Those who live in the desert should not judge too hastily those who live near the seashore. Those who live on the seashore should not be too quick to set their minds about people who live in the desert. Until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, you should not be too hasty to base opinions on them. Just like we find a teacher, we should refrain from exalting him or her too soon. Nor should we be quick to decide that they are not for us. A man who has no or little experience in carpentry should not criticize those constructing a temple or trying to show him how to build the temple. We often make decisions based on darkness. Until all things are out in the light, we must wait to decide. Some of the best teachers I have had, I did not like much at the beginning. They were demanding and difficult. Yet, through determination, I stayed with them and was rewarded immensely with their wisdom. Every teacher has their own style. You should adjust to them, not expect them to adjust to you. Be thankful that they are there to teach you what you need to know.
Today I want to talk about postures. When we sit we have to assume some sort of posture. Some teachers are very strict about how you should sit. Many encourage the full-lotus. The full-lotus is established as the premier sitting position. However, that does not mean it is right for you. Your premier position should be one that is stable and comfortable. When we meditate as a group, you see many positions. I am not strict about postures. If you practice formless meditation, then overly concerning yourself with the form of the body is contradiction. Sometimes people who can sit in a beautiful full-lotus take too much pride in being able to do so. Sometimes people who are content to sit in a chair should push themselves a little to try a different posture. In the end, you have to go and stop. See what you can do comfortably. That is the best way to sit. You try to go to a certain point and then if necessary, fall back to what works. Do not sell yourself short. We might think “Oh, I could never do that”, and we do not even try. That is not good practice. We try and adjust, try and adjust. That is the practice of a Buddha. I cannot sit full-lotus for very long anymore. Some people cannot ever get in that posture. That does not mean you are wasting your time. Know the difference between discomfort and pain. Discomfort tells you that with patience, you can do it. Pain is telling you to stop and you should stop. We have to listen to our bodies. When we sit, we have to sit in peace. Push yourself and then sit in peace.
If you have no territory, you do not need to defend it. If you have no possessions, you do not have to worry about losing them or having them stolen. If you have no attachments, your way is free and easy. When things change so easily, how can we hope to hang on to things? This very moment is already gone once you think about it. Acquiring is like a disease. We want more, more, more. More is usually not better despite what we are taught by our culture. More peace is good but if we get attached to wanting more peace, that is not good. Of course most of us have a house, and we have a car. It is not practical for all of us not to have any possessions. But it is practical that we cannot cling to them. We should try to take the view that our ‘treasures’ are gone already. That way, we can enjoy them now and when they are gone we are not faced with that feeling of longing. Treasures have a way of getting lost, broken, stolen, or otherwise vanishing. If we realize the futility of trying to hold on to them, we realize a great deal of wisdom.
I know some of you like to concentrate on your breathing when meditating. About three finger widths behind and below the navel (belly button) is a point that is called the Tan Tien. It is said to be the natural balancing point of your consciousness. That is where the saying “navel gazers” comes from. Some people are able to develop a powerful Chi center. This is the most important method to meditation and mindfulness. It is said that when your consciousness is centered on the Tan Tien instead of the head, your thinking process slows down and you can relax and fall into oneness with your surroundings. Trying to stop distracting thoughts through will power alone leads to more thoughts and a hopeless inner struggle. By transferring concentration and awareness to the Tan Tien, thoughts gradually disappear on their own without inner conflict. It is said in Chinese alchemy, that there are three tan tiens in the body. The first one is in the brain right between the eyes and corresponds to what is mystically called the Third eye. In The middle tan tien is in the heart and The lower tan tien is located three inches below the navel. That is one you would concentrate on during meditation. Sit quietly and focus on the lower tan tien as it moves in and out as you breathe. Over time, you will feel the power and it will become more noticeable as your meditation grows stronger. Sudden emergencies, such as near collisions on the highway, tend to activate the its energies. Sometimes we will get what some call a “gut reaction” from something. You can nourish the feeling of the tan tien by simply paying passive attention to it. This relaxed concentration is very close to doing nothing, yet it is still a subtle effort. It helps us to remain mindful throughout the day.
