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
Tag: mind
The Watcher
For a split second the grasp on an ice cold metal clasp can burn the naked skin exactly as if it were red-hot. There is self-consciousness and there is un-self-consciousness. This latter is a state of wholeness whereby the mind functions freely, easily, without the ego colouring it. It is the letting of the body … Continue reading The Watcher
The quick of life
What makes a man? Is it his mind, his thoughts? If we took away his capacity for thought, would he still be a man? And what when we're asleep? Are dreams our thoughts, or does the mind rest? Either way we are not thinking as we do when awake, yet we continue to exist. What … Continue reading The quick of life
Thinking
The mind often acts like a child. It wants attention, to be the centre of attention and in our busy lives it's easy to give in and let the mind have reigns. And we've convinced ourselves that the mind is everything. Thinking is revered. He's a great thinker. Our minds, our inventions, ideas and thoughts, … Continue reading Thinking
Intention
"Full of great intentions..." how often have we heard that? On a daily, hourly basis, we are brimming with conscious intentions, whether we act on them or not. "I'll finish work on time today", "I'll make a cup of tea in a minute", "I'll spend more time with my sister" - whatever the level of … Continue reading Intention
The Answer
When you think of a maths puzzle, and you work your brain to solve the equation - the answer doesn't just suddenly exist because you've thought of it. The answer was always there, existing in its own right, to be discovered or not. Discovery does not affect its existing, just as a tree will still … Continue reading The Answer
Tiger in the room
When you're sitting za-zen and you find that your mind has been wandering, bring your attention back to your posture and the mind will follow. If, when we were to sit za-zen, we faced the wall but knew a wild, loose tiger padded up and down the room behind us, our mind wouldn't wander. If … Continue reading Tiger in the room
Zen musings 