Seeing your practice in moments of daily life

[Rousei]

As I cycled to work this morning the scenery passed me by unseen as I was absorbed in a myriad musings related to past actions and future dreams. This was until I blinked, and the break in the eye sense brought me pack to reality, a reality of riding through beautiful rice fields surrounded by tree covered mountains with sporadic clumps of clouds congregating on them. In this moment my previous musings dissolved into nothingness and I began to consciously relate that moment to my practice, to our daily practice of always returning to the present and letting all musings float away.

I would love to hear about other Sangha members experiences like this, of consciously becoming aware of actualizing your practice in day to day life, naturally.

Gassho
Mark
ST

[Bion]

It is a fantastic experience, but also, a conceptualized one, although, mind you… that’s not a bad thing. To perceive beauty, to feel overwhelmed by a scenery, etc is an active process of the mind, by which we judge and assign value to things that already are what they are. We develop appreciation for things and gratitude for them at the same time that way, but we also feed the discriminatory mind... The scenery is the same before and after we become aware of it, but it gets thrown in our face as soon as we acknowledge and “process” it and turn it into something connected to our ideas and preconceived notions.
In zazen, though we are focused on being focused, we are still very much multitasking: seeing, hearing, aching, itching, maintaining muscle tension etc.. But since we don’t “judge” those sensory experiences, all those simultaneous actions remain one thing.. a unit.
For me, actualizing the practice, as you say, means taking that “undivided mind” of zazen to every other life situation, and simply experiencing them as they are, whether made up of of a multitude of things or singular actions.

Sorry for the ridiculous length of this.

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Jundo]

I deleted my little comment above. I really would like to hear what everyone has to say ...

Gassho, Jundo

STLAH

[Bion]

I deleted my little comment above. I really would like to hear what everyone has to say ...

Gassho, Jundo

STLAH

But it was a good good teaching!!!![emoji2309]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Risho]

Hahaha Jundo I actually love that post you had up; it hit home for me when you originally posted it (I think years ago? time flies) because I sought something different or special; I wanted to attain some special state; that’s good because it was the “carrot” that brought me here so to speak.

My thought now about actualizing practice: logging into the computer, my son’s dirty diaper, my son’s smile, the terminal diagnosis of a loved one: it already is complete; my life is practice; all of our lives are even if we don’t know it. But even moreso, this is all actualizing through me. All of it. There are beautiful and sad moments but there is also just this; all of it is the way; I don’t have anything to bring or actualize because it is me. Life is the way; what else could I bring to it?

At the same time I better keep to the precepts and the path or I could end up actualizing some hells on earth as you would say, which I am very good at. At the same time when I drop that and let the world in, I think thise things happen naturally of their own accord.

Interestingly a related thought came up during the zazenkai talk: Originally I took the precepts and set upon this path to get something, be something more; now I realize I just practice to be who I really am; the Buddha is already along for the ride.

gassho

risho
-stlah
-Apologies for going over

[Hōkan]

becoming aware of actualizing your practice in day to day life

When I'm out and (as usual) distracted by stray thoughts sometimes a bit of breeze or a splash of sunlight brings me to the moment. My thought fade away and I am right here, right now.

Sometimes I giggle / chortle / laugh out loud.

It's wonderful but I'm not sure it's actualizing my practice in day-to-day life.

Sat

[Jundo]

But it was a good good teaching!!!![emoji2309]

[emoji1374] SatToday

Maybe I'll put it up again after. These moments that Mark describes truly are precious, and I don't want to take away from the most intimate realization of such moments.

Gassho, J

STLah

[rj]

Jundo,

I had actually been wondering how to balance being in the moment and say, managing my never-ending to do list when I saw your post earlier today (before you removed it). It made helped me understand there is a "middle way" to deal with that particular situation. For what it's worth, I thought it was very helpful!


st/rj

[Jundo]

Jundo,

I had actually been wondering how to balance being in the moment and say, managing my never-ending to do list when I saw your post earlier today (before you removed it). It made helped me understand there is a "middle way" to deal with that particular situation. For what it's worth, I thought it was very helpful!


st/rj

I will put it back soon, but I think these moments are important too. I am glad that it was helpful.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Kendrick]

I missed the reply Jundo made so I'll be the Guinea Pig.

