Hello Treeleafers,
Is the fear we face friend or foe? Can it be helpful to us or just down right awful? I feel it can be both and really depends on how we look at it and how we allow it to influence our lives. Let me start off with a little story about an experience when I came face to face with fear and how our practice of just being present and accepting of such conditions just as they are helped me overcome and become comfortable within fear.
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When I lived in Alberta Canada I would spend every weekend out in the mountains, climbing and scrambling up these giants. The adventures were more than just physical challenges, they were also mental challenges. They helped me see and experience life in a new, raw, and authentic way. Just like in life, we walk different paths up the same mountain, but sometimes those paths are easy and laid out in front of us, sometimes they are ruff and littered with obstacles, and we must struggle to find our way. Regardless of what the path may bring, we stick with it. We do our very best to experience the experiences with a complete wholeness, everything open and transparent.
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So we were scrambling up Mt. Niblock (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Niblock), which is in Lake Louise, Alberta Canada, and then traversing over to Mt. Whyte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Whyte). It is an amazing scramble with some spectacular views. However there is a very thin and jagged ridge line that connects the two and on the day we decided to traverse that ridge a storm had rolled in. But of course mother nature being mother nature she decided to let the lightning strikes rain down on us when we were halfway through the ridge line. There is an interesting thing that goes through your mind when you play out in the mountains. You are very aware and respectful of that environment and do your very best to be safe and yet at the same time, in the back of your mind you know it could be your last day. So here we are stuck facing the decision of what to do, where to go, and how to get that done. But as you can expect, “fear” was right there knocking at the door! Your body shivered, your mind was racing from this thought to that thought, but at the same time, you KNEW where you were and you KNEW what to do. Even in the grips of fear, there was stillness, there was focus, an awareness of each foot placement, each hand hold.
Just like in Shikantaza, be present and accepting of all that arises, neither clinging to things we want or a state of mind that we wish to attain, or pushing away those unwanted thoughts, feelings, or present states of being. The more we just sit the easier it becomes to allow this natural flow and likewise, how naturally thoughts, ideas, and aversions will fall away on their own … but it takes time and it takes effort. I have to be honest and say that without sitting, without zazen, I am not sure if I could be as present and accepting as I am in the mountains … and in life for that matter. Practice supports my life and life supports my practice … each are not separate from one another. So regardless of whether you are scaling large mountain tops or just facing uncertainty in life, try your best to be open and accepting of whatever condition is in front of you. Like all things in life it will change in time, fear, sadness, even joy are impermanent too.
And remember, no matter where you go zazen is always there, and when life gets tough, just sit. =)
Gassho
Shingen
SatToday/LAH
Is the fear we face friend or foe? Can it be helpful to us or just down right awful? I feel it can be both and really depends on how we look at it and how we allow it to influence our lives. Let me start off with a little story about an experience when I came face to face with fear and how our practice of just being present and accepting of such conditions just as they are helped me overcome and become comfortable within fear.
Webp.net-resizeimage (3).jpg
When I lived in Alberta Canada I would spend every weekend out in the mountains, climbing and scrambling up these giants. The adventures were more than just physical challenges, they were also mental challenges. They helped me see and experience life in a new, raw, and authentic way. Just like in life, we walk different paths up the same mountain, but sometimes those paths are easy and laid out in front of us, sometimes they are ruff and littered with obstacles, and we must struggle to find our way. Regardless of what the path may bring, we stick with it. We do our very best to experience the experiences with a complete wholeness, everything open and transparent.
Webp.net-resizeimage (4).jpg
So we were scrambling up Mt. Niblock (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Niblock), which is in Lake Louise, Alberta Canada, and then traversing over to Mt. Whyte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Whyte). It is an amazing scramble with some spectacular views. However there is a very thin and jagged ridge line that connects the two and on the day we decided to traverse that ridge a storm had rolled in. But of course mother nature being mother nature she decided to let the lightning strikes rain down on us when we were halfway through the ridge line. There is an interesting thing that goes through your mind when you play out in the mountains. You are very aware and respectful of that environment and do your very best to be safe and yet at the same time, in the back of your mind you know it could be your last day. So here we are stuck facing the decision of what to do, where to go, and how to get that done. But as you can expect, “fear” was right there knocking at the door! Your body shivered, your mind was racing from this thought to that thought, but at the same time, you KNEW where you were and you KNEW what to do. Even in the grips of fear, there was stillness, there was focus, an awareness of each foot placement, each hand hold.
Just like in Shikantaza, be present and accepting of all that arises, neither clinging to things we want or a state of mind that we wish to attain, or pushing away those unwanted thoughts, feelings, or present states of being. The more we just sit the easier it becomes to allow this natural flow and likewise, how naturally thoughts, ideas, and aversions will fall away on their own … but it takes time and it takes effort. I have to be honest and say that without sitting, without zazen, I am not sure if I could be as present and accepting as I am in the mountains … and in life for that matter. Practice supports my life and life supports my practice … each are not separate from one another. So regardless of whether you are scaling large mountain tops or just facing uncertainty in life, try your best to be open and accepting of whatever condition is in front of you. Like all things in life it will change in time, fear, sadness, even joy are impermanent too.
And remember, no matter where you go zazen is always there, and when life gets tough, just sit. =)
Gassho
Shingen
SatToday/LAH
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