everyday zazen

here i am again,thinking life into existence,being pulled this way and that by the senses. but if i just live the reality of life just as it is,relying on nothing in my mind,all is well.

today i will put a question to my master. but what do i need to ask? questions construct and disintegrate in my mind. but what  is the deeper question? be still and ask from the heart.

just ask.

i visited a dharma friend in prison. i last saw him five years ago. escorted by prison officers,he entered the visits room. we bowed deeply to each other.

buddha bows to buddha.

i lay down thought as a smokescreen,obscuring reality.

i sit upright and still,silently inviting the mists of the mind to clear.

it’s the second anniversary of this blog. i have written over six hundred posts which have been read by people all round the world. many readers also blog,so i have had the pleasure of reading and sharing their thoughts. will there be a third anniversary? who knows?

all that matters is that each morning i awake to an opportunity to live the life of buddha. today i have awakened and i will do my best to do just that.

homage to the buddha
homage to the dharma
homage to the sangha

i seek advice and guidance from trusted friends but only i can act. neither can they,or i,predict what the outcome of the actions will be.

but still and grounded,i can act from the heart/mind.

last night i went to see a tribute band,the jake and elwood blues brothers. wonderful! a night dancing in the aisles has left me tired and stiff. if i doubted the effect of passing of time on the body,i realise the truth of it now.

‘ this body is as transient as dew on the grass ‘ eihei dogen

i read the search phrases by which people access this blog. today one read,’why is zazen good?’. zazen is not good,or bad. it is simply the unmediated engagement with existence. it is life.

thoughts and feelings,left unchecked,play over and over again in the mind causing confusion. but a simple question,’do i believe all this. is this true?’,cuts through that confusion.

and i don’t need to add to the confusion by seeking an answer. to just question is enough.

life is change. external changes are clearly visible. internal change goes on unseen. but once recognised, previous positions become untenable.

our life is impermanence.