Being Nobody, Going Nowhere

Lao Tzu, the famous Chinese philosopher accredited with writing the "Tao Te Ching" wrote how the life of a sage is one of daily diminishing, not adding. Bruce Lee also spoke of peeling back non-essentials of the martial arts in order to reveal 'the truth' of self-defence training.

Looking at ourselves, as a people, we love to gather certificates, diplomas, trophies. We accumulate things, like cars, houses, books, and so forth. Why? For most of us it is a sense of security through identity. Deep down, we don't know who we are or why we are here on this planet. In an attempt to find this security or identity we try to find it through 'outer things' such as titles, materials possessions and relationships.

As martial artists, most of us have studied about five to six different art forms looking for the 'the truth' or ourselves. And, guess what? They do satisfy, but for only a short while, because as you know, all things are temporary. So we keep searching.

If we would really listen to Lao Tzu, we can see we are like an onion. If you begin to peel back the layers of who you think you are, just like the onion, you will find when you get to the middle, that there is 'nothing' there. Yes, you are nothing, going nowhere! (LOL here!)

Being nobody, going nowhere is our truest nature....it is Ku or Emptiness. We are emptiness in form and form in emptiness. If you remember, Ku is the unfolding field of limitless possibilities only waiting for a thought to manifest into form. At your truest inner self, because you are No-body you are All things. You are infinite with unbounded potential. How cool is that!

So, as you look at yourself, Peel back the layers of who you identify as you. Throw away the labels, the security, the diplomas, the sense of importance and just watch. Meditate. Learn to just be and your inner self of Being Nobody, Going Nowhere is there. Then you can have a great laugh and play in this wonderful universal field of 'energy'...which is what I am off to do now.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Got Gusto?

The impetus for this post comes from a conversation of mothers I overheard while at a coffee shop. In fact, as I write this I am at the coffee shop. The mom's had all just dropped off their young kids at school and were talking about how to achieve Zen calm, Zen happiness or this was 'zen' and that was 'zen'. 

I got to asking myself, "Do they really know what zen is?"  Well, actually, that is a loaded question, for zen can't be known, only experienced...which brings me to my point.

Zen is usually equated with calmness and serenity...but that is for those who see from the outside of zen practice and have not engaged in it directly. In the middle of Zen practice is angst, painful knees, doubt, suffering, peace, quiet, heaven, hell. The insides are always churning, while an outsider will see people just sitting 'peacefully' not knowing that perhaps this person is grieving the loss of loved one and in the midst of great turmoil.

Zen is about entering into where you are with 'Gusto!' Now, sitting on a zafu doesn't look like an activity full of gusto, but it is. When your asshole is burning cause you have been sitting on and off the zafu for six hours into the second day of a sesshin, the only way 'out' is 'in'....and with gusto. You must lose yourself only by pushing yourself in.

It's like training in Karate. You must enter in and embrace the battle. It is easier with an opponent in a dojo...more difficult when it is your own mind, body and emotions. In the dojo you push yourself to the limits till you 'lose yourself'...you go past the point of what you can endure and run on adrenalin and spirit. 

Same in zazen. Push yourself, Enter in till the self is lost and all there is...is.  In Karate we attack and defend with Gusto! Lotsa of screaming and grunting and laughing. In Zen...it is quieter without physical movement...but the Gusto! must be there. Push, push, push till you can't push anymore...you get to that point of letting go...this is Zen. Leave no trace of the Self...burn yourself out!!

When you cross 'the gap' in Karate to defend yourself it is an all or nothing adventure. If you go in with hesitancy or reserve or half-assed you will lose. You must give it all. You must die and leave no trace. Same in Zen...give it all! Give it Gusto! Leave not trace of the self....burn it to the ground. 

Gusto! Give all of your life's activity Gusto! Leave no trace. Zen looks calm from the outside...and it can be on the inside, but first there must be Gusto! The gusto of fire in the belly.

Wow...those Mom's sparked a fire in my brain. 

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Hsin-hsin Ming:

Verses on the Faith-Mind

By Seng-ts'an, Third Chinese Patriarch

Translated by Richard B. Clarke

---

The Great Way is not difficult
for those not attached to preferences.
When neither love nor hate arises,
all is clear and undisguised.
Separate by the smallest amount, however,
and you are as far from it as heaven is from earth.

If you wish to know the truth,
then hold to no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.

