Anatomy of a Sit

[Jakuden]

I don't want to sit.
I can't sit I have too many things to do. Resistance. Resistance
Sad, overwhelmed, why don't I just do what I need to do already!
Daughter got into NHS, congratulations, sorry we had a fight over your application
Worry over daughter, is she ready for college, she is strugging so much
My brother is moving to Florida, Dad is not handling it well, they may never see each other again
Dog is itching and has ear infection, meds aren't working yet
House is a mess
I have appointments to make
I wonder if the phone lines at the business are fixed, it's not good if clients can't call in!
Does everyone have this much resistance or is it just me?
I'm so dumb to worry about all these minor things when there is so much suffering in the world
Sadness for people who are suffering
We have too many chickens
I am getting really fat. I'd better lose some weight before none of my clothes fit
Breathing. Breathing
Doggie ball next to me is twitching, dreaming
I could get up and go get more coffee, no one would know, I am alone
Breathing. Bird singing outside
Flock of geese flying over.
I'd better get the hummingbird feeder out today they are probably back and looking for it
Breathing
Breathing
Breathing, bird singing
Breathing, sitting, everything here and all around
.....

Bell
The end.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday!! :-p

[Sekishi]

Sekishi
#sattoday stressed over son in a messy house while wondering where the hummingbird feeders even are...

[Byokan]

Oh, and all the while, Gloria Estefan in my head, turning the beat around. "Love to hear per-cussion! Turn it upsiiiiide dowwnn!"

Gassho
Byōkan
sat today

[Rich]

Doing is the problem.
Simplify
And practice non doing.
Even when doing there is non doing.

Jakuden, would you like some coffee? The Cafe Bustero brand is really good.

Sat today

[Washin]

"Hell tired from latest visits to dentist and what is he preparing for me for tomorrow..hmm.."
"When on earh my daughter is about to find a job..."
" The balcony is a total mess I must do something about it"
"Does Hellboy have buddha-nature? Darn, what a weird thought.."
"Why so many petty stuff popping up... there's so much suffering around"

Ding...

Gassho
Washin
sat-today

[Jakuden]

Doing is the problem.
Simplify
And practice non doing.
Even when doing there is non doing.

Jakuden, would you like some coffee? The Cafe Bustero brand is really good.

Sat today

Exactly!!
Yes I would, thank you, black please

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Jakuden]

"Hell tired from latest visits to dentist and what is he preparing for me for tomorrow..hmm.."
"When on earh my daughter is about to find a job..."
" The balcony is a total mess I must do something about it"
"Does Hellboy have buddha-nature? Darn, what a weird thought.."
"Why so many petty stuff popping up... there's so much suffering around"

Ding...

Gassho
Washin
sat-today

Who is "Hellboy?"
So you admonish yourself for all the "petty" concerns too. I do that constantly. Doesn't seem to stop them from coming up though.

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday

[Jundo]

Lovely.

Simply sit, not grabbing the thoughts that come into mind. Let them drift out of mind without grabbing on, without becoming caught in them. However, if finding oneself caught in trains of thought, open the mental hand and ungrab. Sometimes thoughts will come, sometimes not. Do not chase after them, do not grab on, neither try to chase away. If finding oneself caught in trains of thought, simply return to the breath or posture and ungrab. Sit in the quiet space between thoughts, like an open boundless unhindered clear blue sky between clouds. Repeat as needed, 10,000 times and 10,000 times again.

Thoughts come again ... of Brothers in Florida or getting fat or singing birds ...

Just repeat, 10,000 times and 10,000 times again.

At the same time, one should also sit with the attitude (fake it till ya make it if needed) that an instant of Zazen is wholeness in just sitting, the only place to be and act to do in that instant in all of reality that is required to fulfill life as life in that moment ... no other place to go or in need of going ... all lack and excess resolved in that one sitting, with not one thing to add or take away ... judgments dropped away, "likes and dislikes" put aside ... no rehashing yesterday or worry about imagined tomorrow ... nothing missing from Zazen.

