Zazen experiences

[Guest]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

[bayamo]

Life has its ups and downs, goes upside down, rights itself, and just like the roller coaster, it stops back right back where you started, you get off, gather your bearings, and get back on for some more
#sattoday

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[Risho]

I’ll tell you what it says on my rakusu: “Just Sit!” I am very grateful for this sangha; never alone; we share our ups and downs together

gassho

risho
-stlah

[Bion]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

I’d not give it too much thought, regardless of how amazing or frustrating it might be. We are so determined most of the time that meaning needs to be assigned to everything and really, there is nothing, on the cushion or off the cushion that we can “process mentally” as an experience that’s not just a fantasy, a reflection in the water, a mirage, a product of conditions. Personally, I just go back to cushion daily with no added expectation and get off it with no need to find meaning in just sitting.

[emoji1374] Sat Today

[Dogukan]

Same situation here!

Well, probably it means that both our serenity, "here-and-now"ness and overwhelming agitations are subject to change. Nothing lasts. So, we should be grateful for that roller coaster as it proves us this basic truth. Zazen is always the same zazen. On the other hand, how we feel about it is always changing. Neither the flag nor the wind moves, it's our minds that move. We are investigating that mind by sitting. It's a bit unpleasant to see how monkey-like that mind is, yet without sitting, we would never truly know that aspect of our minds. Good practices!

Gassho, Doğukan.
Sat & LaH.

[Shokai]

There is no good zazen or bad zazen; just your zazen.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Jundo]

Same situation here!

Well, probably it means that both our serenity, "here-and-now"ness and overwhelming agitations are subject to change. Nothing lasts. So, we should be grateful for that roller coaster as it proves us this basic truth. Zazen is always the same zazen. On the other hand, how we feel about it is always changing. Neither the flag nor the wind moves, it's our minds that move. We are investigating that mind by sitting. It's a bit unpleasant to see how monkey-like that mind is, yet without sitting, we would never truly know that aspect of our minds. Good practices!

Gassho, Doğukan.
Sat & LaH.

All the advice from the several folks above is so good!

Weather changes, baseball (cricket?) pitchers throw a strike then a miss, mountains and valleys roll up and down.

Zazen is sat at the still center of all such.

[Jundo]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. ...

All the world is a roller coaster! Cycles upon cycles!

Even the still still place has its ups and downs, comes and goes. Sometimes the moon is hidden by clouds or rain. At such times, we just still have faith that the moon and boundless open sky are still there, seen or unseen. In fact, the clouds and rain are just the moon and sky in other guise, and each raindrop embodies the whole sky and moon.

https://youtu.be/dcXfxpp9nwI

roller_coaster.jpg

[Rich]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

There’s a tension, a dis-ease because man divides himself but wants to be wholeness. Through just sitting meditation the separation is illuminated

Sat/lah


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[bayamo]

There is no good zazen or bad zazen; just your zazen.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

This!! Took me a while to accept it, but when I did it was amazeballz...
#sattoday

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[Jundo]

I replaced the video above with something more relevant.

Truly, the world, the universe, our bodies, our lives ... move in cycles. Zazen too.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jishin]

I’ll tell you what it says on my rakusu: “Just Sit!” I am very grateful for this sangha; never alone; we share our ups and downs together

gassho

risho
-stlah

Yours too? [emoji23]

[Risho]

Yours too? [emoji23]

Well this is odd - I have this shirt that says "Just do it!". I thought I was the only one - turns out they are mass produced.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

[Jundo]

Well this is odd - I have this shirt that says "Just do it!". I thought I was the only one - turns out they are mass produced.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

Yes, I buy the "Just Sit" cheap from a factory in Shanghai.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jishin]

[emoji2]