Embracing all conditions of life.

[Entai]

The phrase "... embracing all conditions of life" has been on my mind a lot lately. When things are going the way I prefer, it's easy. I could embrace that all day. Even when things aren't wonderful, I can do some "embracing"... with a few reminders.

But there are times when things are terribly painful and scary. My family and I experienced one of those times recently. Now, as bad as it seemed at the time, I figured I could "accept" it... but "embrace?" I wasn't sure about that. My thoughts went in all directions. The idea of embracing the situation (a medical crisis) seemed wrong. I felt guilty just thinking about embracing it. But I did. And I learned something. "Embracing" isn't an idea, it's a completely intimate thing. And I wasn't embracing the event by itself.. There was no "itself". When you embrace, it's the whole deal. And it turns out that this embracing eases suffering. (go figure)

Now, this should not have been news to me. It's our teachings and our practice. But the truth is that my reaction to painful events has always leaned towards avoidance, withdrawal and despair. And that may always be my first reaction, who knows. But now I know that the embrace won't kill me. It's honest and probably the best way to greet "all conditions of life"... as hard as it may sometimes seem.

I have no idea if this is helpful to anyone, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

(I'm happy to report that the crisis has ended and things are looking up)

Gassho, Entai

[Jundo]

gassho2

I was telling someone yesterday that the proof of the pudding in this Practice is not finding the answer to some old Chinese Koan ... but right in those moments when the "sit hits the fan" (I may trademark that! :p ) in life!

Lovely, and I am embracing the fact that the road smoothed out for you too and things are looking up. :encouragement:

Gassho, J

Sat Today!

[Nindo]

Thank you for sharing, Entai.
gassho2

[Kaiku]

Thank you Entai. Deep bows. gassho2


I was telling someone yesterday that the proof of the pudding in this Practice is not finding the answer to some old Chinese Koan ... but right in those moments when the "sit hits the fan" (I may trademark that! :p ) in life!

I do think you should trademark that Jundo! :D

Gassho
Bobby
Sat Today

[Hotetsu]

There's a future t-shirt if I ever heard one 😋.



Gassho

Scott

#sat_today

[Stacy]

There's a future t-shirt if I ever heard one .



Gassho

Scott

#sat_today

Yes, it'd go well with this one:

http://i.imgur.com/2nP5tgW.jpg

:D

Thanks for sharing your experience, Entai. gassho1


Gassho,
Stacy

#SatToday

[Mp]

Thank you Entai for sharing your experience. =)



"sit hits the fan" (I may trademark that! :p ) in life!

And yes Jundo ... I love it! =)

Gassho
Shingen

#SAT TODAY

[jeff_u]

gassho1

Gassho,
Jeff

#sattoday

[Daiyo]

Thanks for sharing, Entai.
That'll keep me (non?)thinking
I'm glad that the crisis is now over.

Gassho,
Walter

Just SAT TODAY

[Kyonin]

Hi Entai.

In my limited point of view, embracing does not mean to like something. There's nothing to like about a medical problem.

But you can embrace it all in the sense that it's part of life. It's what there is. Labels like "good" or "bad" are created in our minds.

Sickness, death and all situations are part of the same package. It's all One Big Thing.

Life has shown me again and again that everything changes and nothing stays. Be one and at peace with that concept is embracing.

But I could be wrong, of course :)

Hope the rough patch comes to an end soon.

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Ugrok]

Thanks for this. It rings a bell ! Indeed, i found out too, that "embracing" or "accepting" can be misleading terms. It leads to think that what you have to do is to have a "you" that you somehow force to like or be ok with a "problem". Doing this just creates two objects that are in total conflict and makes the situation worse. More and more i think that in fact it means to just let the whole chaos run its course. You just sit and let the whole stuff destroy you if it has to. You let everything run its course. All horses loose. That is embracing for me, nowadays. It takes a lot of courage - or despair, ahaha - because in those moments you really have the feeling that you WILL be destroyed. In fact the opposite happens. But as soon as we experience a crisis, often, we forget this and begin to fight unconsciously... Maybe it's part of life too.

Gassho,

Ugrok

#Sat isfaction

[Jundo]

Thanks for this. It rings a bell ! Indeed, i found out too, that "embracing" or "accepting" can be misleading terms. It leads to think that what you have to do is to have a "you" that you somehow force to like or be ok with a "problem". Doing this just creates two objects that are in total conflict and makes the situation worse. More and more i think that in fact it means to just let the whole chaos run its course. You just sit and let the whole stuff destroy you if it has to. You let everything run its course. All horses loose. That is embracing for me, nowadays. It takes a lot of courage - or despair, ahaha - because in those moments you really have the feeling that you WILL be destroyed. In fact the opposite happens. But as soon as we experience a crisis, often, we forget this and begin to fight unconsciously... Maybe it's part of life too.

Gassho,

Ugrok

#Sat isfaction

I think this is maybe a bit too philosophical.

In Mahayana Buddhism, we drop the self-other divide into Emptiness ... then all is just The Flowing. More than embracing, there is no self to embrace and no other to be embraced. Radical Wholeness.

At the same time, our human side need not accept everything, can be bothered and bewildered, upset and afraid because that is to be human. That is to be human, and just life.

Now, can one learn, Ugrok, to experience this life as these both as One? All the above AT ONCE? Yes! This is our way on the Cushion and rising from the cushion to get on with life.

