Heads up for anyone who wishes to sit Zazen.

IT IS HARD!

It is kinda like flossing, your dentist keeps telling you to do it but you end up with cut gums and nothing but more of you dentist going "You need to floss more!"

That is Zazen. It is hard... but you must keep going. 

Just thought I would give a proper warning for anyone who is willing to sit.

I have to floss now.

Night.

Even Zen teachers are human.

No joke.

I know it seems that somebody who devoted their lives to the Dharma should be a decent human being in the aspect of not starting/fueling petty arguments. But sadly this is not true. 

This just proves that even though Buddhism is a pretty benevolent religion it does not mean that it cannot be corrupt. Do a simple google search for E-Sangha and you will have enough to read about other Buddhists biting at other Buddhist's throats. It is scary. But this is life I guess. Oh well the only remedy that I can think of is just keep living and sitting so that is what I am going to do.

Night.

Stop reading this and go watch a sunset.

Night.

I want. I need. I must. I crave.

I hear statements like this everywhere I go. We are all guilty of this drive to have. The beauty in sitting Zazen and trying to practice Zen Buddhism is that one becomes aware of this constant wanting and sees how foolish it truly can be. No this is not to say that even the greatest of great masters do not want. It is just how they interpret that feeling. In Zen one tries not to cling to anything. Say I was sitting Zazen. A thought comes to mind like this; "Oh I really want that Klondike Bar in the freezer... yeah I deserve that ice cream, I had a long day." Most people would keep that train of thought until it drove them to get up and satisfy that desperate need for ice cream.

Someone who practices Zen will still crave but the situation would be slightly different. "Oh I want that Klondike Bar in the freezer." The practitioner would acknowledge that thought and let it pass. (NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS!) Eventually the feeling of wanting would leave. 

This I think is a great part of Zen that anyone can begin to practice. If we eliminate simple cravings such as the new shoes, or hot designer brand clothing, one can live with less suffering.

Night.

Practice

The wall is unsympathetic to my cause.

My concentration wonders,

Dinner.

Pastimes.

School.

Birds.

Bees.

Flu.

One breath.

That one moment of clarity is all I need.

That moment brings me back to the seat.

¿Qué es Zen?

Zen es esto.

¿Qué es Zazen?

Zazen es  perfectamente tú y es todo en la vida y nada en la vida.

¿Qué pasa ahora?

Esto es él.

-------

One of my favorite Buddhist stories so far is the story of Buddha and the man with eighty-three problems. 

A man comes to Buddha asking for help. The man then goes on to tell Buddha about eighty-three problems in his life. Thinking that Buddha will help ease these problems. 

The Buddha replies with a simple, "I cannot help you with these eighty-three problems."

At this the man is enraged. "What do you mean you cannot help me with these problems! You are Buddha!"

Buddha: "I can help you with your eighty-fourth problem."

Man: "What eighty-fourth problem?"

Buddha smiles and says, "Your eighty-fourth problem is that you wish not to have the other eighty-three."

Night.

Good and bad. Benevolent and evil. The just and the corrupt. Who makes the choice on who is the 'good' or 'bad' guy?

I just finished watching Che (both parts) and I find this question rather difficult to solve. Che was a communist revolutionary who aided Castro to power in Cuba. After the success of his first revolution Che wished to take the fight to Latin America, namely Bolivia. The Bolivian government did not care for communism and was keen on staying semi-democratic (some say the president at that time was more of a dictator).  Che and his rag tag bunch of Cuban and Bolivian fighters trudged through the Bolivian jungles to fight the good fight and secure a communist party in Bolivia. They did not succeed. Che was captured and executed. 

I kept asking myself, were the motives of Che really that terrible? He was doing what he believed was correct and fought for his ideals and those of others. He seemed to be concerned with the lower peasant class of Bolivia and the education of the children.  On the other hand, were the actions still horrible because they brought violence but minimal casualties of peasants? 

What about the democratic government in Bolivia? They rose to power from violence, as did many major governments throughout history. What justification did they have to say that Che was incorrect? 

I guess what I am trying to get at is the fact that good and evil are two terms that arise from bias views. What is left when we get rid of that bias view and look at things objectively?

Anyway it is time to sit.

Night.

Primero blog and a short introduction.

I have caved in. I have started a blog. Here I will attempt to keep an up to date journal of my experience with Zen Buddhism. This includes thoughts, ramblings, teachings, and general Zen stuff.  WARNING! I am not an English major nor do I care to be, so I do apologize for any grammatical mistakes I make throughout this whole endeavor. Other than that I am a pretty easy going guy and open to any comments or questions.

I am a soon to be college student who wishes to study the natural sciences with a minor in Spanish. I began to study meditation about a year and a half ago, and eventually that led to an interest in Zen. From there I began to sit according to the Soto style which emphasizes 'just sitting.' I really enjoy what I do and believe that it is a worth while practice. I will make an attempt to make this blog a regular thing, but no promises yet. 

That is all for now.