Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness

[Rakurei]

I was reading a piece entitled, Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness by Shunryu Suzuki and I came across a few parts that really resonated with me.

In our practice of shikantaza we do not seek for anything, because when we seek for something, an idea of self is involved. Then we try to achieve something to further the idea of self. That is what you are doing when you make some effort, but our effort is to get rid of self-centered activity. That is how we purify our experience.

For instance, if you are reading, your wife or husband may say, “Would you like to have a cup of tea?” “Oh, I am busy,” you may say, “don’t bother me.” When you are reading in that way, I think you should be careful. You should be ready to say, “Yes, that would be wonderful, please bring me a cup of tea.” Then you stop reading and have a cup of tea. After having a cup of tea, you continue your reading.

Otherwise your attitude is, “I am very busy right now!” That is not so good, because then your mind is not actually in full function. A part of your mind is working hard, but the other part may not be working so hard. You may be losing your balance in your activity. If it is reading, it may be okay, but if you are making calligraphy and your mind is not in a state of emptiness, your work will tell you, “I am not in a state of emptiness.” So you should stop.

I feel as if I understand this emptiness on the zafu. I don't sit with this idea that I am "a very calm zen person sitting in a very calm way, in a very calm setting, and only calm things should happen". I know that this type of mindset can cause tension

If my sitting is interrupted by something as simple as a sneeze or something as troubling as 15 missed calls from a client, I have become moderately skilled at letting it pass or welcoming it without trouble. But what about off of it?

When I am working - am I empty? Or do I have this subconscious mindset and tension of how busy I am and how I must get this done? When I am with my partner, even at nearly a decade, am I enjoying our vacation with emptiness, or am I tense that our trip may take a bad turn?

I love the part in the piece that mentions, "a part of our mind is working hard" - even though we don't know it, or realize it. It's so true.

This reminds me of another story, in which I'm unsure of the source, but it's recited by Fr. Tony De Mello.

The disciple was always complaining to his Master, “You are hiding the final secret of Zen from me.” And he would not accept the Master’s denials.

One day they were walking in the hills when they heard a bird sing.

“Did you hear that bird sing?” said the Master.

“Yes,” said the disciple.

“Well, now you know that I have hidden nothing from you.”
“Yes.” said the disciple.

If you really heard a bird sing, if you really saw a tree... you would know. Beyond
words and concepts.

What was that you said? That you have heard dozens of birds sing and seen hundreds of trees? Ah, was it the tree you saw or the label? If you look at a tree and see a tree, you have really not seen the tree. When you look at the tree and see a miracle—then, at last, you have seen! Did your heart never fill with wordless wonder when you heard the song of the bird?

Is there a piece of us that's working hard even we do not know it? One that is even present when listening to the rustles of the trees and calls of the birds? Shikantaza can help us truly listen, truly hear, and truly see. And all it takes is 'just sitting'.

When we receive a letter from the world of emptiness, then the practice of shikantaza is working.

ST,

Rakurei

[Jundo]

I am not sure that I am in full accord with Suzuki Roshi on this.

When doing calligraphy, just do calligraphy. When having a cup of tea, just have a cup of tea. When on vacation, just be present on vacation, when watching a sunset just watch the sunset.

However, when "I'm too busy, please don't bother me now" ... just be "I'm too busy, please don't bother me know." That too is just the universe sometimes, the universe feeling a little tension in some moments, and is also a miracle and the final word of Zen.

There is a time to walk in the woods, experiencing only the bird song or tree. There is a time to walk in the woods, thinking about sports or what one will have for dinner or the political situation in France. No problem, and to the wise eye, all a miracle and the final word of Zen. If we truly were rid of all "self centered activity" in life we could not function in life. Better perhaps not to be such a prisoner of the self, and also know that the self is also "not self" too. Eating a sandwich while reading the paper and thinking about your family is not only you doing so, but Emptiness eating a sandwich and reading the paper and thinking about the family (all Emptiness too!)

I sometimes write about how this "be in the moment" aspect of Zen means to "be in the moment" even when the moment is not "being in the moment" all the time. What other moment can one be in?

More here:

Being mindful of 'mindful'
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...ful-of-mindful

(I do not know where the idea started among some folks that the 'goal' of this practice is to live the first way every moment of every day. That would be pretty awful (if not harmful) to live like that all or even most of the time. What's wrong with also sometimes reading the paper, thinking about work, while grabbing a quick sandwich? There is a place for all of that.)

