There is no need to avoid crossed swords

There is a wonderful story told by Rick Fields, one of the earliest Americans writing on Buddhism coming to the West. In the story he goes off to a beautiful setting in nature to spend the week in meditation. The weather is mild and the flora is vibrant as he locates the perfect spot to sit and meditate by a river. Settling down to practice in this idyllic setting he listens to the sound of the river as it gently moves over rocks on its way to the ocean. After some time he becomes aware that the sound of the river is forming a melody…over and over and over. Worst of all, the melody the river is playing is the star spangled banner, a song he particularly dislikes. His peaceful meditation is disrupted so he goes down to the river to move some rocks around in order to get the river to play a different song.

I’ve always loved this story. It’s funny because it’s true. Don’t we all try to change our surroundings in an attempt to create peace of mind rather than deal with the mind that is creating the discomfort? We can go to paradise but we bring our tormentor with us! I heard one person talk about this as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  It’s a thing in the West to expect spiritual practice to be, not only pleasant but, ideally, ecstatic. If it isn’t we think we’re doing something wrong. This perception of spiritual practice is more about our desire to avoid unpleasant sensations and amplify pleasant ones than it is about really waking up. In Buddhism we are advised to not chase pleasant feelings or avoid unpleasant feelings but to bear witness to whatever is in the moment. This is meditation, to be with whatever is present, which includes irritation, restlessness and discomfort. Paradoxically, this can lead to bliss.

As someone who has been meditating for over 50 years you might think I have it down. But I’ve never felt complacent in my practice. Struggles come and go. Now, as my emotions are at an all- time high in reaction to events in the world, when I most need them to be stable, meditation sometimes feels more like a wrestling match with a demon than a moment of bliss. When I sit down to meditate these days all sorts of uninvited guests commandeer my quiet. Yet after a meditation session, when I am able to watch the uncomfortable emotions come and go, things settle down. This new peace does not come from avoiding the demons but from sitting with them and allowing them to be part of my experience. They do not really exist so they dissolve.

In Tozen’s Five Ranks of Zen he writes, “There is no need to avoid crossed swords.”  Tozen’s instruction to not avoid crossed swords, to not avoid conflict and discord, is strangely comforting. In meditation there is no need to come to the cushion in a good mood. Uncomfortable, even painful, feelings become just one more meditation object, and sometimes the unpleasant is much more useful because it is harder to ignore or zone out during pain than during pleasure. This awareness strangely gives me heart to continue to engage in compassionate action during these hard times, to see these hard times as opportunities to hone my practice. And, if I am to be of any service I need to stay in the moment, regardless of what the moment contains, grounded and steady.

This is a time to come together as a community. We need one another’s support now more than ever. In that spirit, I am offering simple meditation instruction and a short sit on Monday mornings starting March 3 at 9 AM PST. We will sit for 20 minutes then, if you like, you can join us for a council session or you can go on with your day. Council is a Zen Peacemaker core practice. In Council we come together in a safe, confidential, and sacred space. We listen and speak from the heart, encountering and experiencing one another gently and with awareness. We are not solving problems or debating issues or making plans. We are creating a space for each of us to hear and be heard, see and be seen. That is all, and it is powerful.

Join us for one or both of these offerings. We are stronger in community!