Everyday Life is the Way

[@ladydy3492]

Thank you very much. your videos are always what I'm looking for. Often I don't realize how much these words are needed. I appreciate the thoughtfulness put into these posts.

[@EmptyGateZenCenterBerkeley]

+Ladydy You are welcome!!

[@jayblack1257]

Incredibly simple incredibly true. It’s a tblessing to have access to this. Thank you

[@EmptyGateZenCenterBerkeley]

You are welcome!!

[@TheNormallyOpen]

I know the 'too tight' extremely well, excellent talk very practical. Thank you

[@EmptyGateZenCenterBerkeley]

You're very welcome!

[@tmalonso]

The triggers for the traps of aversion and attachment are prolific yet well concealed Rather than praise or raze, give reality your acceptance and forgiveness, its doing the best it can :)

[@MB-nh3fj]

Theo M.

[@gypsy4932]

Thank you

[@EmptyGateZenCenterBerkeley]

You are welcome!

[@chadkline4268]

I'm not really a zen type, but I think it would be simpler and more straightforward to say 'remain in the observation of consciousness, not immersed in it'. There's a world of difference between 90% effectiveness and 100%.

[@onepathmypath2935]

Healing

[@AT-dx9pf]

i am by no means some great meditator but to me i always interpret this teaching as meaning dont try to hold onto a state of mind or thinking or grasp after them, or anything else in life. For instance...you can try so hard to thought catch, as i call it, that it is very ridgid and unnatural and usually few thoughts even come up that way but if you allow the thoughts to come and just be aware of thinking, and really the present moment in general, it subsides by itself. You can move towards thinking or away from it or just be. Moving towards thoughts could lead one to get carried away by them but moving away from them by effort seems to artificially sort of put a lid on thinking but underneath it is like a bubble getting bigger and bigger of suppressed thinking that just bursts through at some point, maybe after meditating, and its unnatural;not what is. its like your trying so hard to stop thinking that you arent meditating you are just ridgidly trying to not have thoughts. I often have the problem of trying to grasp things during meditation. i try to be aware of thoughts too hard or i try to focus on whatever it is very intently but it feels artificially forced.i just always thought this meant to allow the mind to be as it is and not try to manipulate it or you arent really meditating on what is. I think it is to just be aware of what is right now but to not take some ridgid approach where right now during meditation my mind is supposed to be anything other than what it is at another time. I feel sometimes like meditation is supposed to be different so when i start meditating i may force it to silence or if i catch that im doing that i may try to allow it to be bit then i may get swept up in it and think think think.To me the hardest thing is to try to be as i am but to be more aware of it than usual but when you try to do that with much effort you force everything. its like when i try to hit a baseball really hard i tense up and nothing good happens or i become so self conscious that i make a mistake but if i am in a different state where i am out of my own way i do great. its hard to get to that satori state where you are allowing and aware. bit im not saying anything new here obviously. not to go on but i am very into story telling and there is a movie called the secret life of walter mitty with ben stiller that makes me think of this saying.a photographer is in the himilayas trying to get a picture of a mountain lion and he finally sees one and walter asks well arent you going to take the picture and he says the camera can get in the way. when hes in a certain moment he just wants to stay in it and be present. it just makes me think of not trying to grasp at life which is what i was saying is a part of this teaching tale, in my opinion, that didnt seem mentioned in this video. to just have that unforced awareness of the moment without grabbing at it makes me think of the story where he says if you try to move towards it you go against it. its like when you catch yourself thinking...i sure feel happy...but then you try to grasp it and hold into it and it goes away and you may even get sad. but i may be wrong, I meditatated for a long time but stopped and have just started back up so maybe i am not as aware of how it all works as i used to be but it makes sense to my consciousness right now, what i am saying.sorry for the length, im having trouble conceptualizing so im walking circles around the topic

[@hazmatac]

What book is that?

[@EmptyGateZenCenterBerkeley]

The book is the Whole World Is A Single Flower by Zen Master Seung Sahn. 365 kong-ans for everyday life.

[@hazmatac]

Thanks EGZC