In Zazen, non-doing
In the face of rising fear
There is nothing to do
The absolute courage of the sitting man.
©FJ June 2022 —
Groupe de Pratique
Recueils — Participations
In Zazen, non-doing
In the face of rising fear
There is nothing to do
The absolute courage of the sitting man.
©FJ June 2022 —
Groupe de Pratique
Recueils — Participations
Notes & Silence 
Courage and wisdom, very beautiful combination. 🙏
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Presumably, some illogical fear or anxiety rather than something actionable – you would not, I assume, advocate sitting motionless whilst watching an out of control vehicle heading directly for you at speed.
Fear of what, then?
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Fear of disappearing.
Fear of the thought we may one day disappear,
That it eventually cannot be otherwise no matter how hard we strive.
(Pitfall of personal development).
Simon…why would I ever decide to sit motionless in the middle of a racing track ?
Deciding to die and gering familiar with the nature of death can lead to practices which, while appearing the same, are worlds apart.
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I would rather hope you would never so decide. Merely pointing out, via a reductio ad absurdam, that there must be a limitation to the idea of doing nothing in response to fear.
Non existence (in the sense of annihilation at death) is no inconvenience.
« Being not » is a far greater challenge – but only an inconvenience whilst « not being not ».
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I was merely using this rhetorical twist of yours to answer on the same playful frequencies, therefore defusing the potential of destruction your argument had towards my initial stance.
The very property of ‘inconvenients’ is to stop being inconvenient once we’ve transcended them.
I’m really starting to wonder whether all these considerations….I mean the ones found along this blog and throughout the books we’ve read or coming from the people we’ve met are of any importance.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the most successful attempt at not being is certainly via being.
The cognitive process accompanying ‘being’ inhibits the transformative power of ‘being’ as well as the possibility of ever grasping what ‘non-being’ can refer to.
Non-being refers to nothing nor can it ever be grasped.
By definition.
This is all coiled in the practice of just sitting.
All contained and ready to unfurl in the name of the practice « just sitting ».
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« Importance » is an exercise in relativity.
What then counts as « important » rather depends on how it is assessed alongside whatever else is within one’s sphere.
The more one stands aside from the daily trivialities, the less there is of importance, I find.
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Standing aside daily trivialities, still, is a matter of bravery,
Or grace (unbridled, unobstructed expression of our nature?)
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Or advancing years (« the older you get, the less you care », as my former boss told me over a decade ago)
I wonder how far one might successfully express one’s nature as you suggest.
And forgive me if I ignore the word « grace »…!
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Call it Dharma, or Logos…
I would gladly add ‘Spirit’ to that list but assume you may choose to ‘ignore’ it just as well.
(luckily, ignoring grace is not enough for grace to ignore you….it might be a grace-enhancing practice…, ignorance as a grace-facilitator)
Ignorance as a 2-side word.
-the source of all suffering,
-the way to realization (« holy »ignorance / being without object)
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I am less likely to ignore « spirit ».
I may have mentioned my sister-in-law is called Grace.
Being ignored has some benefit…!
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