When the fundamental nature of things is not recognized
the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
The Way is perfect as vast space is perfect,
where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess.

Indeed, it is due to our grasping and rejecting
that we do not know the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,
nor in ideas or feelings of emptiness.
Be serene and at one with things
and erroneous views will disappear by themselves.

When you try to stop activity to achieve quietude,
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain attached to one extreme or another
you will never know Oneness.
Those who do not live in the Single Way
cannot be free in either activity or quietude, in assertion or denial.

Deny the reality of things
and you miss their reality;
assert the emptiness of things
and you miss their reality.
The more you talk and think about it
the further you wander from the truth.
So cease attachment to talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.

To return to the root is to find the essence,
but to pursue appearances or "enlightenment" is to miss the source.
To awaken even for a moment
is to go beyond appearance and emptiness.

Changes that seem to occur in the empty world
we make real only because of our ignorance.

Do not seek for the truth;
Only cease to cherish opinions.

Do not remain in a dualistic state;
avoid such easy habits carefully.
If you attach even to a trace
of this and that, of right and wrong,
the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities arise from the One,
do not be attached even to ideas of this One.

When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
there is no objection to anything in the world;
and when there is no objection to anything,
things cease to be— in the old way.
When no discriminating attachment arises,
the old mind ceases to exist.
Let go of things as separate existences
and mind too vanishes.
Likewise when the thinking subject vanishes
so too do the objects created by mind.

The arising of other gives rise to self;
giving rise to self generates others.
Know these seeming two as facets
of the One Fundamental Reality.
In this Emptiness, these two are really one—
and each contains all phenomena.
If not comparing, nor attached to "refined" and "vulgar"—
you will not fall into judgment and opinion.

The Great Way is embracing and spacious—
to live in it is neither easy nor difficult.
Those who rely on limited views are fearful and irresolute:
The faster they hurry, the slower they go.
To have a narrow mind,
and to be attached to getting enlightenment
is to lose one's center and go astray.
When one is free from attachment,
all things are as they are,
and there is neither coming nor going.

When in harmony with the nature of things, your own fundamental nature,
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
However, when mind is in bondage, the truth is hidden,
and everything is murky and unclear,
and the burdensome practice of judging
brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived
from attachment to distinctions and separations?

If you wish to move in the One Way,
do not dislike the worlds of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to embrace them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise person attaches to no goals
but the foolish person fetters himself or herself.
There is one Dharma, without differentiation.
Distinctions arise from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the discriminating mind
is the greatest of mistakes.

Rest and unrest derive from illusion;
with enlightenment, attachment to liking and disliking ceases.
All dualities come from ignorant inference.
They are like dreams, phantoms, hallucinations—
it is foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong; finally abandon all such thoughts at once.

If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the ten thousand things
are as they are, of single essence.
To realize the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen without differentiation,
the One Self-essence is everywhere revealed.
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless state of just this One.

When movement stops, there is no movement—
and when no movement, there is no stopping.
When such dualities cease to exist
Oneness itself cannot exist.
To this ultimate state
no law or description applies.

For the Realized mind at one with the Way
all self-centered striving ceases.
Doubts and irresolutions vanish
and the Truth is confirmed in you.
With a single stroke you are freed from bondage;
nothing clings to you and you hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no need to exert the mind.
Here, thinking, feeling, understanding, and imagination
are of no value.
In this world "as it really is"
there is neither self nor other-than-self.

To know this Reality directly
is possible only through practicing non-duality.
When you live this non-separation,
all things manifest the One, and nothing is excluded.
Whoever comes to enlightenment, no matter when or where,
Realizes personally this fundamental Source.

This Dharma-truth has nothing to do with big or small, with time and space.
Here a single thought is as ten thousand years.
Not here, not there—
but everywhere always right before your eyes.
Infinitely large and infinitely small: no difference,
for definitions are irrelevant
and no boundaries can be discerned.
So likewise with "existence" and "non-existence."

Don't waste your time in arguments and discussion
attempting to grasp the ungraspable.

Each thing reveals the One,
the One manifests as all things.
To live in this Realization
is not to worry about perfection or non-perfection.
To put your trust in the Heart-Mind is to live without separation,
and in this non-duality you are one with your Life-Source.

