Boundless joy

[Ishin]

The times where I have strayed from practice have been the boom times, when things are "going my way". When the world seems to think I am shiny and self image is all shiny. In the traditional teachings of the six realms, it is the heaven beings that seem the most stuck. It is the disturbed states that point to a different way of being. When things are tough the cushion is a refuge.

Gassho
Daizan

This has been my experience as well Daizan. Though now I try to practice with regularity regardless. The tough times, as we are discussing about the Garuda Bird, do test us though.

Gassho
C

[RichardH]

The times where I have strayed from practice have been the boom times, when things are "going my way". When the world seems to think I am shiny and self image is all shiny. In the traditional teachings of the six realms, it is the heaven beings that seem the most stuck. It is the disturbed states that point to a different way of being. When things are tough the cushion is a refuge.

Gassho
Daizan

[Jamen]

boundless joy is found when my 2 year old son wakes up while i am sitting next to him, and he smiles and says, "birds sing...tweet tweet tweet peep peep."

A side note. In times past, my wife would always know when I was not sitting regularly because of my mood. As a non buddhist, a Catholic no less, she always reminds me to get back on the cushion. Lucky guy I am.

Gassho, Shawn

That is a beautiful reminder Troy, thank you! =)

Gassho
Shingen

[Rich]

Boundless joy expresses itself with a simple smile on or off the cushion.

Kind regards. /\

[Amelia]

It is interesting to see that sometimes I don't sit as often when "times are good", also.

Practice, practice, practice... and maybe still a bit of fun-- Priorities

Gassho

[Kokuu]

So good to see this, Troy. It is all too easy to abandon practice when times get hard (I have done this often myself) but where else are we going to find such a wonderful way to sit with what is happening and maybe even find some solace?

Amazing how sometimes we need just a small reminder to go back to what we know. Sitting is the place where Zen (and most of the rest of life) starts to make sense .

Gassho
Andy

Yes, I too have gotten away from zazen when times were rocky. I since have learned to try and sit through thick and thin. I ALWAYS have had to return to practice. So now I try to practice through it all.

Thanks for sharing Troy.

Gassho, Shawn

[Meikyo]

Wonderful. Thank you for sharing Troy. Back to basics - to sit. Too often I forget that to taste the fruit of practice we must as in everything else make the right effort. In our case diligently practicing this vigorous non-effort of sitting zazen. Thank you again for the inspiration.

Gassho

[bya]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Me too I left practice for a while, years ago, while in troubles. A mistake... In hard times we should have to emphasize practice.

Gassho.

[Troy]

Having recently been going through some things, I stumbled and got caught up in my worries. I even stopped sitting for awhile and forgot my teachings. In another thread, Jundo gave me a beautifully written reminder.

I learned or should I say re-learned? (I ask the question like that to emphasize, at least in my case, we are capable of forgetting) The most important aspect of a fruitful practice is to sit. Zen foremost and most importantly being a practice. This practice requires us to take action, the action of no action. All the teachings can be found there.

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“This ordinary everyday sitting is itself boundless joy.

To transcend the world directly, to manifest the magnificence of the buddha ancestors’ house—this is sitting in the meditation posture. To leap over the heads of outsiders and demons and become a true person inside the buddha ancestors’ room—this is sitting in the meditation posture. To sit in the meditation posture is to transcend the deepest and most intimate teaching of buddha ancestors. Thus, buddha ancestors practice this way without needing to do anything else.”

Dogen