Some of the best trips I have ever taken included places I had no intention of going to. Once when I began teaching I was living in Chicago and I was invited to speak in Toronto and then later Montreal. I had to drive through Detroit, Michigan to get to Toronto. While driving through what they call the motor city, I noticed there was a ballgame going to take place at the historic Tiger Stadium. Being a big baseball fan when I was young, I decided to be impulsive and stop and see the game. I do not remember much about the game, but I do recall the joy of sitting in this grand old stadium and just experiencing a oneness with it. After the game, I resumed my drive to Toronto. I had no previous intention of seeing a baseball game in Detroit, but it was one many great highlights of the trip. Sadly, most of Tiger Stadium is now torn down, a lesson in impermanence. The Detroit Tigers play baseball at a different place now. The point is though, we spend so much time planning for everything. Some things we need to plan for, but we do not need to try to plan everything. We cannot control everything. That is the way of the Tao. It is nice to leave some room for improvisation and adjustment. That is where we can discover some spontaneous treasures of our practice.
During the recent heavy rains we have had here, it was necessary for me to go up on the roof and unclog the gutters. They get filled with leaves, twigs, and mud and they block the runoff from the roof from draining properly and the water flowing the way it should. I was thinking the same thing happens with our practice. It gets blocked with debris and things do not flow naturally. Instead of leaves, twigs, and mud, we might get blocked with perceptions, thoughts, opinions and alike. These things may block our mind from being clear and practicing correctly. Meditation helps us to clear out the debris and right practice keeps our gutters clean and unobstructed. Some people do not like having to get up and clear the gutters. They find it messy and dangerous, but I do not believe that. It is a nice feeling to get the gunk out of the gutter and see the water flowing as it should. Sometimes our practice and meditation is messy, but it is necessary to clean out the debris and get things flowing properly.
It is important that once we begin our practice, that we see it all the way to the end and not give up on it. Even when we think we are hopelessly floundering, we must keep at it. When we think we have reached enlightenment, we need to practice better because we are not close to it. There may be times when we honestly see that we have made progress, but that is no time to rest or stop. If you are taking medicine for a chronic condition that helps you, you should not stop taking it because you feel better. You have to keep taking it. The path is a long endless one. It is not a four year degree where you put in your time and then you are done. The best students keep right on learning long after they have graduated. Day after day, year after year, there is something to be learned, something to be gained. Even if you have practiced for a very long time and then you stop, you will start having problems. A mountain climber friend once told me that he focused on the next ledge or whatever spot just in front of him. He did not worry about getting to the peak or keep thinking about it. Eventually, he would get there. Staying consistent is necessary to keep the journey moving along. Do not focus on the peak, focus on the moment in front of you now.
When you start a Zen or Tao practice, your goal is to realize some kind of wisdom. Some people try to rid themselves of desire, but the desire to practice in itself is good. However, when you start meditation, n you should not have any desire to produce anything. You have to bring some desire to keep practicing but stay away from entangling yourself in your desire. Desire can be like a kind of nervous dog that is cute and fun to pet, but if you let go of it, it begins to run wild. Once that happens, it is hard to track it down again and get a hold of it. So you see you have to have desire but at the same time not have any. You just have enough to push you to the edge of the cliff, but not enough to send you flying off into the ravine below. We can use the teachings as a type of guardrail. They teach us balance and that we must act according to our nature, and not to an extreme. Having no desire would lead us nowhere, having too much gets us tangled up in a web of attachments. Having the right amount leads us down the road of wisdom.
The moment something happens is bang, bang and there is the truth. Anything after that is only an image, thought, or wording of the perceived truth. This truth may or may not be true. Sometimes there are many versions of the same truth! There are absolute truths like needing water and air to live. There are some relative truths that may or may not be true. There are some truths that have no truth. Sometimes students will say they are seeking the truth, but such truth cannot be found. It is only an idea of the truth, a fleeting vision. Such words as enlightenment, nirvana, and truth only get in the way of real understanding and practice. We get caught up in their illusions and promises. It is far better just to sit, watch the mind, and observe the body. That is where real learning takes place.
We talk a lot about not clinging to things. We practice non-attachment. Sometimes we do not think about clinging or being attached to our own practice. If we are doing that, it is not so good either. A stream trickles down a mountain naturally. No clinging, no attachment, no thought. It is pure natural. Our aim should be to have a natural practice. Sit and do without thought. Trying to analyze everything can lead to paralysis by analysis. If we are constantly thinking and debating the merits of our practice, this is not natural. There is no need to make problems where there are not any. Buddha said we have just the right amount of problems, not too few, not too many. We do not need to create artificial ones. Sometimes we make oceans out of rivers. Some create rivers that are not even there. Just sit and do. Do not think so much. Do not invent rivers or be deluded that the puddle in front of you is the Atlantic Ocean. Let things flow as naturally as possible. Stay free and unattached.
