Practicing meditation.

This weeks’ topic for reflection is the sixth of Dogen’s Eight Awakenings of Great Beings, practicing meditation or samadhi.

I look at meditation as returning to or practicing sanity. Our busy troubled lives can easily make us unsettled or even a bit crazy. It’s so important to have a way to pause, return to the present moment and breathe quietly. Even just one conscious inhalation and exhalation can help. A thirty minute daily meditation practice can be life changing.

There are many ways to meditate. Mindfulness is one way to meditate. Counting the breath or following the breath is another. Meditating on a Zen Koan is another way. You might just sit still, present, open and transparent which is called Shikantaza. However you meditate it is important to be kind to yourself.

Shakyamuni Buddhas sat under the Bodhi Tree wholeheartedly meditating and had his great awakening or enlightenment. Meditation is no small thing. Zazen meditation is the core or Zen.

Please make a point of meditating this week and come share with us your experience on Sunday morning.

Please join us for morning Zoom zazen from 7:00 to 7:30 Tuesday and Thursday, in person Zen meditation in Eugene Saturday morning at the McNail-Riley house from 9:00 to 11:00 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:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81161003357?pwd=M0gwRjBENHZDbndUcFRrK004NlQ5Zz09

Meeting ID: 811 6100 3357

Passcode: 278259

Gassho,

Futai