Last week we touched upon the term Shonen Sozoku.
This Japanese phrase translates as “True Awareness.” As human beings we might simply conclude, “I am alive, breathing, and functioning as a human being. What awareness is he talking about?
Descartes famously said “I think therefore I am.” My teacher, Zen Master Seung Sahn often retorted, “If not thinking, then what?”
So what actually then is true awareness?
When we are able to observe our compulsive thought process, we begin to see just how much of our day is spent on automatic pilot, how this habit of being led by our thinking literally controls our daily existence.
Sitting in formal meditation allows us the opportunity to observe how one thought leads to another, then another, then another. Our wisdom starts to grow just by observing this phenomena. We witness first hand that everything is changing, everything is impermanent, and our thoughts are the so called “living proof.” We begin to see the dichotomy, the separation between our actual experience and how much time we spend lost in our daydream. This initial and important insight into the ever changing landscape of our mind and the realization that all things are impermanent is the catalyst to freedom.
The great modern day Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki taught “In zazen, leave your front door and back door open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don’t serve them tea.”
What happens when we stand up from our meditation cushion and proceed with our day to day affairs? Invariably we begin to slide back into our established mind habits. True Awareness, or Shonen Sozoku, is a continuance of samadhi, not just confined to the time spent on the meditation cushion. True awareness must be present in everything we do, in all of our daily encounters and situations. Cutting and letting go of our compulsive day dream habits then becomes our new habit, one that is real and dynamic. How so? Because it lovingly escorts us right here into this moment. Whether working, eating, driving, reading, spending time with our family and friends, we are truly present, not mentally leap frogging in preparation for the next event. How many times have you mentally prepared responses during a conversation not really listening to a friend’s sincere attempt at conveying a matter of importance to them. The moment is lost. Becoming attentive, better listeners, and present to life’s situations can only appear with the stilling of the scattered mind. No longer relying on familiar constructs, a presence begins to emerge, one that is not contrived. You are resonating from a place of genuine openness. With practice, this becomes a 24/7 continuance that as referenced above is “real and dynamic.”
Hui Neng, the sixth ancestor likened this to another phrase he coined, “one- practice samadhi.” The Vimalakirti Sutra refers to this same essence as “direct mind,” never stagnant, always pure and clear like running water.
Homework:
This week, make a conscious choice to be fully engaged with only one thing at a time. No multi tasking. Remind yourself repeatedly that thoughts and impulses create restlessness in our minds moving us away from simplicity – the unfiltered direct perception of each moment.
This most important aspect of our life requires nurturing. That nurturing can only be developed though our meditation practice.
Ji Haeng Zen Master – The Desert Dragon