One way to understand how all things work together is by watching the breeze lift and sway the long grasses this way and that in the field. They all function together. The breeze does not separate itself from the grasses. The community of grass dances in the lift of the breeze. There are times when the gusty field tumbles in a huge sway and swell. Sound like zazen?
How does zazen express the breezes, the gusts, the tempests of mind? Sometimes the air is so still, so quiet, the mind in zazen can express it, spacious. Or sometimes, a sound, a wind rushes through. Then the mind in zazen tumbles and pushes this way and that, a tumult of thoughts down a long corridor of associations, sensations, plans, emotions. How remarkable, to be also aware of the mind’s motions as the sounds of the world arise all around, breathing in the subtle energies of those sitting beside us, stretching a leg, straightening a spine. Then the bell rings. Bowing follows.
