Water Sucking Practice

At six this morning, an alarm went off in our house. I've heard the burglar alarm--there was the time I came home in the dark and couldn't find my glasses to disarm the system. I heard the smoke alarm last time I made homemade pizza. But I had never heard this particular sound before. I consulted the LED panel: "Water Alert."

Wha?

We've had quite a lot of snow and rain recently. More than I realized, in fact. The water table is unusually high, and this morning my nice less-than-five-years-old basement was wet, Really wet.

So I got out the wet/dry vacuum and used it wet--possibly for the very first time. I can't remember ever doing it before. I filled it up pretty fast, and that's when I remembered that a gallon of water weighs eight pounds. So that means a 20 gallon shop vac full of rain water weighs--what? 160 lbs., that's what.

What fun.

I've been working with Lojong slogans the last few weeks, thanks to Norman Fischer's terrific new book, Training In Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong. I don't intend this to be a discussion of Zen adaptation and adoption of this Tibetan teaching, interesting as that might be. Rather, I want to talk about a couple of those slogans from the standpoint of one who has been sucking up water for the last ten hours.

Slogans 11 and 12 are: Turn all mishaps into the path, and Drive all blames into one. (I see #12 as just a variant or refinement of #11.)

A Zen way of saying Turn all mishaps into the path might be "Your best teacher is always in front of you." So how should I vacuum up a cellar full of water with this attitude in mind? Put down opinions, for one thing. Don't bother about what is "good" or "bad." Just work. Just do what's in front of you without any idea of gaining something. That was actually easier than it sounds, once I realized that in fact there was no "gaining." As soon as I vacuumed up water, it came right back again. I haven't gained anything that I can see.

Drive all blames into one. Why did we build this house with a basement? I didn't exactly oppose the idea, but I did question it. We live next to the ocean. How would we ever keep the place dry? Oh, it's going to be totally waterproof, I was told. No problem. Technology is wonderful You'll see!

I also wanted gutters on this house, but was told they were aesthetically undesirable. They were simply too ugly for the style of house, and besides they were unnecessary, as I had already been told.

None of the people who told me these things five years ago was available this morning to help vacuum up the water, of course. I'm sure they're busy all afternoon as well. So I have plenty of opportunity for blame. But the slogan tells me that the real blame (if there can be such a thing) rests with my opinions and preferences and my inability to find some good in this situation.

Some good? What good can possibly come from this? What is there to be learned from using my whole Saturday sucking up water?

The answer is Patience. Norman Fischer calls patience "my all-time favorite spiritual quality." We might imagine there has to be some easier way to learn patience, but there really isn't. The only way to increase patience is to run right up to the edge of our limits and take one step over that line for a while.

Mission accomplished.

Actually, it's continuing.

Jianzhi Sengcan, Third Zen Patriarch (Part 3)

"To deny the reality of things is to miss their reality; to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality. The more you talk and think about it, the further astray you wander from the truth. Stop talking and thinking and there is nothing you will not be able to know."

From Hsin Hsin Ming - verses on the faith mind of Sengstan (Sosan) 3rd Zen Patriarch, translated from the original Chinese by Richard B. Clarke, Zen teacher at the Living Dharma Centers, Amherst, Massachussets and Coventry, Connecticut. (Source: Deeshan.com, tip o' the hat to David Lawrence.)

Jianzhi Sengcan, Third Zen Patriarch (Part 2)

"When the deep meaning of things is not understood the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail. The way is perfect like vast space where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess. Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject that we do not see the true nature of things. Live neither in the entanglements of outer things, nor in inner feelings of emptiness. Be serene without striving activity in the oneness of things and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves. When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity your very effort fills you with activity. As long as you remain in one extreme or the other you will never know Oneness. Those who do not live in the single Way fail in both activity and passivity, assertion and denial."

From Hsin Hsin Ming - verses on the faith mind of Sengstan (Sosan) 3rd Zen Patriarch, translated from the original Chinese by Richard B. Clarke, Zen teacher at the Living Dharma Centers, Amherst, Massachussets and Coventry, Connecticut. (Source: Deeshan.com, tip o' the hat to David Lawrence.)

How To Meditate, Part I: Easier Than You Think

Recently, I have found myself giving basic sitting meditation instruction to small groups of people on several occasions.  Although I am not any kind of "official" Dharma teacher, as a practitioner I am sometimes asked to explain to people just what it is we do when we're on that cushion. I thought I would jot it all down here in case someone might find it useful. 


First, find a comfortable sitting position. Traditionally, we sit on the floor using a cushion and a mat. If you have these items, great! If not, don't be discouraged. Folded blankets or towels and firm pillows are perfectly fine if you have them. And if you don't have them, or if you can't sit on the floor because of injury, illness, joint pain or just plain age, no worries! Sitting in a chair is also perfectly fine.


The main thing is to sit so that you can remain comfortable with your back straight and vertical. If sitting on the floor/cushion, aim to keep your knees lower than your hips, either kneeling or in one of the variations of the lotus or crossed-legs positions. This tilts the hips forward slightly, allowing the back to line up naturally in the correct position.  (These positions can be challenging to many westerners, so don't be discouraged if you find it difficult at first. Just be patient and gentle with yourself. You'll get it.)


If you sit in a chair, the knees-below-the-hips thing still applies. You might find it helpful to use a thin pillow to raise you up an inch or two. But the most important thing is don't lean back in the chair! This leads to sleepiness (not to mention a stiff back). Whichever way you sit, keep your back straight up and down. Imagine the vertebrae are like a stack of quarters.


There. That's the hard part. It's all downhill from here, kids!


Hands: there are lots of things to do with the hands. In Zen, we use the "Cosmic Mudra," right palm facing up in the lap, left hand facing up on top of it, thumbs touching lightly to form a soft oval. 


This is a traditional hand position, but there's nothing magic about it. Try it. If it works for you, great. If not, try another way. You can rest your hands facing upwards on your thighs, thumb and index finger touching lightly. Or you can simply rest your palms downward on your knees. Just pick one way and stick with it.


Eyes: open or closed? I have tried it both ways. When mine are closed, I tend to fall asleep, and since I'm pretty good at falling asleep anyway, I find eyes open works better for me. Again, the Zen way is to let your eyes droop to half-mast, and let your gaze rest on a spot on the floor a couple feet away from you. Do what makes sense for you.


If you've gotten this far, congratulations! You're meditating!


But what to do with the mind? That's a subject for next time. Hit me with any questions or comments you may have. Remember, I'm not an infallible authority, so don't take anything on my say-so.


Hapchang,




Mark