The blasted, nagging, loud inner voice while meditating

[Tiwala]

Hi,

The voice is part of you. It's that portion of your mind that over thinks stuff and that won't shut up. You can't ignore it and you can't make it shut up.

However you can slow it down. It doesn't become a problem until you make it one by focusing on it.

Just let it flow like nice fluffy cloud passing by your clear blue sky.

I have found that after a few minutes on my zazen the voice simple morphs into the background.

Gassho,

Kyonin

And if one can, no need even for the "greeting" and "acknowledging" ... and best to just "let go". No need to greet or acknowledge any more than one greets and acknowledges the air around or one's own skin. Just let it be without paying "no nevermind".

Even better is to recognize that there is "no coming, no going" in thoughts that we need to even "let go." Nothing that can be grabbed from the first either.

An old Koan ...

Hui-k'o, who would be the Second Ancestor of Zen in China, said to Bodhidharma, "Your disciple's mind has no peace as yet. Master, please, put it to rest." Bodhidharma said, "Bring me your mind, and I will put it to rest." Hui-k'o said, "I have searched for my mind, but I cannot find it." Bodhidharma said, "I have completely put it to rest for you."

The source of thoughts and where to go to cannot be found, and is always present. They do not "come", they do not "go" ... even though they appear to do so (and so it is for my dear Teacher Nishijima whose funeral I attend today ... and our cat who died last week. They appear to come, they seem to go ... but yet there is "no coming, no going").

Best to know that, while all the world seems to come and go ... even silence and noisy neighbors ... ultimately, no coming no going.

But, in the meantime, until such is realized ... when thoughts comes, just do not latch on and let them go their way.

Gassho, J

Thanks, Jundo

Gassho, Ben

[cgcumber]

Just let it flow like nice fluffy cloud passing by your clear blue sky.

I have found that after a few minutes on my zazen the voice simple morphs into the background.

=

I've been finding this more and more. It's still there, but I let it be, and it's not so loud or insistent.

[cgcumber]

Cliff,
We need to get used to that voice, because it's not going away. Best to let go as best you can. Watch it doing its thing, don't pick it up. It may quiet down a bit, it may not. Then the question is this: who is doing the watching? That one pops up for me at times. Let that one go too...over and over. It can be a very interesting onion...layer after layer. But there is nothing "real" about any of it. Typically you won't miss out on anything important by not picking them up. If that makes any sense...

Gassho, Entai

Entai -- who watches the watchman is one I wonder too, every so often. I think the onion analogy's a good one, in that ultimately, it's layer upon layer, all the way down.

[Entai]

Entai -- who watches the watchman is one I wonder too, every so often. I think the onion analogy's a good one, in that ultimately, it's layer upon layer, all the way down.

Funny thing is, when you peel an onion all the way down, you are left with no onion... except of course for the onion you've peeled...