In Zen there is no self. When we sit, we are concentrating on the self that doesn't exist, devoting ourselves instead to the everything. We all exist as part of the whole, as part of the oneness, and in sitting we are letting go of our ego, of our self and realising our part in … Continue reading Atman
Tag: oneness
Reading between the lines
It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised, the mosquito is swatted.* To the drinkers in the beer garden, the wasp is nothing but an annoyance, yet to the gardener, the wasp is a friend who keeps down the greenfly and caterpillar population. Good can always … Continue reading Reading between the lines
Time
If we were locked in a small, pitch black room for an undefined period, we would doubtless experience a series of strong and varied emotions. Of course, if we did not know the reason, we would feel surprise, puzzlement and questioning what was happening would be our foremost thought. We may start to feel afraid … Continue reading Time
Greed
While at this time of year it is easy in the West to overindulge, one should always bear in mind there is a fine line between enjoyment and greed. This of course is easy to see where food and drink are concerned, but more difficult when other material possessions are in question and even more … Continue reading Greed
Breathing
Using Zen's paradoxical logic, great importance must be attached to the way of breathing, while at the same time one is merely the observer. Breathing is a process in which both control and spontaneity, voluntary and involuntary action, exist. We need to breath, to stay alive, and most of the time we forget we are … Continue reading Breathing
Zen musings 