by Kirk on October 11, 2009
What do we do when things aren’t working? How do we respond to dismal situations, when we’re trying our best, but the world decides to hand us lemons?
Consider the following Haiku, written by Basho:
Fleas, lice,
The horse pissing
Near my pillow.
Although he was on a spiritual journey, and thought himself something important, Basho spent the night on the floor with urine and lice. All night the roof leaked, and he was cold. The night was so miserable, he wrote a poem about it.
So what do we do when things aren’t working?
How do we change our personal realities when we’re sleeping on a floor covered with urine?
We forget all about ideas for “how things should be”.
Stop Scheming
Our minds want to endlessly scheme and plot. Figure out ways so we never have to spend the night in dirty sheds. But inevitably, we eventually find ourselves in dirty sheds.
The real danger then, is not in dirty sheds, or in failure. The danger lies in pretending our will, our intelligence really adds up to anything. Though we may be extremely clever, and think ourselves resourceful, things will come that knock us over. It is our ability to accept things as they are that gives us true strength.
Be mindful when you spend too much time scheming, planning. Information paralysis is real, we can get endlessly caught up in ideas of “perfect information”, and forget to ever participate in life.
Because we’re always facing problems within our lives. And in response to these problems, our minds are ceaselessly looking for solutions. They’ll seek out information until finding a logical solution.
Reality Doesn’t Know About Logic
Unfortunately, reality doesn’t respond to logic. It responds to actions, and to incredibly chaotic patterns already existing within the world. Our best laid plans can be immediately destroyed by chance.
Understand, we can lock ourselves up in rooms forever, seeking out all the world’s knowledge for a perfect answer. To a life that’s perfectly solving every one of life’s problems. But we’ll never finish. It’s always an incomplete.
Accept Things as They Are
So instead, we must turn the prison of logic on its head. Accept reality as it is, and forget our scheming. Zen Buddhism says instead, we should focus completely on the present moment. What we are doing right now.
In this way, we can escape the endless cycle of logic, planning, and disappointment or success. We can just accept things from one moment to the next, and forget about achievement or loss.
We can spend the night in the piss, and wake up the next day ready to climb the next mountain.
by Kirk on October 9, 2009
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine”
- Shunryu Suzuki
Having a hyperactive brain sucks.
In the process of continually planning and worrying, the hyperactive brain forgets to pay attention to the task at hand. People will go entire days without ever paying attention to what they’re doing. They’ll literally flush their life down the tubes, listening to the dull chatter of their mind while the rest of life passes them by.
Silencing this idle chatter is key to living a happy life.
A focused mind is the most powerful asset a person can have. If you’re constantly distracted by new ideas, you’re never going to focus.
The level of attention you are capable of giving at any moment determines the quality of your life.
This is why people meditate. Meditation quiets the mind for the performance of life.
The Secret to Meditation
Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies, there is no great “secret” to meditation. Usually, it’s just a matter of closing your eyes and focusing on breathing. There is nothing to buy, and nothing to buy into. You merely sit and breathe.
Sitting Zazen
In Zen Buddhism, there is a type of meditation called “sitting zazen”. A person simply sits cross legged, with a straight back, and begins to breathe. In for a long deep breath, paying attention to the air as it flows through the nose, and then out, again noting the sensation as the breath leaves.
At first, it’s very difficult to just sit in one place and breathe. Your mind races, and thinks of a million “better” things to do instead of something so “unproductive” as meditation. But keep with it. After the first real temptation comes the first breakthrough.
Growing Inward
You’ll experience a very real feeling of your inner self growing larger. Your vision will suddenly see a much greater “space” surrounding your self. This space will seem to grow and get smaller at the same time. This is the first great breakthrough.
You’ll notice a strength from this feeling. This is the strength of “knowing your true face”. It’s getting a glimpse of that greater self that lies just beneath the dull worry.
Space for Meditation
If you want to try meditating, I suggest finding a room where you can be alone, and just beginning. Set a timer for 15 minutes, and see if you can last that long. And just do it when you’re stressed out or worried. Eventually, you’ll love the silence and sense of perspective that meditation brings. You’ll incorporate it into you life, whether things seem good or bad.
Good meditation means you learn to accept reality as it is, whether good or bad. It means you have a sense of perspective on your existence, and do not come to the world like a whiny puppy. You understand a power within, and the responsibility to act upon it nobly.
