Zen and Affirmations

[Guest]

I am wondering what the Zen take is on the use of affirmations, and other ideologies that teach that your thoughts attract things, or that positive thinking creates success, etc. Can we see the world as we want to see it, yet see it "as it is" as Zen teaches? And Happy New Year to everyone!

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

[Jundo]

I am wondering what the Zen take is on the use of affirmations, and other ideologies that teach that your thoughts attract things, or that positive thinking creates success, etc. Can we see the world as we want to see it, yet see it "as it is" as Zen teaches? And Happy New Year to everyone!

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

Hi John,

If you are talking about something like "the Secret," I think it is very much bullshit to sell books. There is not "power of attraction" by our thoughts.

Now, on the other hand, a certain amount of "positive thinking" and positive affirmations can do small, but wonderful things (e.g., when shy, before public speaking ... or a football team in a locker room ... someone can "psych" themselves up a bit. Positive thinking can get the shy person on the stage, and the energy flowing for the team.) However, that does not mean that things will come true (e.g., the speech may still be terrible, the football team may still lose.)

Gassho, J

STLah

[JohnS]

Yes, Jundo, Im speaking more about the positive mindset stuff, choosing to see the world and our affairs a certain way, seeing outcomes the way we wish them to go. Can this exist where there is seeing things "as they are"?, if that question makes sense...

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

[Jundo]

Yes, Jundo, Im speaking more about the positive mindset stuff, choosing to see the world and our affairs a certain way, seeing outcomes the way we wish them to go. Can this exist where there is seeing things "as they are"?, if that question makes sense...

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

I think that this "seeing as it is" is very misunderstood.

Seeing with positive thoughts is seeing with positive thoughts ... seeing with negative or neutral thoughts is seeing with negative or neutral thoughts.

In Zazen, we encounter the world with an equanimious mind, less tangled in thought, perhaps softening or dropping the self/other divide.

But it is all the universe as it is ... the universe having positive thoughts, the universe having negative or neutral thoughts ... the universe less tangled and dropping the self/other divide ... all the universe as it is in that moment. The universe has these experiences with our hearts and eyes.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Kokuu]

Hi John

I think that in some ways that is what our Recommended Nurturing Seeds practice aims to do - gradually shift negative and unhelpful thought patterns towards more positive and helpful ones. Likewise our Recommended Daily Metta practice.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Naiko]

I often think of the Verse of Atonement, the Four Vows, the Metta Verses, our Precepts, and even the Heart Sutra as affirmations of a sort. They don’t get me anything, but hopefully attract me to right view, or a way seeking mind (for lack of a more eloquent way to express this)..where there is nothing lacking.
Gassho,
Naiko
st

Ah, Kokuu, we must have been typing at the same time. You have said it better!

[Kokuu]

Ah, Kokuu, we must have been typing at the same time. You have said it better!

I think you said it perfectly, Naiko!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Suuko]

I am wondering what the Zen take is on the use of affirmations, and other ideologies that teach that your thoughts attract things, or that positive thinking creates success, etc. Can we see the world as we want to see it, yet see it "as it is" as Zen teaches? And Happy New Year to everyone!

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

I do some visualisation before I do a speech at times just to get into the mood and pump myself up if it's a big audience. However, on the day, it rarely goes as planned. It just helps me to get on stage with some confidence. When I coach soccer, we also anticipate moves and play it in our head first.

Now, the BS is that if you say the world is abundant and you live in a poverty stricken country, the chances are that you will still stay poor. I'd rather teach resilience rather than affirmations to attract a certain kind of world.

Having said that, I do get requests to have a section on affirmations when I run corporate workshops. So, it's an attractive thing for
a lot of people.

Gassho,
Sat today,
Lah,
Guish.

Sent from my M2101K7BNY using Tapatalk

[Bion]

Zen and Affirmations

I am wondering what the Zen take is on the use of affirmations, and other ideologies that teach that your thoughts attract things, or that positive thinking creates success, etc. Can we see the world as we want to see it, yet see it "as it is" as Zen teaches? And Happy New Year to everyone!

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

Replace “affirmations” for gathas, for example… Statements, declarations, acknowledgements we make. We do it daily, along with vows and good wishes etc… Think of it as expressions of faith, conviction or commitment. We can spread seeds of kindness and positivity, but we can’t control the outcome, nor should we live based on false hopes, ignoring what is.

Sorry for running long

[emoji1374] Sat Today

[Juki]

For many years, I carried around a post-it note in my wallet upon which I had written the question "What is my highest intention in the present moment?" I would read it several times a day. I'm not sure if it was an affirmation or a koan (although if it was a koan I still haven't solved it.)

Gassho,
Juki

sat today and lah

[Jundo]

The folks who note that the Gatha, Verse of Atonement, the Four Vows, the Metta Verses, our Precepts, and even the Heart Sutra, and Nurturing Seeds are kinds of "affirmations" ... I think you are right, in fact. They are wise and compassionate words and phrases we repeat in order to help change our thinking. Lovely.

Those kinds of affirmations, I can see.

Also, I see nothing wrong in thinking generally positive and accepting thoughts: If we have to think something (we do), we can think positive, yet realistic, things. I do not want to tell myself that I am the best basketball player in the world when I am not (I am not), but neither do I want to tell myself that I am the worst Zen teacher in the world (I am not, although far from perfect. I am pretty good, I think.)

As Stewart Smalley would say, "I have to give myself permission to give bad Zen advice now and then." I will repeat that to myself all today.

Do any folks remember Stewart Smalley from America's "Saturday Night Live"?

https://youtu.be/vzlzv4nQ1UY

Sorry to run long.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

PS - By the way, here is the kind of "affirmation" based on the "law of attraction" that I am skeptical about ...

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-blame-game/201609/the-truth-about-the-law-attraction

[Jundo]

Yes, Zen and Buddhism are filled with many affirmations. I felt this very strongly this week, as we recited Metta during our Zazenkai.

Zazen, of course, remains the Affirmation of All Affirmations, the Affirmation of sitting itself which is an Affirmation of the whole world!

Gassho, J

STLah

[Suuko]

PS - By the way, here is the kind of "affirmation" based on the "law of attraction" that I am skeptical about ...

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...law-attraction

Great article, Jundo.

As an outsider to LOA, I read it objectively and the success rate of 0.1 percent nails it at the end of the article.

Gassho,
Guish.

Sent from my M2101K7BNY using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Great article, Jundo.

As an outsider to LOA, I read it objectively and the success rate of 0.1 percent nails it at the end of the article.

Gassho,
Guish.

Of course, the success rate of Zazen is 0.00, which is simply because we are not looking for anything like success. I guess that makes it 100% too, and 10,000%.

That's our "Secret."

Gassho, J

STLah