Zazen experiences

[JohnS]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

[bayamo]

Life has its ups and downs, goes upside down, rights itself, and just like the roller coaster, it stops back right back where you started, you get off, gather your bearings, and get back on for some more
#sattoday

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[Risho]

I’ll tell you what it says on my rakusu: “Just Sit!” I am very grateful for this sangha; never alone; we share our ups and downs together

gassho

risho
-stlah

[Bion]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

I’d not give it too much thought, regardless of how amazing or frustrating it might be. We are so determined most of the time that meaning needs to be assigned to everything and really, there is nothing, on the cushion or off the cushion that we can “process mentally” as an experience that’s not just a fantasy, a reflection in the water, a mirage, a product of conditions. Personally, I just go back to cushion daily with no added expectation and get off it with no need to find meaning in just sitting.

Sat Today

[Dogukan]

Same situation here!

Well, probably it means that both our serenity, "here-and-now"ness and overwhelming agitations are subject to change. Nothing lasts. So, we should be grateful for that roller coaster as it proves us this basic truth. Zazen is always the same zazen. On the other hand, how we feel about it is always changing. Neither the flag nor the wind moves, it's our minds that move. We are investigating that mind by sitting. It's a bit unpleasant to see how monkey-like that mind is, yet without sitting, we would never truly know that aspect of our minds. Good practices!

Gassho, Doğukan.
Sat & LaH.

[Shokai]

There is no good zazen or bad zazen; just your zazen.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Jundo]

Same situation here!

Well, probably it means that both our serenity, "here-and-now"ness and overwhelming agitations are subject to change. Nothing lasts. So, we should be grateful for that roller coaster as it proves us this basic truth. Zazen is always the same zazen. On the other hand, how we feel about it is always changing. Neither the flag nor the wind moves, it's our minds that move. We are investigating that mind by sitting. It's a bit unpleasant to see how monkey-like that mind is, yet without sitting, we would never truly know that aspect of our minds. Good practices!

Gassho, Doğukan.
Sat & LaH.

All the advice from the several folks above is so good!

Weather changes, baseball (cricket?) pitchers throw a strike then a miss, mountains and valleys roll up and down.

Zazen is sat at the still center of all such.

[Jundo]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. ...

All the world is a roller coaster! Cycles upon cycles!

Even the still still place has its ups and downs, comes and goes. Sometimes the moon is hidden by clouds or rain. At such times, we just still have faith that the moon and boundless open sky are still there, seen or unseen. In fact, the clouds and rain are just the moon and sky in other guise, and each raindrop embodies the whole sky and moon.

roller_coaster.jpg

[Rich]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

There’s a tension, a dis-ease because man divides himself but wants to be wholeness. Through just sitting meditation the separation is illuminated

Sat/lah


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[bayamo]

There is no good zazen or bad zazen; just your zazen.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

This!! Took me a while to accept it, but when I did it was amazeballz...
#sattoday

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[Jundo]

I replaced the video above with something more relevant.

Truly, the world, the universe, our bodies, our lives ... move in cycles. Zazen too.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jishin]

I’ll tell you what it says on my rakusu: “Just Sit!” I am very grateful for this sangha; never alone; we share our ups and downs together

gassho

risho
-stlah

Yours too?

[Risho]

Yours too?

Well this is odd - I have this shirt that says "Just do it!". I thought I was the only one - turns out they are mass produced.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

[Jundo]

Well this is odd - I have this shirt that says "Just do it!". I thought I was the only one - turns out they are mass produced.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

Yes, I buy the "Just Sit" cheap from a factory in Shanghai.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jishin]

[Neika]

My first “Zen” teacher was obsessed with experiences. Always asking if anyone had anything to share from the previous week sitting at home. Always asking if anyone thought they’d had an ‘enlightenment’ experience. Of course, this same person also used to tell us that we needed to control our emotions, that zen was all about emotional discipline and never getting upset with anything.

Gassho
Neika

-st


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[Jundo]

My first “Zen” teacher was obsessed with experiences. Always asking if anyone had anything to share from the previous week sitting at home. Always asking if anyone thought they’d had an ‘enlightenment’ experience. Of course, this same person also used to tell us that we needed to control our emotions, that zen was all about emotional discipline and never getting upset with anything.

Gassho
Neika

-st

Neika, was that in a mixed Soto-Rinzai lineage? I recall that you used to sit with the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Even so, I would not expect anyone there to advise "never getting upset about anything."

Gassho, Jundo

[Neika]

Neika, was that in a mixed Soto-Rinzai lineage? I recall that you used to sit with the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Even so, I would not expect anyone there to advise "never getting upset about anything."

Gassho, Jundo

No, this was actually at a Unitarian church in my hometown while I was still in high school, I'm thinking mid or late 80's. I don't recall if he was a Unitarian minister or not, or what his credentials actually were, but I do recall it was billed as a Zen class. My mother got me in since I was pretty obsessed with my martial arts and Japanese philosophy at the time. Fortunately, I later was able to sit at ZCLA and train with their staff which was, needless to say, a completely different experience.

Gassho,
Neika

[Shoki]

My first “Zen” teacher was obsessed with experiences. Always asking if anyone had anything to share from the previous week sitting at home. Always asking if anyone thought they’d had an ‘enlightenment’ experience. Of course, this same person also used to tell us that we needed to control our emotions, that zen was all about emotional discipline and never getting upset with anything.

Gassho
Neika

-st


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Neika,
From (more that one) personal experience, I will just say that just because someone or something identifies itself as a zen teacher or zen class, does not necessarily mean that's what it is.

Gassho
ST/lah
Shoki

[Neika]

Neika,
From (more that one) personal experience, I will just say that just because someone or something identifies itself as a zen teacher or zen class, does not necessarily mean that's what it is.

Gassho
ST/lah
Shoki

This is very true. Though in thinking about this some more last night, I am left wondering how much of that was simply the fact that I was a teenager and perhaps not understanding. Without remembering who that teacher was... it is very possible that the student was at fault.

Gassho, Neika
--st

[Seiko]

I have been having a roller coaster of experiences of late. At times, there is crystal clear "now", nothing to achieve, truly just sitting, other times overwhelming agitation. What could this mean?

Gassho

John

SatToday

Hi John,
An experience that I had many years ago worried me a lot. The monks where I was at the time didn't offer much advice. And I left. If you can, please understand from my mistake - zazen can be all kinds of things, the best advice is to set these experiences aside and continue to sit. Don't run away like I did.

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[Chikyou]

I have only been sitting Zazen for a relatively short amount of time, but already I'm seeing changes in my practice.

Today I noticed that, instead of TRYING to focus on the breath with effort (when my brain wouldn't shut up) I was simply EXPERIENCING my breath, with wonder and curiosity.

Gassho,
SatLah
Kelly

[Choboku]

In the wise words of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, "Strikes and gutters." There are many ups and downs in life, and the only way that I've found to get through it is to let things be as they are and adapt. You just take the weirdness and work with it.

Gassho
Sat today/LaH,
Choboku

[bayamo]

In the wise words of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, "Strikes and gutters." There are many ups and downs in life, and the only way that I've found to get through it is to let things be as they are and adapt. You just take the weirdness and work with it.

Gassho
Sat today/LaH,
Choboku

The Dude abides
#sattoday

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[Tai Shi]

For some of us, chemistry of the brain, delicate bodies, call for different forms of serenity and the serenity comes and goes. When I feel calm and normal, pain is manageable with chemotherapy, mind feels better with with advanced medication and then comes sitting meditation. Therapies are helpful and good for full understanding.
Gassho
sat/ lah