I often say, be who you are. Practice is being who you are. Unfortunately, often who we think we are, who we act as if we are, what we believe this is, is made up of ideas, beliefs and habits-some are so-called our own, some from so-called others, some from so-called past. These seem 'natural', we believe and feel this is natural. If we hold onto them, react from them and to them, we get into all sorts of trouble. We miss who we truly are. This is never anywhere else, never anything special or extra. So, this is always being who you are-in the midst of these circumstances and conditions, responding to circumstances and conditions.
Last week I visited Joko for a few days. She is 92-and is recovering from some medical difficulties so she is weak and in some ways physically frail/limited. At the same time, she is present, teaching, working with people within the conditions of body-mind-world that we find ourselves in our practice-our practice opportunity. Joko is teaching at 92; another Zen teacher, Joshu Sasaki Roshi, is 102. He is wheeled into the Zendo in a wheelchair and helped up to his platform seat for talks. Being conditions includes states of mental functioning-forgetting things, with limited abilities; limited in the sense compared to some ideal or 'previous' state. An ideal is what we make up; practice is being in the midst of conditions as is, manifesting who and what we are.
Our practice is being this condition we are-so I brought up Joko and Sasaki Roshi. Our practice is not dependent upon the condition of body-mind-universe. Conditions are always changing; we are all in the midst of changing conditions. If we don't see that, we are going to be in trouble because we may think that our practice is going to make us better; we may even believe that there is something wrong with the way we are, the way things are. Yes, conditions change-and effort and intention create change. Our practice effort, presence, concentration, samadhi, create changes in body-mind functioning, in this universe. No doubt about it. But if our practice is in order to change conditions, rather than a change of conditions being a by-product of practice, of responding, then even as we are 'improving' conditions we are trapping our self-because we are reinforcing a belief that conditions determine who and how we are. We react to conditions, attaching to or rejecting them, rather than responding to them as this practice opportunity to manifest, to be the wisdom and compassion we are.
Our practice life is not to create some place where we avoid problems. Your life is this intimacy opportunity to manifest who you are-in the midst of the conditions arising, passing.
By/Elihu Genmyo Smith
Salam,
Cherine
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