When a toddler becomes tired and low on energy it starts to whine and throw tantrums, all the normal things it usually takes in its stride suddenly seeming insurmountable problems which become very upsetting. If the child were to have a nap or to eat something, then generally it feels refreshed, re-invigorated and happy again, … Continue reading Energy
Tag: mind
Being
They say that Zen is a system of contradictions and that just when we think we are beginning to understand it, it turns things on their head and we are back to square one. This is a deliberate way of helping us to change our perspective and not to become trapped by our own thought … Continue reading Being
Sea of Consciousness
The mind is like the sea. Sometimes it is still and serene, at other times turbulent, troubled. It's depths are unfathomable and we do not know all that lurks there. It is made up of millions of tiny droplets, just like our minds have countless thoughts and processes, yet it is all connected together, the … Continue reading Sea of Consciousness
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
Do you mind?
Where do we go when we close our eyes? We still can see, but we don't see - our sense of sight shuts off and the longer our eyes are closed the further we drift away into unconsciousness, and eventually sleep. What happens to our thinking mind? There are other occasions too. When we are … Continue reading Do you mind?
Unconsciousness
What do we think of by unconsciousness? We can be 'knocked unconscious', we can 'fall into a deep unconscious sleep', we can 'act in an unconscious manner' - all these ways imply a non thinking, a time when we are not using our intellect or our minds, we are blind, blank. Let us compare it … Continue reading Unconsciousness
Mind-Body
Mind-Body We cannot separate mind from body nor body from mind in this realm within which we dwell. When we are hungry we feel it in both, just as when we are angry our mind flares with the emotion as our heart race quickens and our stomachs clench. When we train our bodies, we train … Continue reading Mind-Body
Possession
All at once the mind is taken over - there is no room for ought else, this one thought rules all and we are possessed by it. Love, lust, infatuation - this is what is does to us. It leaves the most grounded and logical of us dumbfounded. Every-day matters fade into insignificance and whether … Continue reading Possession
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
Rough seas, still waters
Imagine yourself cast adrift in nought but a small rowing boat in the middle of a vast ocean. A storm whips up and the tiny vessel is tossed mercilessly, waves rising like immense walls down which you tumble, only to be churned then crashed down upon at the bottom. Where would your thoughts be? They … Continue reading Rough seas, still waters
Zen musings 