I heard a song titled, 'Take all of me'. Some of you might know it; it has been sung and played by many musicians. Usually there is a negative connotation, a mournful connotation, almost complaining, saying since you took this or that, 'so why not take all of me'. Cast in another light, this phrase expresses practice, being as is this moment dependent arising; letting life take all of me, giving away all of self, giving self away, forgetting self.
Awareness sitting, being breathing, being bodily present, is giving our self away; over and over, inhabiting this body-mind-universe, being this bodily-sensory present. This moment is allowing the universe to take all of me.
Explaining, dependent arising essentially means that according to circumstances including so-called past, this moment arises. Because we are the whole universe, there is no need to seek for anything outside of this moment, this body, this functioning. There is nothing outside that you need. Unfortunately, we often add on or allow to sneak back in the self-centeredness sense of separation. The whole universe is what brings together this moment of your life as it is, and brings together the opportunity of being this moment of life as it is, dependent arising. Awareness is intimate. It is not extra, it is exactly as we are, this functioning. It is only missed when we are caught up and live in the chatter of body-mind habits, of self centered emotion thought.
Fundamentals are not just for beginners. Always this is giving our self away to this moment, allowing this moment to take all of me, because this moment is all of me. And according to circumstances, dependent upon arising, we get to be who we are. Or we get to see where and how we are caught up in separating self and other.
In sitting together in the zendo we are being supported by the practice of others, being supported by the form of the sesshin, being supported by sitting, by walking, being supported in being exactly who we are. We are making the effort in our sitting to support the sitting of the whole zendo, not because we are doing something special but because we are giving our self to this moment.
It is so in all activities, whether taking food or giving food, whether cooking food, walking, or cleaning. All of our activities are supporting the functioning of all of us together. Yet, though sesshin is together, each of us must make our individual effort to be this that is who we are. Because it is inter-dependent arising, because it is inter-being functioning, we are supporting each other by being exactly this breath-moment.
Dogen Zenji says 'You should know that basically we lack nothing of highest enlightenment..Practice is from the outset inseparable from realization'. Since fortunately we transmit in ourselves - exactly as we are - our own wondrous practice, our endeavor of the way as beginners - and we are all beginners right now - realizes our own inherent original nature.
By/ Elihu Genmyo Smith
Salam,
Cherine
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