Anchors.
This week’s topic for reflection is anchors. Where do you put down your anchor? I was recently told that large ships entering the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean pause there and put down one anchor off their bow. When the tide comes in the ships swing around and face the ocean. When the tide returns out to sea they swing around to face inland. Anchored yet free to flow with the changing tide. As things keep changing, where is your anchor? What do you use as an anchor and what do you fasten it to?
There is a Zen koan, “Go straight down the winding road.” The winding road refers to life’s ups and downs, twists and turns, getting turned inside out. Going straight refers to your anchor. At each moment you are moving forward, not standing still. Moving forward, not against the road but on this changing winding road. We need to adjust to the changing road. The bottom of the Columbia river is made of rocks, sand and silt brought down from the mountains of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. It too is slowly flowing out to sea but is stable and deep enough for the big ships to anchor to. You don’t need something rigid to anchor to. Large ships can tie themselves to the dock but when huge storms approach they leave the safety of the harbor and retreat to the deep, open ocean to ride out the storm. Having an inflexible anchor or dock to fasten to can be risky when life is most challenging.
If we don’t have an anchor or don’t use our anchor, our life can become chaotic or unhinged. Life can toss us around and we won’t know where we are or which way to go. When I feel unhinged and begin digging myself into a rut I can pause and return to zazen. This simple method of consciously exhaling and relaxing into the breath centers me and releases the tightness and confusion. This pausing to breathe in and out returns me to the functioning of the changing tide of life. It’s okay. This is okay. I’m okay as the breath goes in and out. I return to the anchor of zazen frequently.
It seems an anchor needs to be bigger than we are. Something that can help us get out of the way of ourselves. Perhaps it's being together helping others and receiving help, a relationship, community, or possibly a religion. Living into the truth that we are not alone can be very helpful. We can cultivate this anchor that helps us flow with the changing tide, facing forward.
Please join us for morning Zoom zazen from 7:00 to 7:30 Tuesday and Thursday, and Sunday morning Zoom zazen and discussion of the topic for reflection blog from 8:00 to 9:00 Pacific Time. Here’s the Zoom link:
Meeting ID: 811 6100 3357
Passcode: 278259
Gassho,
Futai
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