A senior zen monk once said in a talk he gave at the monastery I go to, that If others only knew the thoughts that sometimes popped into his head during his meditation , he feared he could be thrown out of the monastery! He laughed when he said it and it has always stuck with me, as sitting in zazen can be ‘facing the monster’ as one of our sanga group once said. Another of our monks said to me that a thought is ‘no more real than a dream’ and I found this very helpful as thoughts of one’s own unworthiness or negative thoughts about others are sometimes so compelling. 🙏🏽
Some thoughts can create reality (with caveats here for 'reality') or rather, are part of a flow which leads to change within this 3-d material world, whilst others are more dreamlike and almost apparently spurious. Determining and divining the difference, to me currently, is where it's at.
As someone who has just had a colonoscopy, and subsequently ruptured a disk in my lumbar, pain has been at the forefront of experience. While gulping gas and air and gazing at an image of the interior of this body it became very apparent that no matter what the experience in this instant it exists within a far larger structure of immaculate complexity and no matter this momentary experience whether pleasure, pain or indifference, all is perfect even in its imperfection. Just let go of it.
Regarding the pain of sitting in a weird position (for beginners) - a lot of this is about habit (physical and psychological) - and over time we find that sitting becomes easy (sesshins aside) - however this gradual progess doesn't actually help practise as much as immediate acceptance of death (which unfortunately is probably not possible most of the time for most people in most circumstances)
Don’t worry. You’ll get over it. Also, I found that much of my physical pain lessened over time as I practiced more. And that’s the crux of it. Zazen. Need to work on… Zazen…. Zazen. The only way to stop the mind spinning: Zazen then more zazen. Plus, take a break from reading about Zen practice for a month while you get your practice in order. Then, ease back into study. Viva Ziggy!
A senior zen monk once said in a talk he gave at the monastery I go to, that If others only knew the thoughts that sometimes popped into his head during his meditation , he feared he could be thrown out of the monastery! He laughed when he said it and it has always stuck with me, as sitting in zazen can be ‘facing the monster’ as one of our sanga group once said. Another of our monks said to me that a thought is ‘no more real than a dream’ and I found this very helpful as thoughts of one’s own unworthiness or negative thoughts about others are sometimes so compelling. 🙏🏽
Some thoughts can create reality (with caveats here for 'reality') or rather, are part of a flow which leads to change within this 3-d material world, whilst others are more dreamlike and almost apparently spurious. Determining and divining the difference, to me currently, is where it's at.
The content of your zazen might be the only thing that's truly yours.
Love when you post these retreat talks … thanks for sharing. ❤
Great to see these retreat talks and feel I am back in Hebden Bridge. 🙏🏽
When you said the thing about pain and discomfort at the start, I'd never thought about it in those terms but it makes so much sense.
As someone who has just had a colonoscopy, and subsequently ruptured a disk in my lumbar, pain has been at the forefront of experience.
While gulping gas and air and gazing at an image of the interior of this body it became very apparent that no matter what the experience in this instant it exists within a far larger structure of immaculate complexity and no matter this momentary experience whether pleasure, pain or indifference, all is perfect even in its imperfection.
Just let go of it.
Regarding the pain of sitting in a weird position (for beginners) - a lot of this is about habit (physical and psychological) - and over time we find that sitting becomes easy (sesshins aside) - however this gradual progess doesn't actually help practise as much as immediate acceptance of death (which unfortunately is probably not possible most of the time for most people in most circumstances)
what is that Text u are citing together at the end??? is it typical ZEN?
Don’t worry. You’ll get over it. Also, I found that much of my physical pain lessened over time as I practiced more. And that’s the crux of it. Zazen. Need to work on… Zazen…. Zazen. The only way to stop the mind spinning: Zazen then more zazen.
Plus, take a break from reading about Zen practice for a month while you get your practice in order. Then, ease back into study.
Viva Ziggy!
Hey dude, have you read an essay by Julius Evola called " zen the religion of the samurai"? If you have, what is your opinion of it?
So to make sitting easier, make my life more miserable 🙃
That's what life does on it's own usually. It leaves me with no option but sitting! 🥲
No Ziggy? 😐
Brad was in Europe here … 🤷🏻
Geographically.