Words! Words!
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is no yesterday,

no tomorrow

no today.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen 

Underground Zen Combat

1977 Shodan

Shortly after I was awarded my Shodan in 1977, Sensei Dean told me to now go and 'steal' from everybody and anybody all the martial knowledge I could. I was 21 years old at the time and he knew I was going to be transient. He was right. 

From there I went and studied and stole from other forms of Karate, Tai Chi, Aikido, Kung Fu, Kempo.....anybody I could learn from I was there. I also began developing my own vision and ideas about Budo as I also explored traditional Soto Zen Buddhism.

So, here I am. An older Karateka (42 years of experience now) with a firm base in traditional Karate, but also full of my own ideas, insights and visions. I am not so much interested in starting another 'style' but simply putting out there, as a friend once told me, my unorthodox ways of understanding budo.

I have decided to document some of my ideas and concepts in "Underground Zen Combat." Maybe you as a reader might be interested. Maybe not. Either way, that's what I will do. Underground Zen Combat are my understandings and may or many not line up with tradition in Budo or Zen or Qigong or TCM...they are just how I see things and more importantly feel things. I am planning on turning this into an e-book as well. (It's almost done)

There is an energy (ki, chi, prana) that courses through us and that I have been able to tap into. I credit one Kata for this. Sanchin. My one steady companion throughout Karate has been Sanchin Kata. It has 'taught' me so much and my ways of seeing and doing self-defense, especially close quarters combat, comes from Sanchin. Sanchin is not only full of insights, but practical hardcore self-defense...Sanchin is about savagery on many levels.

So, here is one of my first Underground Zen teachings via the Broken Bokken Blog....

Sanchin literally means "Three Battles"...many practitioners speak of the battle of Mind, Body, Spirit (breath) and you can find three battles in turning energy in qigong as well. But for me, you have to look Underground and 'see' that the number 3 represents more than 2...this implies Infinity. Three is a number that gives way to unlimited numbers and unlimited potential...like the Kara of Karate that I have posted on before (another one of my Underground teachings)

Sanchin means Unlimited Battles. It is a Universal Kata that teaches you how to move and handle everything! It is rich with symbolism that points the way...and does more as well...it provides unique insight into handling battle itself, with others and yourself. Karate is not so much about kicking somebody elses' ass as it is about kicking your own.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Embrace the Fight!

Take a moment and look at a coin. A penney, dime or quarter. Doesn't matter. Notice it has a heads and a tails. Two sides. Now ask yourself, "Which side is the true and real coin?

Now that might seem like a weird question as the answer might seem obvious...but let's look at another coin.

The Coin of Life. It has two sides as well. It has a heads and tails, but let's call them 'positive outlook' and 'negative outlook' 

How do you perceive this coin? Which side is the true and real coin of life?

To look and grasp at life with either a positive or negative outlook is to not see the total coin. To choose one over the other is to deny the reality of the other. Both outlooks are in many ways 'deluded'. Both are ghosts. To grab at one and reject the other is to live in suffering...even tho the positive feels better...it is still a trap of the mind and will continue your suffering...especially when negative shows up and you don't want it.

Zen is about seeing the Coin in its totality. No thoughts of one side better than the other. It is a Coin...just as it is. You use both sides all the time.

In Budo this is also very important. To grasp and hold onto only certain 'techniques' as good or bad disrupts your ability to flow with what is needed moment by moment. You are trying to use only one side of the coin...dumb! It is important to embrace the fight and use the coin in its totality. It is there. Use it. To reject one side for the other will get your ass handed to you.

Hope my morning rambling makes some sense...I have to get to work and maybe will edit this later or wait for comments.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Zen Doesn't Work!

Many of us are drawn to Zen for its qualities of calmness, serenity and peace of mind. In it we are looking to find relief from pain and suffering. What is weird about the process and practice of Zen is that if you try to get these things from it you actually chase it away. To use Zen to achieve any goal is to not practice Zen. Zen is Zen as it is...in our attempts to make Zen work for us we defeat ourselves, get frustrated and stop practicing.

Zen is one of those practices that can't be described by what it is or by what it is not. Zen is actually useless in accomplishing anything. Yet, its practice has many 'benefits'....but to try and get those benefits you actually lose those benefits.

