Simple
Elihu Genmyo Smith
We are simple.
Even when life seems complex and entangled, it is a simple moment; simple
moments together into a complexity that may seem difficult to embrace. When we
are not open to this put-together story it seems, and therefore is, unsatisfying
and even a source of suffering. It is only the unwillingness to embrace this
simple moment that makes for unsatisfactory, suffering.
Right now this universe is our opportunity. This, here, is where responding is
our opportunity of joy and satisfaction; even this that is hard to let in. We
can knock on closed mindness, be open mindedly closed minded, be open heartedly
closed hearted. This experiencing, this life, is ours to allow to flow through
us, to seemingly flow through, in each simple moment facet. This is zazening.
Do conditions of the world feel like a threat – maybe as a result of being bound
up in thoughts, judgments, beliefs or emotions? What hinders (for us) this
moment open heartedness, this seeing what is and responding?
Sometimes, changing conditions feel like a personal attack. Does body, mind,
words of others or circumstances of this universe feel like a personal attack?
Please notice if and when this seems so. It is a good reminder, a good practice
support if we attend to this. How is it to embrace bodily, experientially,
“personal attacks”? When this arises, can you notice this? What are appropriate
efforts when changes manifests in these “disagreeable” ways? What is skillful
responding? We live in a time of connections in many forms. These myriad
connections, including virtual connections, seem to result in limited tolerance
of differences, with potentially divisive relating. What is our practice?
Holding onto thoughts, believing thoughts, about how others should be or should
not be, makes this undefileable life seem to us to be defiled.
This is so whether the “others” are those we live with, the weather outside, the
buildings, the drivers on the road, those in the distant media or the rest of
the world. All are this moment universe of our zazen, our zazening - this
nothing special, not-two. When we can not, will not, be present as this moment,
are not at peace as this moment, even including the thoughts of should be,
should not be, we miss this unmissable we are, we deny this joyousness, this
life.
If you believe your story about another, your labels and judgments of them, you
miss the Buddhas all around you. You do not allow them as they are, and
believing judgment, you close your heart, close your mind. This is the poison of
hatred and greed that nurtures ignorance delusions and makes suffering and
harming flower throughout the universe. Please do not indulge in this, please be
skillful practice when this arises.
Being joyous zazen does not require anything extra or special other than being
as you are, experiencing right now; does not require “our” body-mind nor the
body-mind of others to be a particular way. This does not hinder you from taking
care of this moment as skillfully appropriate, including experiencing and
serving the circumstances that “should be”, the circumstances that “should not
be.” This is zazening, being at peace as this universal moment, even being at
peace with not being peaceful, with others not being peaceful as we believe they
“need to” be – your moment to live this universe.
Body zazening, mind zazening, universe zazening - with nothing to fix, with no
need to go looking for fixing, no need to go looking for not-Ok, not holding to
beliefs of how should or should not - then as this undefilable moment you can
appropriately - fix body, fix mind, fix universe with no-fixing, improve what is
perfect as is. You can fix “should be”, “should not be”, in the myriad forms
this clinging arises, this suffering hinders and blinds.
We seem to want to make “special truths” and rules; to hold onto all sorts of
thoughts, beliefs, even self-images, about how life should be, or should not be,
for me or for others. Do we notice this happening in daily life? Do we notice
physical, emotional and mental holding – and the consequences of this?
When we are present, experiencing, we can sense holding when this arises, when
habitual reactions to circumstances arise. An example is reactions, thoughts,
beliefs, to things that others say, things we feel that they should or should
not say. Please notice what you believe, feel, as result? What are the actions
we take as a result? Do we suffer as a result?
When we believe that the world of others is not in accord with our truth, what
occurs? What is our practice effort? When things occur, or I believe are
occurring, despite my thoughts, what happens when I react to that? How do I
practice in the midst of this so that it nurtures this life universe, nurtures
compassionate responding?
Sometimes, maybe for things to be OK and safe, I make this or that belief,
emotion, thought, into the truth. We may do this because we hold to a hope that
these likes, dislikes, this specialness, will make my life, and maybe the life
of others (or at least so I tell myself), as I want it to be. Unfortunately what
experience shows, and what the Buddha and Ancestors teach, is that holding onto
life being “a certain way” insures suffering for me and others in the midst of
this ongoing changing that is our life.
Can life be other than this ongoing flowing, ongoing changing?
When we make life experiencing into mine or not mine – it is therefore a basis
for upsets, anger, greed - a basis of what must be in order for happiness, joy,
satisfactoriness, for simply being at peace. Instead of peace, satisfaction and
joy – circumstances may become a reason to not be at peace but rather are a
basis to be agitated, a reason not to be joyous, but rather a reason to suffer,
to act angrily.
If you cling to judgments, then any name you call, even Buddha, is false. If you
do not cling to judgments, then all names are true names.
So please be this zazening, this peace experiencing, this joyousness intimacy.
This is your open heart, your open mind.
© 2018 Elihu Genmyo Smith