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

[Ryudo]

Interesting.
Thank you both.


Ryudo/SatToday

[Rakurei]

Thank you, Jundo.

I have read your piece and a few others on 'being mindful of mindful'. I'll have to read them again! I actually recall the line you quoted quite well.

I guess what I took from the piece, and was kind of reading (..or maybe adding lol) between the lines a bit, is that I feel a tension when working or doing any other "serious thing" and sometimes that tension is subconcious, and it may not allow me to properly deal with any hiccups or issues that arise along the way. Sitting has helped me become aware of those tensions to more easily accept the universal law that things aren't going to go my way, and to accept them.

Of course, those tensions and issues are just another form of emptiness, but they are an easy way to get my monkey mind revved back up. A bit like smacking myself with the hammer, that you mentioned in your intro videos.

I find your post above a lot more welcoming and realistic than Suzuki Roshi's, so thank you as always!

Gassho,

ST

Rakurei

[Jundo]

When one feels tense, just feel tense. Don't be more tense about being tense, for that is just gasoline on a fire. When one is tense, it is the whole universe and all the Buddhas being tense.

This Way helps us be less tense, but don't expect or want to be always not tense all the time. Rather, be at Peace when feeling peace, and be at Peace (Big P) even with the fact that one is now feeling tense and not peaceful (small p), I am at Peace with the fact that sometimes life is chaos and I feel anything but peace.

Shikantaza is not about always being "in the zone" or at peace. Shikantaza is a Zone (Big Z) that one can never be out of, whether one is in the zone (small z) or fallen right in the mud.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Rakurei]

When one feels tense, just feel tense. Don't be more tense about being tense, for that is just gasoline on a fire. When one is tense, it is the whole universe and all the Buddhas being tense.

This Way helps us be less tense, but don't expect or want to be always not tense all the time. Rather, be at Peace when feeling peace, and be at Peace (Big P) even with the fact that one is now feeling tense and not peaceful (small p), I am at Peace with the fact that sometimes life is chaos and I feel anything but peace.

Shikantaza is not about always being "in the zone" or at peace. Shikantaza is a Zone (Big Z) that one can never be out of, whether one is in the zone (small z) or fallen right in the mud.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Kyonin]

Hi Rakurei,

I see the point on the text, but I have to say that this practice has made me feel much more confortable with what happens in the world around me. If the time comes for me to remain silent and focus on work, I just do that. If an interruption comes and I need to focus on that, I just go and do that. But I also have to brush away distractions, I also do it.

To my unexperienced eyes, Sunyata is that point where we just contemplate life without even using words to judge or name names. Hard to do, but it all begins in the zafu

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[Hoko]

I second what Kyonin says above.
From a practical perspective Zen practice has made me more aware of my behavior and as a result I have noticed over time that when I am distracted by some other activity I am much more reactive than if I am not otherwise engaged.
For example I am much more likely to become annoyed at my kids if they interrupt me when I am really into a video game or deeply engaged in work related activity.
I still feel the flare of the anger completely but now my practice is to just acknowledge the reaction without engaging it.
It's just another dharma gateway!
Gassho,
Hoko
#SatToday
LAH

[Rakurei]

I found a cool translation of Master Ungo Doyo from Brad Warner's "It Came From Beyond Zen". He uses it for Inmo. Very well falls in line with our discussion of "even tension is Buddha":

: Look. You fall down and hit the ground. Ouch! But you also use the ground to get help yourself get back up. You can't get up any other way. The ground you fall on is "it". The ground you help youself up from is "it", too. Buddha's attainment of the truth is just like someone using the ground to get off the ground. That's the way it has always been for every Buddha there ever was. That's the way it is for us, too.

ST,

Rakurei

[Geika]

When this comes up from time to time, Jundo has programmed me to instantly think of Coke and sandwiches.

Gassho, sat today, lah

[Paul Nyima]

Perhaps if we refuse that cup of tea by saying "oh I am too busy, don't bother me" we are just being
selfish. Are we not to accept what is given us as the monk getting a piece of meat in his bowl
from the householder that he is not supposed to eat?

How can you be in the moment when you are not in the moment? How would you know?