To List or not to List, that is the battle.

[Rousei]

If you’re ever in Japan and happen to be on a local train, you might be lucky enough to see the driver perform a beautiful dance. I’ve often sat in the front carriage watching the drivers wave their hands about and point their fingers, and sometimes even talking to themselves out loud. There is a reason they do this, the point is to stop a repetitive action from becoming reactive and passive. By calling out each check it forces their minds to be active and present which makes them far less likely to make mistakes.

I point this out specifically because I see in myself so much of what I do is habit forming, and once something becomes a habit it becomes passive and unconscious. This is really useful for certain activities, like breathing, but not so good for other things like sitting. Maybe this is why beginners mind is so venerated, it is always fresh and open.

So, lists. I think lists are a great way to maintain looking at something with a beginners mind. We can make a list of things we do, when we do them, how often we do them, of our thoughts or ideas the list (joke) goes on! The mind can forget or blur our memories to make it feel like we eat very little (using myself as an example here) when in reality we snacked all day and didn’t really stop eating. However, if we start to make lists, and be truthful to ourselves and honestly make a list as true as it can be, the hard data can be illuminating.

Lists can help to illuminate the little things we forget which can then help us to return to the correct path, or act as a light during a dark time (our minds negative bias). I have recently noticed members use Insight Timer which has a wonderful mechanic of tracking sits, this is a form of list.

What lists do people make to help them with their practice, or wish they made?

(Sorry for running long, I'll try to be more skillful in the future)

Gassho
Mark
ST

[Jundo]

Hi Mark,

I think that young monks learning ceremonies in the monastery, and new Japanese train drivers learning their stations, do much the same. Here is a video of a train driver in Japan so that people can see ...



I often make lists of pros and cons before making a big decision, then sit Zazen, check the list again, sit some more, then burn the list, put my finger in the wind and leap!

I think lists and learning procedures like that are wonderful, so long as we don't become tied up in our lists and procedures, and let them flow freely through us too.

Here is a good Zen list!



Sorry to have run long.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Onrin]

I enjoy watching the train engineers too, and when I pointed it out, my kids found it pretty interesting.

An accountability method I use for some who want to lose weight is to track their food and drink for a few days, which is illuminating for many. But then not to dwell on the list, and stop doing it once they get a handle on what their dietary habits are and begin to make changes. The same goes for exercise - but don't get caught up in the numbers too much so as to miss out on enjoying moving. I suppose the same goes for zazen, though I haven't tracked my own time.
Gassho
Chris
Sat today