Yesterday,
80 residents and guests spent the day in the zendo, sitting quietly with
whatever arose inside and out.
These sittings help us loosen our grip on what we believe to be true,
on what we guard as “I” and “mine,” on all the ways we’ve been wronged – in short,
on our suffering. As Ani Tenzin
Palmo says,
We are not bound to the wheel. It is we who grasp it tightly with both hands.
Surrender is
a hard choice, a gut-wrenching abandonment of story and control. Yet the payoff is huge … and
counterintuitive. We suddenly
discover that surrendering to the moment, letting go of fix and blame, results
in options. The acceptance of things as it is (to borrow a
Suzuki-roshi-ism) opens up a treasure store of possibilities.
Sirens
whined up and down the street yesterday on their way to and from unknown tragedies
and calamities. What option did we
have, other than to curse them for disturbing our quiet day? Well, how about just noticing the sound
and where it landed in our body and mind.
How about sending forth the fervent wish, “May they arrive in time.”
3 comments:
I don't recall whose line that is - Blanche? - but ever since I heard it, I never fail to think of it when I hear CC's ever-present sirens. I'll admit the blue jays are a little more pleasant, but that blessing on the sirens really changed things for me.
Thank you for this! What I got from it is that sitting helps us loosen our grip on our stories. And to notice our reactions to things, how these things land in our minds and bodies,and our interpretations around the event. It reminds me of a chapter called 'what meditation is' in the book 'Everyday Zen' by Charlotte Joko Beck.
Beautiful. Thank You.
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