So, how do you not practice Zen? Practice it...but don't practice it with an end in mind. Just sit. Watch the breath. When the mind wanders return to breath. If you feel comfortable or uncomfortable, scattered or focused, happy or sad...just acknowledge these sensations and return to breath.  Each day, each breath is different. Be with it as it is...no chasing after pleasant sensations or running from unpleasant. Be present...here and now....and watch. All is perfectly managed.

That's it.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

10-Breath Zen

I have to admit, some mornings I run short of time to formally sit Zen...or I am just too damn lazy to get out of bed.

Well, what I do from time to time that actually keeps me in the meditative habit and my Zen-groove is 10-Breath Zen.

I do my ceremonial lighting of a candle and incense, then sit in seiza or on my cushion...then simply focus on breathing, but count down each exhale starting at 10. By the time I get to one I am feeling more settled and calm. It is like doing a hypnotic deepener technique...it feels good.

From here I give thanks for my many blessings and go about my day. 10-Breath Zen. A great way to start your day and keeping in the routine of sitting practice.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Playing Ball on Running Water

Many years ago I had the opportunity to meet with the founder of Constructive Living, David K. Reynolds, PhD.   He was presenting his work at the University of Nebraska in Kearney at the invite of Dr. Yozan Mosig, a Professor of Psychology and noted Martial Artist. Many of you old time martial artists would know him as Dirk Mosig. He is also now a Zen Priest and uses the name Yozan.

Well, to get to the point. Dr. Reynold's wrote some 6 Key Points about Constructive Living. Constructive Living is a combination of two Japanese psychotherapies, Naikan and Morita. They are Zen-based teachings which I found very helpful...and I hope you can too. Constructive Living contains practices that are helpful in journeying our way through life a bit more, well, constructively.

Some of Dr. Reynold's work is now out of print, so here is Constructive Living principles in a nutshell:

1. Observe, acknowledge and accept feelings and thoughts without necessarily expressing or acting on them.

2. Pay attention to the details of reality in the present moment and bring attention to whatever you are doing when the mind wanders elsewhere.

3. Distinguish between what is controllable (your own behavior) and what is not controllable (just about everything else).

4. Identify purposes and establish realistic goals.

5. Co-exist with unpleasant feelings and still take appropriate action based on the needs of the situation.

6. Examine your behavior in relation to others and assess the impact of your behavior on others.

Take some time and reflect on this. See how following these principles can help make your life flow more evenly.

I invite you to read some of his works or Google Constructive Living. There are some good websites dedicated to his teachings. Over the years I have found his teachings very helpful...and I have fond memories of eating lunch with him and Dr. Mosig.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Squishing Frogs

Have you ever squished a frog? I am going to say, "yes. you have squished lots of frogs in your life." I know, because I have too. Let me explain with an old Zen story:

A very young and devout Zen priest needed to relieve himself during the evening. He went out into the dark night, did his business and upon returning to his quarters stepped on something extremely squishy. The thoughts went through his head that he had stepped on a frog...and not just a frog, but a frog full of eggs. He felt really bad as he had taken a vow of not killing. Not wishing to disturb anyone he vowed to return in the morning to clean up the mess.


All night long he tossed and turned in bed, worrying about breaking his vows of not killing. He even had a horrific dream of frogs chasing him and wanting him dead. Upon the break of dawn he rushed out to where he squished the frog only to discover he had stepped on a rotten eggplant! His eyes were opened and now he "understood."


Can you see you how have squished frogs? I've done this so many times in my life as well. The biggest frog I ever squished was when I needed a job 8 years ago after getting laid off from my previous job. We had lost a major contract in our agency and I had least seniority, so I was given a severance and let go. The job search wasn't easy, but a job for a child therapist opened up on a nearby reservation. My wife encouraged me to apply but I told her my specialty is not working with children and plus I am not sure if I would even like working on a reservation. I was imagining a whole bunch of negatives.

My wife, in her sweetest kick butt voice said, "You need a job. Fake it till you make it" So I applied. During the interview I discovered it was the wrong ad in the paper and they were looking for someone with my skills....ah, eggplants. What a relief. To make a long story short, I got the job and have been there ever since....one of the longest and best jobs I have ever had.

If I would have not applied due to my squishing frogs delusion, I would have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to work in a great community and meet some really fantastic people. How many of us live in these delusions without ever going into the daylight and seeing that all along we have just been stepping on eggplants?

