Practice zazen as if your hair were on fire. When we sit, we cannot be thinking about yesterday’s actions or tomorrow’s plans. When we while away the time doing this, we are not sitting, but thinking. Sitting should be performed like any other action, we should be consumed by it, so that the thoughts drop … Continue reading Absolute
Tag: balance
Beauty
Imagine strolling through a field full of wild flowers. the soft, warm wind is blowing gently through your hair and your senses are taken over with the scents and vivid colours of the flowers around you. Bees and butterflies are everywhere you look and there is no sound but their buzzing, not a cloud in … Continue reading Beauty
Impermanence
It doesn't take much for our perspective to change. Not so long ago our society held different people in high regard. The rich and famous were held on pedestals, looked up to by young and old alike as something different, something better. Today when we look at society, who is it that we look to, … Continue reading Impermanence
Black and White
We know that nothing is just one thing and not another. Every colour holds traces of every other colour, just as species are related, languages are similar, thoughts, feelings and emotions cross all boarders. Nothing is black and white and that in itself is something to celebrate – as we can never tire of the … Continue reading Black and White
Crisis
Remember the balance. Where there is black, there is white. Where there is bad there is good. Opposites can only exist together and we should let that be a source of comfort in times of trouble and worry. There has never been a more poignant moment in humankind’s recent history for us to be truly … Continue reading Crisis
Motive
There is a circular movement at force within the universe. The earth goes round the sun, the moon around the earth. The clothes your parents used to wear come back into fashion, names of your grandparents, fads, economy, popular interests. This cycle happens too within our own lives, on a smaller timescale. We battle with … Continue reading Motive
New beginnings
At the start of a New Year, many people think of resolutions, often which pertain to themselves; drink less, exercise more, stop smoking, lose weight, take up a new hobby… Three important questions we should ask ourselves, however, if we are to reflect on the year just past include; how well did we love? How … Continue reading New beginnings
Purpose
When we sit zazen, we are sitting facing a wall, inert, and often people who do not sit question why we do it, what we are doing, what are we trying to achieve. Zazen is all about balance. Physically we are balancing our bodies, not leaning too far forward, nor too far backwards, but straight … Continue reading Purpose
Prison
A rat in a cage, a bird in a cardboard box, even a spider under a glass - these creatures know they are trapped. They are wild, free beasts who cannot bear to be enclosed thus and will endeavour to escape their prison, even at the expense of their physical well-being. To be free matters … Continue reading Prison
Abdication
If someone were to offer you more money than you've ever had in your whole life, would you turn away? Would you reject the gift in front of your eyes, even though no strings were attached? The majority of people would see the money as a gift, something positive that will improve their lives. How … Continue reading Abdication
Zen musings 