I feel it is very easy to get lost in nature - especially when it is beautiful in the conventional sense. I frequently enjoy walking in the fields and woods around the parent's property, or stopping by the lake to stand on the shore for a bit, and I'm often taking photos of what I see to look back on later and share with others. It's beautiful, and I don't see anything particularly wrong with acknowledging that I am feeling a sense of thinking it is beautiful when it's happening. The key for me is not getting caught up in it, or clinging to it too tightly to the point that I am frustrated when things aren't as conventionally beautiful around me. If I can bring that same appreciation to less conventionally beautiful things to see the real beauty of them as just being complete then that is practice. So the sunset is beautiful because it is the sunset, the broken down car on blocks in the alley is beautiful because it is the broken down car in the alley. The warm sun on my skin at the beach or a soft comfortable breeze, and also the sting of the winter cold on my skin and pain inhaling the frigid air into my lungs. Neither is good or bad in itself, whatever is happening is just happening - anything else I think about it is just something I'm adding on top of it - likes, dislikes, pretty, ugly, etc. The very fact two people can interpret each thing differently is evidence that that layer that is added on isn't what it really is - it just is.

Apologies for the long post.

Gassho
Kendrick
Sat/Lah

[Seikan]

Being in nature and away from any visible "human" creations can often make it easier to experience these fleeting moments. I think this is due to how human-created things (signs, structures, etc.) are more apt to trigger some sort of emotional or intellectual response from us, which then leads to a rush of thoughts, feelings, etc.

Don't get me wrong, being in the "natural" world certainly can (and does) elicit thoughts and feelings as well, but my level of internal commentary tends to be far quieter. The tree before me is just what it is. I don't tend to get caught up thinking about who put it there, why they chose that shade of green for the leaves, where I can get one for myself, etc. There are simply less thought "stimulants" when I'm walking in the woods, along the seashore, etc.

Of course, once the mosquitos start biting, the thoughts rain down like a monsoon.

Learning to experience all things (human-made or otherwise--even the mosquitos!) with the same clear awareness is the challenge for me. The ability to experience these moments of clarity, however fleeting, is very reassuring and motivating.

Gassho,
Seikan

-stlah-

(apologies for running a bit long...)

[Kaishin]

I feel that responses so far touch on mostly the environmental aspect of Mark's anecdote. To me, his story is not so much about mindfully appreciating the beauty of a natural environment. Rather, he's simply saying that the experience of "snapping out of" his daydream while cycling to work reminded him of the practice on the cushion. That is, opening the hand of thought, being with just what is. So, the practice on the cushion actualizing off the cushion. Apologies if I am misinterpreting your intent, Mark, and others!

As for my thoughts:

As I cycled to work this morning the scenery passed me by unseen as I was absorbed in a myriad musings related to past actions and future dreams. This was until I blinked, and the break in the eye sense brought me pack to reality, a reality of riding through beautiful rice fields ...

Well, I would say that daydreaming is also reality. Everything at this moment, whether you are mindfully cycling or mindlessly cycling, is just reality at this moment!

Sometimes, it's great to daydream, to reminisce, to ponder the future. We are humans, and those are some of the wonderful things humans can do. I think we should be careful about becoming lost in mindfulness as an idea or a goal. Sometimes intense single-pointed attention is right. Sometimes multi-tasking insanity is right. Not two, as Jundo often says.

A story about Seung Sahn Sunim (a Korean Zen master):

A student walked into the zen center kitchen and saw Sunim drinking tea and reading the newspaper. Shocked, the student said, "Sunim! What are you doing? You always tell us, 'When drinking tea, JUST drink tea!!!...When reading the newspaper, JUST read the newspaper'! Aren't you neglecting your mindfullness??!!!"

Sunim responded, "When drinking tea and reading the newspaper, JUST drink tea and read the newspaper!!!"

Something like that.

Forgive my (likely misguided and off-the-mark) rambling. Somehow, as the years go by, I feel like my understanding grows less, and my ability to express it weaker!

-satToday

[Risho]

Kaishin- that is well stated! I know your feeling.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

[Amelia]

Bringing my laundry up the stairs
Step
Step
Step
This is all there is
Thank goodness

Gassho
Sat, lah

[Inshin]

Commuting by train : sporadic thoughts passing by, landscape passing by, train moving, landscape moving, body-mind moving - why am I not moving?

Walking: body-mind moving step by step, landscape moving along, rain falling with joy, tree leaves rustling with joy, all in movement - why am I not moving?

Commuting by polluted underground : train moving, people moving, some with masks most without, Covid cases moving up, number of people in carriages moving up, feeling stranger's breath on your neck, stickiness, hotness all in movement - why am I not moving?

The scenery of life constantly moving, moment by moment in joy, in tears in unease - why am I not moving?

Gassho
Sat