So, ponder how you squish frogs. Be here now....it is where the sunshine is.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The 84th Problem

One of my favorite Buddha Stories: The 84th Problem

A man seeking help went to see the Buddha. He told him he was a farmer. "I like farming," the man said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and sometimes it rains too much. One year we nearly starved." The Buddha listened.

"I like my wife," the man said, "but sometimes she nags too much, then I get tired of her...We have kids too. Good kids, but sometimes they don't show enough respect, and..."the man went on and on like this.

After the man finished, the Buddha sat, thought, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you." "Everyone has problems. In fact, we have 83 problems", and he enumerated them, from birth to death, but as he talked the man grew more and more furious until he questioned the very premise of the Buddha's teaching.

"Well," the Buddha finally said, "I may be able to help you with the 84th problem."

"The 84th Problem? What's that?" the man queried. 

The Buddha said, "The problem of wanting to not have any problems."

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

No Satisfaction

Good old Mick Jagger had it right when he sang, "I can't get no satisfaction."  When you look deeply at life and how it changes, how it ebbs and flows and nothing remains constant, how can we ever get real satisfaction?

Just when you work your ass off to get that job, buy that dream house, enter into a wonderful relationship....it all changes. It seems to go down the toilet. What once was fantastic loses its high, is no longer. The job either gets boring or where you work goes out of business or you are asked to transfer. The honeymoon period on relationships, houses, in fact anything, eventually wears off.

Now, don't get too depressed or bummed by this, because in the midst of all of this is peace. Tranquility and equanimity do exist, but not when you rely on conditions or circumstances...or even your idea of self (which is also a set of conditions)....Conditions and circumstance are always in a state of constant flux. Change is always happening...or at least appears to be happening when you are hanging onto an idea that you have a fixed 'self'.  Your 'self' is also part of the whole equation of no satisfaction.

Satisfaction is only temporary...The good news is that you are not 'you'...Once you look deeply into who you are and who you call you, you can 'see' that there is no-thing there. All that is simply is as it is. Any grasping to make it different, to bend it to your ego's desires will end you up singing with good old Mick.

Learning to see into the transient state of all 'things' is to feel the peace of eternity. You can then see the illusion or delusion of chasing after conditions for eternal happiness or longstanding satisfaction. Once you catch a glimpse of this it is easier to live 'here and now'...in eternity. No self. No chasing. No satisfaction.

Henry David Thoreau once stated, "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." He knew the human condition and folly of chasing conditions for satisfaction. He saw the transiency of existence and could rest in "being".  Finding our way through the illusion of this chase is in each of our journeys and is an easy trap to fall into...but once you are aware of the trap it also makes life more fun and joyous. It is a freeing event that you don't "need" anything...that all peace, all tranquility is right here, right now. No chasing required.

Well...my caffeine high is wearing off..

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Yang's Ten Important Points (part 2)

Here's is Part 2 of Yang's Ten Important Points in practicing Tai Chi...with short commentary by Chen Wei-ming. These ten points can also be applied to Sanchin Kata of Okinawan Karate...it may not be obvious at first, but practice Sanchin with Tai Chi principles and it is amazing what comes out. Unorthodox...yes...but that's me!

6.  Use Mind and not Force. (The Tai Chi Chuan Classics say  "all of this means use mind and not force." In practicing Tai Chi Chuan the whole body relaxes. Don't let one ounce of force remain in the blood vessels, bones and ligaments to tie yourself up. Then you can be agile and able to change. You will be able to turn freely and easily. Doubting this (not using force), how can you increase in power?)

7.  Upper and lower mutually follow. (The Tai Chi Chuan Classics say "the motion should be rooted in the feet, released through the legs, controlled by the waist and manisfested through the fingers." Everything is the same. When the hand, waist and foot move together, the eyes follow. If one part doesn't follow, the whole body is disordered.)

8.  Inside and outside coordinate. (In the practice of Tai Chi Chuan the main thing is spirit. Therefore it is said, "the spirit is the commander and the body is the subordinate." If you can raise the spirit, then the movements will be naturally agile.)

9.  It is mutually joined and unbroken. (As to the external schools, their chi is the Latter Heaven brute chi. Therefore it is finite. There are connections and breaks.During the breaks the old force is exhausted and the new force has not yet been born. At these moments it is very easy for other to take advantage. Tai Chi Chuan uses mind, not force. From beginning to end it is not broken. It is circular and is again resumes. It revolves and has no limits.)

