San Francisco Zen Meditation

Talks and Blog

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Calendar
    • Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Zen Reading

11/17/2009

Your thoughts and mine

0 Comments

Read Now
 
So I had an interesting thought bubble up during zazen last night.   Sort of a rouge koan.  It caught hold of me before I could notice it.

The thought was: "What if everyone I know is getting exactly what they need.  And what if I am getting exactly what I need?  What then?  How does that change how I see the world?  How does that change how and when I feel I need to act?"

Huh.  My first reaction was that it was interesting how so many of my actions were focused on "fixing" things and trying to give them what they need.  So much of what I do, and think, is centered on overcoming deficits that I see.  So many of my panicked moments of self indulgence come from fear that I will not get what I need, that I am not getting what I need, and that if I do not act, I never will.

So what happens if I just practice trusting that life is constantly and perfectly providing me with precise that thing that I need in that moment?  I feel calmer, less urgency around me.  And I feel less inclined to offer advice, or criticize someone, and more freedom to just enjoy them.

But I will also admit that the first thought was disbelief.  "This can't be right.  Surely these people are broken.  Surely I need to be improved".  It was truly disorienting to have silenced that relentless sonar pinging of "what needs to be done....what needs to be done....what needs to be done".

Share

0 Comments

11/4/2009

and now for something completely different

0 Comments

Read Now
 
The more I surf, the more I am realizing I never stop.  Of course, that also applies to litigation.  And fortunately zazen.

Many thanks to John Tarrant, who came down from Santa Rosa to lead us tonight.  We examined the koan "how is my hand like the Buddha's hand...playing guitar in the moonlight".  And wonderfully, we carried the discussion into our small groups.  Thank you everyone who came, and a special thanks to Chris Wilson for leading the small group.

Meeting #3 is in the books.  So far, nothing has been broken, and the great Hand of Buddha has been stayed in coming down from the, wherever, to shut us down.  So thats a positive.  How is my hand like the hand of Buddha indeed. 

Share

0 Comments
Details

    Author(s)

    “A Course on Koans” is the delusion-riddled work of Chris Kufu (“Wind in the Void”) Wilson, who began practicing Zen in 1967. He regards Taizan Maezumi, Robert Aitken, and David Weinstein as his root teachers. Each of them pecked at his shell until he “completed” the never-ending koan curriculum of the Harada-Yasutani lineage.

    Get posts as they are published:

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    October 2016
    March 2016
    July 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009

    Categories

    All

    What We Read

    Serina's Travel Blog
    Shoshin
    Zenosaurus
    Eugene Koan Blog
    A Zen Jesuit's Blog
    Christian Koans
    Twelve Step Zen Blog
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Calendar
    • Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Zen Reading