Currently Reading:
A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy
by John M. Koller, and Patricia Koller



Caught the Thought:
After a few days of being as mindful as possible about my reactions to others, I caught the thought! Even though it was fast, it was in front of me all along. It was always there. I knew it was there, but I guess I never paid much attention to it, so it was practically invisible.

Sometimes you just can't see the forest for all of the trees.


Now What?:
Now that I've got the thought, what do I do with it? Nothing and everything. Isn't that a typical Zen answer? ;-)

Trying to stop the thought just makes it stronger. Accepting the thought also just makes it stronger. So what to do? Just see it, and that's all. When Mara has been seen, he retreats because "the jig is up". Fighting him will only embolden him, and accepting him will give him validation. Either gives him energy to grow. However, seeing him and recognizing him is enough. It gives him nothing to work with. There's no energy, and he is standing there exposed. All he can do is retreat.

This "first thought" has kept me from really connecting with people for a long time. I can go into the ways, but that's not important. What is important is that it's been located and exposed. Now when it comes up, I'll see it, and it doesn't have to have any power.


Connecting on THEIR Level:
One way to actively connect is to connect on THEIR level, not yours.

Suzuki Roshi was a small Japanese man who ran the San Francisco Zen Center in the 60's when Zen was first introduced to America. He was less than 5 feet tall, completely bald, and wore black Zen priest's robes wherever he went. Yet, because he could connect with people on their level, he was universally accepted wherever he went. There are many stories of him walking right up to and engaging groups of construction workers talking about last night's game, and them not even noticing at first that Suzuki Roshi was such a strange looking person. It was usually after several minutes that someone would notice the unusualness of the man's appearance that someone would pause and ask about him. Suzuki Roshi was infamous for just walking up to and engaging groups of people of all walks of life. He would talk to anyone, any where, at any time. He never walked into a group and just started spouting off about Zen and the benefits of meditation. He always engaged them on THEIR level.


Namaste,
CET

"Much of the suffering in the world comes from the illusion that we are separate from one another." - Gautama Buddha