A small child walks into a hardware store with his parents. He doesn’t register the screws and nuts or any of the other materials he has no prior knowledge of, but does see the display of brightly coloured buckets and spades and is instantly drawn there. The father, who has been working on a DIY … Continue reading Awakening
Tag: future
Absolute
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
Soul
Do humans have a soul? Is there something perpetual and eternal, some enduring aspect of us which lingers on after we die? There is something so quintessentially me, something that makes me unique and unlike any other human that has ever lived – surely, whether or not we were created by some higher intelligence, that … Continue reading Soul
Negativity
We all experience reoccurring negative thoughts at some point in our lives. It might be when we replay an argument we have had with someone, or relive some past abuse which haunts us. When these negative thoughts arise, we are not living in the present moment any longer, but the past. How does this help … Continue reading Negativity
Confidence of the present moment
The human brain is hard-wired to judge today’s experiences by those of yesterday. If we have perceived we have failed at something in the past, we carry those expectations with us, held in our memories like pebbles. However, whatever happened in the past, whatever could not be achieved yesterday should not deter us, should hold … Continue reading Confidence of the present moment
Significant insignificance
Winter solstice this year saw the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. This close alignment had not occurred since 1623 and with the close proximity of Christmas, it was named by many as the Christmas Star, similar to the one which many believe guided the three wise men to the baby Jesus, two thousand and … Continue reading Significant insignificance
The Search
When we are little, we learn about growing up and long for it to rush upon us. Toddlers wear the big shoes of their parents, young girls watch with awe while their mothers apply makeup, young boys watch their fathers as they shave. It appears a compliment to be told ‘you’re so grown up’. Teenagers … Continue reading The Search
Appreciation
What is your normal habit when having a meal? At breakfast, do you eat with your family and discuss the day, or read a newspaper? At lunch do you chat with colleagues or stay at your desk working while you eat? In the evening do you visit a restaurant with friends or watch TV with … Continue reading Appreciation
Why do you sit?
This is a question many non-sitting people ask and a question difficult to answer. When sitting, no words are required, no explanation, no thinking, so to have to articulate why makes matters hard. When speaking to people who have never sat zazen, my answer varies, but the core is always the same. When I take … Continue reading Why do you sit?
Reality
A well known saying states that love is blind. This can be true in the fact that people can fall in love with one another because of who they are inside, despite whether they find each other physically attractive or not. The idea follows that the more we fall for someone, the more attractive their … Continue reading Reality
Zen musings 