10.  Seek stillness in movement. ( The external schools assume jumping about is good and they use all their energy. That is why after practice everyone pants. Tai Chi Chuan uses stillness to control movement. Although one moves, there is also stillness.Therefore in practicing the form, slower is better. If is it slow, the inhalation and exhalation are long and deep and the chi sinks to the tantien.)

Hope this expands your mind on how to look at Sanchin Kata...and practice it. I am an artist and love to play with my colors...when you play you create wonderful works of art. Sanchin is endless in its expression.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Yang's Ten Important Points (part 1)

From the Essence of Tai Chi Chuan:

Yang's Ten Important Points with commentary by Chen Wei-ming

1.  The head should be upright so the spirit can reach the headtop. (Don't use strength or the neck will be stiff and the chi and blood cannot flow through. It is necessary to have a natural and lively feeling. If the spirit cannot reach the headtop, it cannot raise.)

2.  Sink the chest and pluck up the back. (The chest is naturally depressed inward so the chi can sink to the tan tien. Don't project your chest: the chi gets stuck there and the body becomes top-heavy. The heel will be too light and can be uprooted. Pluck up the back and the chi sticks to the back; depress the chest and you can pluck up the back. Then you can discharge force through the spine. You will be a peerless boxer.)

3.  Relax the waist. (The waist is the commander of the whole body. If you can relax the waist, then the two legs will have power and lower part will be firm and stable...It is said, 'the source of the postures lies in the waist. If you cannot get power, seek the defect in the legs and waist.")

4.  Differentiate insubstantial and substantial. (This is the first thing of all in Tai Chi Chuan. If the weight of the body is resting on the right leg, then the right leg is substantial and the left leg is unsubstantial and vice versa. When you can separate substantial and insubstantial, you can turn lightly without using strength. If you cannot separate them, the step is heavy and slow. The stance is not firm and can be easily thrown off balance.)

5. Sink the shoulders and elbows. (The shoulders will be completely relaxed and open. If you cannot relax and sink, the two shoulders will be 'uptight.' The chi will follow them up and the whole body cannot get power. 'Sink the elbows' means the elbows go down and relax. If the elbows raise, the shoulders are not able to sink and you cannot discharge people far. The discharge is close to the broken force of the external schools.)

Observe these principles of Tai Chi Chuan when performing your Sanchin. Feel how accurate these teachings are. I will finish this in some upcoming posts.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Why Zen is like Sex

Nonin, my Zen Teacher, posted something like this back in the mid 90's in his newsletter. Laughed my ass off!  It showed me a whole new way of thinking about zen masters. Now, I can't remember all 10 of them, but here is what I can recall.

Why Zen is like Sex

1.  It's okay to do it by yourself, but it is better with other people.

2.  You can dress up in funny clothes to do it...or not.

3.  Those who talk about it the most, tend to know the least.

4.  You can study it all you want, in fact you can get a PhD in it, but it doesn't mean you really know it.

5.  You can do it in different positions.

6.  Being flexible is a bonus.

7.  You can do it anywhere, but quiet natural surroundings are the best.

That's all I have right now. If I remember anymore, I will put them in the comments. If you know more, please comment. Not sure why this popped into my head, but I always had found them funny.  Well, gotta go.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

A Path with Heart

Years ago when I was vascillating between opening a commercial dojo or not, I came across a saying that inspired me to move forward. "Life will always present problems and obstacles to overcome. You might as well make them interesting." ( I can't recall who wrote it)

This made sense. I opened up my dojo (this is when I lived in Lincoln, Ne) and it was successful! Yes, there were problems. There's marketing, rent, insurance, parents of kids who think their kid should be a black belt in three months and a few sleepless nights....but, during this time, I conducted many Zen workshops with Rev. Nonin Chowaney of the Nebraska Zen Center, met many black belts from other systems of martial arts and even was published in the Lincoln paper and a national martial arts magazine...and met many wonderful people.

Don Juan Matus, the famous Yaqui medicine man, is often quoted by saying your path in life must have heart. He said all paths lead nowhere, so make sure your path is one of passion and heart. Otherwise, your path will kill you and rob you of life.

I am so happy I chose to move forward in the martial arts. Even tho I had to sell my dojo when I had to relocate back to Wisconsin, returning to the land of the Badgers has opened many more opportunities. The Broken Bokken Dojo has been a path of heart for me and I gave myself more interesting problems when I got my book published. The publishing world is a strange new world for me and exploring it a white belt has been quite a journey.

