Some of you have mentioned that you’ve let go of the habit of daily meditation this summer and realize how busy your mind has become as you attempt to re-up zazen again. This experience is familiar to anyone who’s been sitting for any length of time. And the antidote is simple. Just start again. In fact, just starting over at any moment is always the practice. We stop and come back, begin right now, return your attention to just what is at hand.
If we don’t persist steadily for any amount of time in a daily practice from earnest intention, we lose our life – the wholeness, the vitality and ripening that zazen brings to the daily world. Each day we start anew with zazen and the mind of the present moment.
Whether we are just starting a practice or have been practicing for years, we start anew each day, each moment. We manifest this for ourselves and for all sentient beings. We do this for ourselves because we are the only one who can. When a strong person moves their arm, they cannot depend on someone else’s strength. So it is with the energy of our own awareness. The potency depends on using it regularly.
Renewing the wholesome habit of daily zazen, practicing with the sangha whenever you can, participating in daylong retreats, and the adventure of sesshin…all support and sustain a bright and clear life. I urge you to renew your habit of zazen whenever it begins to flag. The support for this is one gift that a sangha offers its members. We are all in this together.
