Zazen is whenever you want

[Ryumon]

It's a nice day here in the UK; blue sky, cool, but not cold. I was sitting outside earlier, facing the early morning sun, my cat on my lap, birds chirping around me, and I felt peaceful. I realized, "this is zazen."

Zazen can be whenever you want, and wherever you want. It's great when it's peaceful, and a relaxing environment certainly helps you get there. But it can also occur in less peaceful times, if you let it. For now, I'm good at zazen when things are calm and relaxing; I need to work on the rest.

Gassho,

Kirk

[Jundo]

Zazen is everything and all times ... sunny and rainy, happy and sad, exciting and full, here and there.

Zazen is only sitting on the Zafu, the whole and complete act, no other place to be or where one can be in all the world ... no other thing to do in life while sitting. Just sitting.

Rising from the Zafu, one may come to realize that all is one, all is Zazen. But one will have a hard time attain realizing all is one unless one can sit on the cushion with nothing to attain. Why? If you can't simply do that wholly and completely ... you will never get it running here and there, in the rain and sun, dull and existing amid happy and sad. You will keep chasing your tail.

Zazen is all of life and the world ... yet to those who cannot see, none of it is Zazen. Thus we sit with nothing to attain. The tail was caught all along.

Gassho, J

[Jishin]

:-)

Gassho, Jishin

[Sydney]

It seems to me that practice over time adds some interesting context to the different experiences sitting. Sometimes thoughts roil, but other times they seem more like whispers in the dark. Sometimes all the stuff going on in the vicinity seems distracting, but it can also seem to be swept up in the view.

And hey, no matter what's going on outside the window, the earth's spin means you're traveling thousands of miles a day on that cushion, plus the incredible speed of orbiting the sun, which is moving through the galaxy at an almost incomprehensible speed, and the galaxy is expanding just too fast for words. So if your current sitting environment seems less than ideal, don't worry. You'll never be in the same place again.

[Oheso]

It seems to me that practice over time adds some interesting context to the different experiences sitting. Sometimes thoughts roil, but other times they seem more like whispers in the dark. Sometimes all the stuff going on in the vicinity seems distracting, but it can also seem to be swept up in the view.

And hey, no matter what's going on outside the window, the earth's spin means you're traveling thousands of miles a day on that cushion, plus the incredible speed of orbiting the sun, which is moving through the galaxy at an almost incomprehensible speed, and the galaxy is expanding just too fast for words. So if your current sitting environment seems less than ideal, don't worry. You'll never be in the same place again.

[Jundo]

And hey, no matter what's going on outside the window, the earth's spin means you're traveling thousands of miles a day on that cushion, plus the incredible speed of orbiting the sun, which is moving through the galaxy at an almost incomprehensible speed, and the galaxy is expanding just too fast for words. So if your current sitting environment seems less than ideal, don't worry. You'll never be in the same place again.

Lovely!

Gassho, J

[Joyo]

As a very novice, only-been-practicing-for-one-year student, I would say I am just starting to grasp the meaning of this. And it has been very comforting to me that no matter what happens in my life, happy, sad, angry moments, all is zazen. Just yesterday I had some unpleasant moments and some good moments, I used it as an opportunity to practice zazen, and it truly was.

Gassho,
Joyo

[Joyo]

Now practicing zazen while my kids are fighting....that I have not attained yet

Gassho,
Joyo

[Jundo]

Now practicing zazen while my kids are fighting....that I have not attained yet

Gassho,
Joyo

Me either!