less self-centered practice?

[Jundo]

Re: less self-centered practice?

Hi,

Well, I pretty much have a naive and simple interpretation of the Bodhisattva Vow central to our practice ... To Save All Sentient Beings.

I agree that we sit with our self, and should lose our self and find our Self ... all to make our self-Self strong ...

... But then we should work to help our other self ... the others that are our self-Self too.

We cannot save the world, don't get me wrong (except, of course, by that perspective by which the world was never in need of saving). But we can help a little here and there.

I will confess that I put myself in the same boat this week: This conversation inspired me to volunteer for a bit of work (I do not want to go into the details) in my neighborhood here in Tsukuba ... I will just say that it can have some "bodily fluids yucky" aspects. I had been putting it off through the winter, but now I went into the office today ... and I start FRIDAY! I am scared a bit, not about the "yucky" so much (although I will have to drop ideas of "clean" and "dirty") ... but about whether I can do the job without causing them problems ... and I am sitting with it. I will be there Friday. And I know that I will receive much more than I ever can give there.

So, we don't need to be supermen and women, or put ourselves in situations that are extreme. But it is good to give, and it is good to deal with what we resist a bit. Learning to overcome mental resistance is an important part of the "mind mastery" training that is included in Zen Practice.

Gassho, Jundo

[Jinho]

Re: less self-centered practice?

And saying that, I don't suggest that there are easy ways going about that, but that there are things you can do to slowly shift focus. Like samu, like caring, like metta. Yesterday I tried to give metta when I helped her. Perhaps that works, I don't know.

I intend to just sit, to just bow, to just practice metta and to try to give care, but if anyone else has thought about or grappled with this in the past, I'm curious as to how you thought about it.

All the best,
em

Hi Em,

Thanks, I think I am a little clearer. (there are reasons why I was unclear but they are very boring).

Your post made me think of "the best gift one can give is to sincerely ask someone what they want".

gassho,
rowan