Essays
Reduction of Ego Chogyam Trungpa, in Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Boston and London, 2002), says that “the main point of any spiritual practice is to step out of the bureaucracy of ego.” (p. 15)
Resource for Problems Whenever I am troubled or upset, to sit zazen is a great benefit to me. Sitting zazen lowers me into a well of patient resourcefulness, an aspect of “the hidden gem” that I wrote about in a recent essay.
Available Universal Self Kosho Uchiyama, whose Opening the Hand of Thought (Massachusetts, 2004) I have been writing about lately, was a Soto Zen priest (d. 1998) teaching at a monastery called Antai-ji near Kyoto in Japan. He was known for holding rigorous sesshins usually of five days duration, consisting of fourteen 50-minute periods of zazen interspersed with occasional kinhin and three meals followed by a bathroom break.
Enlightened Mind Continuing to read Kosho Uchiyama’s Opening the Hand of Thought (Massachusetts, 2004), I read this rather, to me, striking statement: “…What Shakyamuni became enlightened to was . . . universal self.” (p. 82)
Living in the Now In Opening the Hand of Thought (Massachusetts, 2004), Kosho Uchiyama says, “. . . All that there is, is now.” “The past, present and future are all contained within the present.” (pp. 12-13)
Hidden Gem Kosho Uchiyama’s Opening the Hand of Thought (Massachusetts, 2004) is one of the books that have influenced me greatly during my study of Zen. In rereading this book, I still find many valuable insights.
A Suggestion for Long-Term Practitioners For long-term zazen practitioners, the ego gradually becomes less prominent in their lives. Whether they put it into words or not, they have learned that the ego is not substantial or real, but merely an idea that they can put aside. I think I have learned this.
Be Where You Are In The Myth of Freedom (Boston and London, 2002), Chogyam Trungpa notes, “We never want to be just where and what we are; we always want to be somewhere else.” (p. 92) This remark points to a tendency of mine that I have been trying to overcome.
Personal Remarks about Zazen I am a 40-year practitioner of zazen. One might think that after all this time, I would find zazen uninteresting and routine. However, the reverse is true.
Thoughts on Enlightenment In one of his talks in The Myth of Freedom, Boston, 1976, Chogyam Trungpa said, “We are just a speck of dust in the midst of the universe” (p. 6). These words struck me as reflecting the inner condition of an enlightened person. Trungpa continued, “If you are a grain of sand, the rest of the universe, all the space, all the room is yours, because you obstruct nothing, overcrowd nothing, possess nothing. There is tremendous openness” (pp. 6-7).
No Gaining Idea In Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Boulder, 2011), Shunryu Suzuki says, “We say our practice should be without gaining ideas, without any expectations, even of enlightenment” (p. 25). The advice to not have any “gaining ideas” while meditating has become a commonplace in zazen instruction.
Inspiration in Zazen When I began practicing zazen and studying spiritual teachings, I was inspired by Nisargadatta’s I Am That (Durham, 1973). Nisargadatta Maharaj taught in his modest home in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India until his demise in 1981.
A Useful Practice Recently I started to reread Ajahn Chah’s talks in Food for the Heart (Massachusetts, 2002). This book helped me a great deal when, years ago, I began the practice of zazen and my study of Buddhism. I had read the whole book, which is quite lengthy, but as, just recently, I reread the first chapter, it seemed to me to encapsulate the whole of Chah’s teaching.
Breathing and Zazen An important stage in zazen occurs when one stops breathing. Not literally, of course, but when a practitioner stops “doing” his or her breathing, that’s an important stage.
Thinking During Zazen Continuing to read Chogyam Trungpa’s talks in Smile at Fear (Boston and London, 2009), I was struck by this remark about meditation: “All kinds of thoughts arise naturally. If you have lots of time to sit, endless thoughts happen constantly.” (p. 15)
Buddhanature In Smile at Fear (Boston and London, 2009), Chogyam Trungpa says that for someone on the spiritual path, at some point “you begin to realize that you have something in yourself that is fundamentally, basically good. It transcends the notion of good or bad. Something that is worthwhile, wholesome, and healthy exists in all of us.” (p. 8)
Goal of Soto Zen I have been reading introductory comments on the Dhammapada, edited and commented on by Eknath Easwaran, a noted translator and author born in India. The book is The Dhammapada , ed. Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, California, 2007.
