A beginner’s experience with meditation is sort of like watching a mental movie unfold. An initial thought appears and is followed by a plethora of imaginary scenarios oftentimes replete with accompanying emotional responses such as anger and desire. Whew! All this while remaining stationary on a cushion or chair. Ha-ha. Earlier in these posts I mentioned the Buddha’s teaching regarding meditation. He often emphasized physiological techniques such as breath alignment (Anapanasati Sutra). These lessons were and are to this day time honored pragmatic ways of slowing down the constant whirlwind of thought associations alluded to above. When practiced diligently, tranquility and wisdom will occur in that precise order after time. Tranquility is achieved when we no longer attach to and follow our mental meanderings, our wandering imagination, and our attachment to illusory entanglements. This calm place is available when our minds become like teflon, free and unencumbered, unlike velcro for most people where everything sticks. This unmoving center is a place where nothing can provide fuel for a runaway imagination. It is accessible only when we “put it all down,” as Zen Master Seung Sahn used to remind us. From this still point, wisdom miraculously appears pretty much on it’s own. No coaxing, no agenda, no weighing opposites, no personally inserted “variations on a theme,” are necessary. The root of this wisdom appears through pure awareness, remaining present to the precision and intelligence found in each moment. Let me emphasize, the wisdom alluded to here is not born of intellect. It resides in common sense applications to our daily lives. Without meditation training, these day to day matters can quickly evolve into a source of anxiety and stress. When we abandon our myriad thought layers and constructs, just like clouds parting, the manifestation of “clear mind” provides illumination into our true nature as human beings.
Bodhidharma described this as “direct pointing to the mind.” Often easier said than done. Vigilance is required. We must sharpen the tool of “cutting and letting go” of extraneous thinking whenever it appears which for most of us is subtly taking place throughout the day. You can do it!
Back to the breath: The breath leads us to this calm. Aligning our breath cannot and should not be mechanical or artificially controlled. The breath is something that is with us our whole life. Our job then is a simple one. Just remain diligent to the inflow and outflow. The insidious thought layers and stimuli will still present themselves but now with one significant difference. You have given yourself a job. No matter what comes along, stay centered and do not allow anything to manifest as an obstacle. After time the thoughts will slow down considerably. Why?
Because you are not giving them your attention. Remember, exhalation is central to the technique. It is also important that you keep your upper body relaxed. Human beings are endlessly yearning for something. This has been the case throughout the ages. We spend a majority of our lifetime accumulating stuff, and for what? We all come into this world empty handed and leave this world empty handed. Does this mean we should abandon our life, family, and careers and become ascetics? Certainly not. All of that is just another conceptual idea and construct. Having a secure home environment, providing for our family, helping our children acquire their education are all worthwhile aspirations. The zen key that unlocks the door to equanimity in all circumstances are actions accomplished not just for personal self aggrandizement, but are actions that ultimately benefit all sentient beings. In addition to our family, this includes the total global environment, lifeforms from the largest to the smallest that now depend on our wisdom and compassionate intervention for their very survival.
Great love, great compassion, great Bodhisattva way is our responsibility. The Buddha did not deceive us. Bodhidharma did not deceive us. Hui Neng did not deceive us. Hakuin did not deceive us. Keen eyed teachers throughout the centuries did not deceive us. Let’s all practice together. Everyone has a different outside job, teacher, business owner, scientist, essential worker etc. But everyone has the same inside job, How do we help this world?
We will soon be implementing Zoom virtual practice at the Zen Center of Las Vegas due to the ongoing Covid global pandemic. Stay tuned….
Ji Haeng Zen Master – The Desert Dragon