Another Sangha member wrote me about his illness and how it "interferes" with Practice. I wrote back ...


We sit with what is ... with conditions just as they are ... as what is, having become what is ... nothing to add or take away, reject or run toward. That is Shikantaza Zazen.

We embrace what is, reject none of it and judge none of it ... even as we take our medicine.

I sometimes describe the attitude toward poor health and the like as acceptance sans acceptance - precisely blending both views. Imagine a man or woman who, facing an illness, perhaps some cancer, accepts the condition fully - yet fights the good fight for a cure. We need not feel anger within at the natural state which is the disease, we can accept within that all life is impermanent and that death and sickness are just the reality ... but still we might search for the healing medicine, struggling without for health and life and sometimes so afraid. We can know that within and without are not two.

Your condition is perfectly that condition when all resistance is dropped ... drop all resistance even as we resist (yes, it is a kind of schizophrenic viewpoint ... but a very healthy kind of schizophrenia :D :? :cry: )

Attaining such an attitude of "nothing whatsoever about the condition in need of change" is attaining a tremendous change of attitude ... even as we continue to take our medicine and try to get healthy.


Understand? It is not a mere intellectual exercise, but the total dropping of division and frictions between our "self" and the "rest of this life and world" ...

... even as, simultaneously, so many divisions and frictions are present for our "human" side.

Gassho, J

[Ugrok]

As of now, i get the "human" part, i get the "dropping" part, but i fail, sadly, at having both perspectives at once. Or maybe i don't fail, since i'm alive. Ahaha !

Thanks Jundo,

Gassho,

Ugrok
#Sat

[Myosha]

Hello,

And a salty total acceptance and education to all!


Gassho,
Myosha sat today

[Shinzan]

Wow, Entai's message really resonated for me. Recently, I commited a social gaff, a whopper, even tho I intended to act with care. I think it was Suzuki who said, life is just one mistake after another. But this morning, I'm encouraging myself by saying, gee, if I never made a mistake, I'd never be learning anything. I'd be stuck, a dead stone, untouched. The fact that my mistake activates me to try to learn, and try to put myself in the other guy's shoes is what I can embrace. Little by little, I can embrace my own sore heart when I blow it, and also feel more of what the other person feels when I bulldoze thru their boundaries. Not easy, but what I gotta do.

_/\_ Shinzan
:emptiness:

[Tai Shi]

I have chronic pain with new symptoms in my arthritis has moved up into my jaws and head from the spine and neck where it is already. The pain is so bad that I can't cry anymore. This morning I sat and counted my breath because I was comfortable doing my sitting that way. I can focus on the breath one second at a time because anything longer actually takes my breath away. This afternoon all I can do is sit in my easy chair and listen to meditation music. I can take a deep breath now and again. I have a doctor's visit in a little over three weeks. Mornings are okay but as the day goes on the pain mounts. So I truly am trying to exist one moment at a time. This kind of pain most people don't understand, as it is unrelenting. And the pain is doing pushups in,my head. I have severe and debilitating arthritis of the spine and the,worst of it is in my neck and head. I will defer to a greater good for relief.

ELGWYN
I sat today
Gassho

[Ugrok]

Hello elgwyn ! Did you read John Sarno's books about back pain ? If not, i really think you should.

Gassho,
Ugrok
Saturday

[Entai]

Elgwyn,
Metta to you.

Gassho, Entai

[Heisoku]

Dear Elgwyn thank you for sharing and reminding me of the humble privilege it is to simply sit and breathe. I sat the zazenkai with you in mind and may you be more at ease than not. Much metta.
Nine bows
Gassho Heisoku
#sat today.

[Rich]

Elgwyn, very sorry that you have so much pain. I am a complete maverick and outside the medical establishment but maybe you might gain some useful alternative ideas if I share my experience. it's been so long I don't even remember why or how I started working with energy but basically in treating injury or disease I apply external and internal energy. So for example applying heat to a knee, neck or back injury. The internal energy is greatest around the Hara and I use visualization to move it to the diseased or injured area for healing purposes. A balanced diet is also important because it is the fuel for our energy creation. Brown rice with fruits and vegetables does amazing things for a body mind.
Take care

Kind regards. /\

[Rich]

Sat today

Kind regards. /\

[Byokan]

Entai, thank you for sharing this. What you say is so true, and it has helped me today. Glad things are looking up for you!

Elgwyn, I am so sorry to hear that you have this pain. (If you have not already done so, please consider asking your doctor to refer you to a pain specialist or a pain clinic, they may be able to help.) I think sitting with your breath, moment by moment, is a great thing to do. I hope you can find some comfort in this practice and in the support of the Sangha. I will be thinking of you and sending metta your way. May you find ease and peace my friend, even through and with the pain.

Gassho
Lisa
sat today

[Meikyo]

Cool teachings from a cool Sangha.
Still have a lot of embracing to do myself.
Thanks guys.

Gassho
Aske

[Roland]

Thank you Entai for this thread. Dear Elgwyn, I will dedicate my next sitting to you.

Thank you all,

Gassho

Roland

#SatToday



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[Jamen]

I remember watching a talk on youtube by Thich Nhat Hahn when I was first seeking this path. He said we should try to pick up and cradle our sufferings like a mother does to her newborn baby. I remember thinking at the time , "whoa that's deep right there." Actually, it still blows me away because it's so hard to do in many difficult situations.