Zazen Challenge for Therapy on Discipline and Weakness

[Jishin]

Hi Beakon,

Sometimes people argue like this:

A=B and B=C it follows that A=C. Since all humans are mortal, and I am a human, then I am mortal. The conclusion can be deduced from good premises.

Sometimes like this:

If A then likely E.

If B hen likely E.

If C then likely E.

If D then likely E.

A, B, C, D, then very likely E.

It helps to construct an argument if you know what it is the conclusion you are trying to prove. It is difficult to understand the point you are trying to make. Common premises or conclusions in Zen are:

Pain is unavoidable.

Dualism is the cause of pain.

Attachment make things worse.

Nothing is constant.

Shikantaza makes things better.

Enlightenment is possible.

Enlightenment is not possible.

Not 1, Not 2.

Etc.

So just plug the premises and conclusions in the right place and the post winds up making a lot of sense. Thing is that after one sits and quiets the mind, no argument with self of others is necessary because the answer becomes abundantly apparent. This is what a lot of people alluded to in your post.

Just my 2 cents.

Gassho, ST, Jishin

[sosen]

Hi Beacon,
I encounter this kind of question quite a bit in my work, people wanting to become more self-disciplined in one area of behaviour or another. It usually comes down – like everything we grapple with – to noisy mind and preferences. Much of the time, what we think governs what we say and what we feel governs what we actually do. If there is alignment between the two, then behaviour is easy to sustain, but if they are not aligned, it is a challenge to put a behaviour firmly in place. When we decide to do something, like sit zazen every morning at 5am for example, we feel like we need something to help us follow through, some ‘self-discipline’, but in a subtle way, waiting for the self to become more or better somehow can let us off the hook from taking responsibility to ‘just do’. This dilemma is practice. When the alarm goes off at 455am, if I let mind get involved, the question emerges, should I get up, shouldn’t I get up? The function of the question itself is to allow us to decide not to get up, so our first practice, even before we settle on the zafu, is to watch mind do what it does at 455am, drop that question, and just do what needs to be done. I don’t see it so much as self-discipline – reifying the self in some way is rarely the answer – but more as seeing the way self gets involved in subtle ways to allow us to avoid responsibility to ‘just do’. I was listen to Kokuu’s Hsin Hsin Ming (thank you Kokuu _()_ for this gift that continues to give) a couple of days ago, and it really fits here, when we grapple with preferences, sometimes called the ‘dis-ease of the mind’ in the Zen traditions. I would suggest that if you are grappling with trying to put zazen in place in your busy day, your practice begins at the grapple, well before you reach the zafu. I agree with Tarin that routine is very important, and also with Shingen that overthinking – noisy mind/preferences – is inherent to this problem. What seems to work well for people is to just commit to ‘do’ for a month, and then to watch what mind does as we ‘just do’, and the weeks pass.

_()_
sosen
st/lah

[Beakon]

Dear Sangha,


I have reflected on what you have said, I am putting it into practice. A Buddhist teacher once told me, "Buddha Dharma is about intention". Having learned how to listen to Tree Leaf's podcasts, I caught up with the last three.

Jundo was talking about how zazen can make a person competent in the area that they desire to succeed in. I'm not referring to the pop spirituality belief that being positive will reap rewards. Interesting Fact: Rhonda Byrnes (author of the secret) believes natural disasters occur as a result of people being too negative.

What I'm referring to is how setting an intention with meditation practice helps develop the practice. The precepts develop zazen practice. The practice of zazen develops precepts. I have an insight about self-discipline through close to a year of practice.

Being a person with a learning disorder, I have believed most of my life I am stupid. In the years of high school, I wanted to be independent, and have equal opportunities. I have needed other people's validation for what I felt emotionally or ethically. I have an active imagination, but it's not useful to me. I cannot stick to a project for very long without sticking to it. Living conditions in my adult years have been poor to moderately unstable. The environment for learning has been difficult.

People at the recreation centre used to say "you are very good at martial arts!". I discounted what they said in my heart, because I believed there is someone better and I must train harder. Do you know those job interview questions nobody likes to answer? The interviewer asks "what are your weaknesses?", zazen has a way of peeling away the layers. There is a book I brought home from my grandparents farm called "excavating your true self". I am doing that work with zazen, an excavation of true self. Who I was as a child, who I am now. Seeing it all at once, now a person who is hard on themselves.

People with learning disabilities have a lower chance of being employed. The answer to that interview question is "I am very hard on myself", then add how I overcome it. "I've been a team a player, because I put in the effort when other people tend to to give up". Ask me about when I torn down Comicon after most the volunteers left.

I've come to the realization that I'm under developed in life skills. Another weakness I have is I'm stubborn, because I want to figure things out myself. Practicing zazen there is an element of patience that is cultivated. I learn to be with the universe, see all as it is. I want to set the intention to use meditation practice to help motivate me to have stronger work devotion to building life skills.


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[Jundo]

Hi Beakon,

Keep going, sounds like you are doing fine.

Keep practicing any skill, and the odds are you will get better. Oh, you may not be a world champion in everything, you may or may not be "the best" (so what?), but competence comes from practice. (I told my daughter that about her piano lessons just today). Don't believe what your head tells you, especially that you are "stupid" or when "hard on yourself." Just keep moving forward, and you will be surprised what you might accomplish.

By the way, stay away from "the secret." That is just superstition to sell books.

Keep sitting Zazen! That is our open secret!

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Beakon]

Zazen Challenge for Therapy on Discipline and Weakness

Jundo, you mentioned encouraging your daughter to practice her musical instrument. I commend you, so I want to share these cartoons about perseverance. These may make you or anyone who watches them test their tears.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=07d2dXHYb94

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qr_dTySMl7s

Sat Today

"Oh Mama Bring Me Home" - Ram Das's version of the jewel in the lotus mantra

Sh-sh-sh-SEAN

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[Amelia]

When I was in fourth grade learning to play flute, I asked my music teacher if one day I would be able to play music without reading it, by ear. She looked at me kind of funny and said, "Well, yeah, maybe... some people can."

I wanted to be able to do it that day!

It was after years of memorizing scores for marching band performances that I was able to finally start jamming. I guess it just kind of got into my fingers.

Practice of pretty much anything really does wonders.

Sat today, lah

[Jundo]

Thank you for the great films, Beakon. I will show my daughter tonight.

Geika, let's jam! I will bring my kazoo!

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Jishin]

I love the doggie [emoji190] one. [emoji3]

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Amelia]

You can never fail to jam with a kazoo!

Sat today, lah

[Ryudo]

I love the doggie [emoji190] one. [emoji3]

So do I

Gassho/SatToday