Yet as judgments return or thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow ... just repeat, 10,000 times and 10,000 times again.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jakuden]

At the same time, one should also sit with the attitude (fake it till ya make it if needed) that an instant of Zazen is wholeness in just sitting, the only place to be and act to do in that instant in all of reality that is required to fulfill life as life in that moment ... no other place to go or in need of going ... all lack and excess resolved in that one sitting, with not one thing to add or take away ... judgments dropped away, "likes and dislikes" put aside ... no rehashing yesterday or worry about imagined tomorrow ... nothing missing from Zazen.

Thank you Jundo, for teaching me it is ok to start at the beginning every time I sit. Even after all this time and all those sits. And thanks to everyone here for their practice. There have been 10,000 judgements passing through this brain already today and I'm sure there will be 10,000 more. Even after all this time though, if I don't sit, they take hold and grow tangled vines quickly! Then I'm no good to anybody including myself. See, there's another judgement.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Mp]

Jakuden ... this is lovely indeed, thank you. Was needed this as my thoughts were bouncing back and forth on needing to do this and needing to do that. One things at a time and all will get done. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Kaishin]

Sounds about right!

Hellboy (comic character):

mignola__s_hellboy___colors_by_chaotic212-d2zw3my1.jpg

[Caisson]

Thank you Jakuden and everyone else. Oddly smiling teaching for us all.

Gassho,
caisson
sattoday

[Kairu]

I like to give myself mental visions of things in order to let a thought go. For instance, I will imagine my monkey mind sitting on a branch with me rather than grabbing branches he cannot grasp. Or I imagine myself swiping the thought away as one would swipe away an unused app on their cellphone. After this I quickly discard the vision and "shake hands" with less distracting thoughts as they pass by. Also focus on breathing works too.

I think it takes time for the mind to settle, at least a good 5-10 minutes. Afterwards sensory deprivation kicks in and the vision blurs a bit. Thats when zazen blossoms for me. Yet I try to keep in mind that all of the zazen is good, no matter what.

Kyle,
Sat2day.

Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk

[Kyotai]

Thank you Jakuden. I sometimes feel similar.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[John Mac]

Fabulous! I'm so glad to read of someone else who has a mind like mine when sitting......sometimes it worries me so much, that my mind can be so uncontrollable and intrusive, even counting breaths sometimes, I lose count. Ridiculous really, but I think therein lies the wisdom, that we are able to recognise this state and work on it.
Thanks for a good thread,

Gassho,
John

[Toun]

From my own personal experience and perspective, we may approach the zafu with expectations that things will either go wonderfully right or terribly wrong. On a personal note I thought that sitting would solve all of my problems and transport me directly to my own little Shangri-La.

Ouch!


Was I actually taking Zazen much too serious?


Just have fun, accept sitting for what it is even If the same top forty classic is constantly rewinding in your head. Eventually the tune will run its course!


Gassho to all
Mike

Sat today

[Jakuden]

Haha thanks everyone for your comments. There would have been a time when I would have been mortified to disclose my unruly thoughts on a public page... but I have come to accept that it is OK to have sessions like this. At first resistance and "woe is me" discomfort, then trying to grasp and follow thoughts, then eventually coming down into just breathing and noticing surroundings, then Just Sitting. Somehow the absurd scenery of this sit seemed to be a good lesson: my mind apparently gives equal time to my saddest thoughts, deepest worries, and whether or not we have too many chickens!? Silly thing. Best not to take anything it thinks too seriously.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Jundo]

And let me just say ...

... learning that which is beyond all human need to "get get get more more more, get somewhere apart from here, add or take away in order to make right" ...

... learning to find (although already here all along) the Clarity that shines like the moon and sun right through and as all the passing thoughts and emotions which flitter through the head even on the cloudiest day ...

... learning the Silence which is heard in the bones at the heart of both ordinary worldly silence as well as its most disturbing noise, a Peace which holds all life's round and sharp broken pieces ...

... is why radically dropping all 'searching' is truly the doorway to finding, why allowing is the key to transcending, why the thoughts which seem to come and go ultimately never come and go at all.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jakuden]

And let me just say ...

... learning that which is beyond all human need to "get get get more more more, get somewhere apart from here, add or take away in order to make right" ...

