Do you recall what motivated you to practice zen was initially? What were you expecting? What has meditation revealed to you? Once an ancestor when asked these same questions replied, “Zen is like selling water by the river.” The implication is obvious. To sit on a meditation cushion harboring some expected result is in a word, doomed. Doomed to what? Trying to fix the mind with the mind is like trying to wash off blood with blood. In the beginning it may seem like we are making some progress, but alas, upon closer examination the stain remains.
Covid 19 has presented all of us with a unique opportunity. The suffering and death worldwide due to the pandemic has in a way left us spellbound. The U.S. President talks about returning to normal. Not possible. From here on out there will by necessity be a new normal. This normal is not to be feared. It suggests that we all need to become more centered – (still body, still breath, still mind) and examine our life from a new perspective. Sustaining human life on this planet requires a vision that must include bio diversity. Human beings (now almost 8 billion) cannot remain viable as a species without a fundamental return to and respect for nature. Viewing nature as something to conquer or somehow improve upon has led us to this pandemic. As you are aware, many species are going extinct at a rapid pace due to our negligence and cavalier attitude towards co-existence.
Ego and avarice both individually and collectively (corporate greed) has delivered us to a very precarious state of affairs.
How can we turn this around?
Practicing time honored meditation techniques that are thousands of years old still contain the same power and effectiveness when practiced diligently and devoid of an ego driven gaining mindset.
The Buddha taught that before wisdom can appear, we must first slow down this mad monkey mind and become grounded and centered. From that fulcrum, solutions to problems both individually and collectively begin to appear quite naturally.
Breatharian practices are time honored and serve as the centerpiece of these techniques. While there are many, they need not be complicated.
The famous Japanese monk Hakuin Zenji almost lost his life by keeping his (ki) energy up high in his cerebral region. Said another way, he intellectualized everything, much to his own detriment. Too much thinking debilitated his physical energy and created anxious mental issues as well. Only after meeting a hermit monk, Hakuyu, who taught him the principles of Naikan, did he recover. We will explore the settling practices prescribed by Hakuyu next week.
Ji Haeng Zen Master – Desert Dragon