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: Zen
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
Learning
Imagine we had never been in a body of water, had never even seen one or known anyone else who had, but we suddenly decided, for whatever reason, that we wanted to learn how to swim. We could find a number of textbooks regarding the subject, we could read all about the different techniques, find … Continue reading Learning
Life’s potential
A famous middle-aged Buddhist monk, who was suffering from a terminal disease, was interviewed by the press. “How does it make you feel, knowing you are dying?” the interviewer asked. “How does it make you feel to know you are dying?” the monk replied. “I mean, soon, before your time,” came the reply. “Whenever we … Continue reading Life’s potential
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
Thought
We have all experienced that one moment of pure clarity of mind, even if we can only see it retrospectively. It might have been when we were in a foreign country, driving on the other side of the road, through a busy city. It may have been when hanging over the precipiceof a mountain rock … Continue reading Thought
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
Beginner Vs Expert
We are all beginners at some point in our lives, just as we are all experts at certain things, things we have practiced countless times until we have become proficient. We may feel clumsy, as a beginner. We may find the path difficult and feel the urge to give up and often we do not … Continue reading Beginner Vs Expert
Momentary State
Why do we exist? What is the nature of man, of the universe, or existence itself? Is there a God? Why is there evil in the world? What is Free Will? What constitutes Determinism? From whence does the collective consciousness issue? Are we reincarnated? Do we have a soul? Is there any meaning to this … Continue reading Momentary State
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?
Zen musings 