O]

I feel like I should already have found this. But are there any service (samu) opportunities?

Gassho,
Mushin
sat today

[Green Ben]

4th and 5th lessons tonight. Chef's kiss, no notes.

Gassho

stlah

[Green Ben]

Boy, those are all pretty basic Zen instructions from all teachers I know ... about the use of a Zafu cushion, the tongue placement, etc.

Your comment is a bit like saying, "I have had my pants falling down for 30 years. Wish I had heard about this "belt" thing earlier."

We do what we can, where we can, with what we have. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That being said, Thanks for the belt! Do suspenders come up in later lessons, cause I'm over 50 and have a dad gut.

Gassho

stlah

[Jundo]

Working my way through these talks, watched third one last night, and found it particularly informative. Been sitting for decades, but just based on what I could cobble together from books. Generally sit full or half lotus, had never used a cushion until a couple nights ago. The tongue placement tip, such a little thing, but immediately noticeable improvement.

I've generally meditated with eyes closed, though on occasion with eyes open but vaguely unfocused (generally if sitting outside, for some reason). Wall-facing, eyes 1/3 open, looking down at 45 degree angle, these are all new to me, and a touch challenging, as building any new habit can be. Will be interested to see how it effects my practice once I'm used to it.

Gassho

stlah

Boy, those are all pretty basic Zen instructions from all teachers I know ... about the use of a Zafu cushion, the tongue placement, etc.

Your comment is a bit like saying, "I have had my pants falling down for 30 years. Wish I had heard about this "belt" thing earlier."

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

[Green Ben]

Working my way through these talks, watched third one last night, and found it particularly informative. Been sitting for decades, but just based on what I could cobble together from books. Generally sit full or half lotus, had never used a cushion until a couple nights ago. The tongue placement tip, such a little thing, but immediately noticeable improvement.

I've generally meditated with eyes closed, though on occasion with eyes open but vaguely unfocused (generally if sitting outside, for some reason). Wall-facing, eyes 1/3 open, looking down at 45 degree angle, these are all new to me, and a touch challenging, as building any new habit can be. Will be interested to see how it effects my practice once I'm used to it.

Gassho

stlah

[Jundo]

Yes. Agreed. But not DURING Shikantaza on the cushion.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

In life, we learn to be mindful of the tricks and traps that mind brings sometimes: How we fall into excess desires or addictions, anger, jealousy and such. We should be mindful of what triggers this in us, be aware when the mind is trying to sucker us in to such harmful thoughts. We learn to not "jump on board," like a passing train of thoughts and emotions that we just do not get on and go for a ride with. We let them be, let them pass like the weather.

But in sitting Zazen, we just let the thoughts and emotions come and go, not getting on board, but without need to focus on or pay attention to them directly. Just "pay em no nevermind," and sit in the radical equanimity, wholeness and completion of sitting just to sit, nothing lacking from this sitting, each moment of sitting a complete Buddha's sitting.

On the cushion and off are a bit different, because off the cushion we are more back to the world of things to do, things to judge. On the cushion, there is nothing more to do, and the only judgement is the wholeness and perfection of just sitting.

Gassho, J
stlah

I see; okay! Thx!

[Jundo]

Wow, in the midst of a tough moment. It is skillful to notice when the tension softens before you act. If you act in the tightest moment of the tension, it may be a more ignorant response!

Sodo

Yes. Agreed. But not DURING Shikantaza on the cushion.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

Wow, in the midst of a tough moment. It is skillful to notice when the tension softens before you act. If you act in the tightest moment of the tension, it may be a more ignorant response!

Sodo

[Jundo]

Thy only thing that I have to oadd is that we will physical tension in a moment that may not completely drop away: an angry boss screaming at us. I agree that Shikantaza in the moment is to go into the direct experience of bodymindworld tension. Anzan would say notice if the tension changes in that moment. Mindfully experience the physical tension of bodymind and wait to notice the softening of physical experience of anger, then, respond...Nice message.

Hi Sodo,

In Shikantaza, there is no need to go to the "direct experience of bodymindworld tension." There is nothing to notice about changes in that moment. Just Sit, in equanimity even with the passing sensations and emotions, with full trust that the sitting is complete and there is nothing lacking, nothing in need of change. The thoughts and emotions of the "bodymindworld" are just passing weather.

Gassho, Jundo
SatTodayLAH