... learning to find (although already here all along) the Clarity that shines like the moon and sun right through and as all the passing thoughts and emotions which flitter through the head even on the cloudiest day ...

... learning the Silence which is heard in the bones at the heart of both ordinary worldly silence as well as its most disturbing noise, a Peace which holds all life's round and sharp broken pieces ...

... is why radically dropping all 'searching' is truly the doorway to finding, why allowing is the key to transcending, why the thoughts which seem to come and go ultimately never come and go at all.

Gassho, J

SatToday

Ah, thank you Jundo for adding on the important final part that I could not describe! Yes, resistance at the beginning, but at the end a Peace that holds all of life's round and sharp broken pieces.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Kyonin]

Jakuden,

Thank you for this post. That's how the mind works most of the times.

I'd only add that sometimes the head is like a jukebox playing a single song all over again!

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Jishin]

Hi,

I think shikantaza should not discriminate against those that have turbulent minds and have difficulty in dropping body and mind during sitting. Yet it does precisely that. Attaining non attaining with nothing to attain is not a possibility. And even if it were, the inherent wisdom could not be executed because of impulsivity issues.

Jundo has mentioned in the past that shikantaza is not for everyone. I think that shikantaza is a hindrance in such cases and not enough is said about this.

I wish it were.

My one cent.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Tairin]

Thank you for this topic. I am a relative beginner having only taken up my practise within the last year. I don't know if I can contribute anything meaningful except to say that I often find I sit with a busy mind. Sometimes I fret about it and think I am doing it all wrong. Other times I remind myself that it is called practise for a reason. It took me 47 years of training to get this busy mind. It seems reasonable that it will take time to untrain it. That's fine. I've got the rest of my life to work on it.

Gassho
Warren
sat today

[Jundo]

The purpose is not to be without all thoughts. The purpose is to see through thoughts to something shining. This usually involves the mind settling a bit, but it is truly a Clarity that shines right through all thoughts and no thought. By such Clarity, the thoughts may come but they are Illuminated and not perceived as they were before.

Tomorrow's Zazenkai on the teachings of the 8th Century Master Moheyan is just on this.

May 6th-7th, 2016 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!
http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...ur-ZAZENKAI%21

I think shikantaza should not discriminate against those that have turbulent minds and have difficulty in dropping body and mind during sitting. Yet it does precisely that. Attaining non attaining with nothing to attain is not a possibility. And even if it were, the inherent wisdom could not be executed because of impulsivity issues.

Jundo has mentioned in the past that shikantaza is not for everyone. I think that shikantaza is a hindrance in such cases and not enough is said about this.

Yes, it is not for everyone, just like baseball or pistachio ice cream is not for everyone. Some folks simple have trouble to understand what it means to stop the chase, to find the Silence that is not a matter of silence or noise.

I wish it were for everyone. Such folks might benefit more from Chanting to Buddha or Praying to Jesus or I don't know what. Maybe just by watching baseball while eating ice cream!

But some folks run away to the next shiny thing too quickly too. This is the disease of chasing.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jishin]

Shikantaza requires attachment to Shikantaza. Practice-enlightenment requires attachment to practice-enlightenment. Teaching requires attachment to teaching. That's why Dogen and Buddha were tortured souls (and much more).

Grumpy and Argumentative Jishin will now shut up and attach to sitting.

Gassho, Jishin, ST

[Rich]

With practice a space appears between your thoughts and your true self and then you can forget about all the nonsense. Or drop it on a dime. And fill that space with love ❤ and compassion.

Btw I'm one of those turbulent overactive minds.

SAT today

[Myosha]

Shikantaza requires attachment to Shikantaza. Practice-enlightenment requires attachment to practice-enlightenment. Teaching requires attachment to teaching. That's why Dogen and Buddha were tortured souls (and much more).

Grumpy and Argumentative Jishin will now shut up and attach to sitting.

Gassho, Jishin, ST

Hello,

Throw it away. Sit.^^


Gassho
Myosha sat today

[Jishin]

Throw it away. Sit.^^

Throw it away. Sit.^^

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Judith del Carmen]

Thank you Jakuden, big huge . Sat today