Pursue your passions...it won't make your life perfect or give you everything you want...but at least the path will be full of excitement and wonder...and it will give your life a rush of energy that makes you feel alive!

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Keep your Swords Sharp!

In my book, Black Belt Healing, I show you how your mind is a dojo with all the weapons you need to defend yourself from pain, anxiety, depression, suffering. In your mind's dojo are your mind-swords. These are the swords you use to make yourself healthy. These are the swords that can give you life...or take it. Depends on how you use them.

Imagination is your Katana....if you don't use it right, it will cut you. An imagination running wild does you no good.  Train your imagination and it will give you life (how it does this is in my book...hint hint for those who haven't purchased it yet)

Just like an actual sword, it must be cared for. The proper care of your sword retains it sharpness. Without proper cleaning of your sword it will grow rusty and be of no use when you need it. Same goes for your Mind-Swords. It is imperative to keep them sharp and well cared for.

Gyoji, or daily practice, of engaging your Mind-Swords (there are three of them) keeps them sharp and ready to use. They will be clean without a lot of emotional or psychological rust. Meditation, such as Zazen or Transcendental Meditation, is a great way to keep the Mind-Swords sharp. Also, daily use of visualization and emotionalization is a great way to stay sharp and healthy. Qigong, like standing on stake, or Tai Chi is also another way to keep these swords sharp.

Life throws a lot of stress at you from day to day. Having sharp Mind-Swords keeps you in shape for battling these daily encounters, whether it be a toxic boss, a tough customer or a self-absorbed teenager. Just as you find it important to practice your external artform...remember your internal arts as well. This is what differentiates Budo from just fighting.

So, keep your Mind-Swords clean and sharp. They will serve you well when you need them.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

A lesson from my Zafu

The longer I sit zen, the more that I can see and feel how zazen is a model for how to conduct my life. Be here. Be now. I have heard and read those words since the 60's, but now, with years of zazen they are more than just words. They are a reality of presence. Coupled with my martial arts practice I can see how everything is always here, when I need it and that there is very little I need to change.

Zazen is a model for how to be. Pay attention. Live from you hara...your body's center. No rush...take your time. All is here, perfect as it is. Just now, just this, just being with no being. A thought with no thinker. No words can express it.

As you read these words you will have your own intrepretation based on what you know. I encourage you to sit zen...on a regular basis. Zazen has many lessons to show us...as DT Suzuki once said (I am paraphrasing)..."all teachings come from the mind, zazen simply points the way"

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

To Goal or Not to Goal

What if you didn't set any New Year's Resolutions?

What if you never set any goals at all?

What if you made no provisions for the future?

What if you just lived your life moment by moment in total faith that all is provided when you need it?

What would that be like?

Are you bold enough to do this?

Can you have faith that you are complete and whole just as you are? Right now?

Can you see that the 'self' you wish to improve is a ghost? 

Can you see the 'self' is just an illusion of the senses? 

Can you see that to try and improve something that is a ghost and just an illusion is pure folly?

Can you understand that to set a goal actually hinders you and your flexibility to be responsive in limitless ways?

Can you see that to now set a goal, even if it is to set no goals, is a goal as well and puts you in a bind? Oh, what to do? What a dilemna!

To goal or not to goal.

What do you say?

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Congrats to Verna & Rick

Verna throwing Rick

 Congratulations to Verna Micik and Rick Micik for earning their Intructor Certificates in Zen Goshindo Karate! Rick has been a Budoka for 12 years and Verna 10. They are a mother/son team that bring great energy to the Broken Bokken.

In fact, Verna named the dojo after she broke my bokken during practice one day. The name stuck!

She will be taking over as head instructor of the Broken Bokken after I move to Madison in the spring of 2011.  Rick is off to culinary school...he likes sharp knives.

Rick performing Sanchin

Again, congrats! I am blessed to have two wonderful Yudansha!

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

My New Year's Resolution: Slurping Gruel

Yun-men

Yun-men, a noted Chinese Zen Master, from the Tang Era (late 800's) was approached by one of his students.

The student asked, "Please, Master, show me a way in!"

Yun-men said, "Slurping gruel, eating rice."

I have decided to make this my New Year's Resolution. Slurp gruel and eat rice.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen