Cats
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Today at Clear Mind Zen Temple: Private meeting with Hogaku-roshi and Gozen-sensei at 12:00 PM; Contemplative Yoga at 3:00 PM; Zen 101 Study Group at 6:00 PM; Zazen at 7:00 PM. Please consider joining us at the Temple.
We sat last night in the Zendo alone, Soku Shin and I. It was a wonderfully quiet period. Sometime during the period, a cat appeared at the door. I could see him, as I was in the Inos seat which looks out over the Zendo and the door to the Temple is in plain view.
The cat came up, sat down, and looked in. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. I am always impressed by cats. They truly live in their own space and seem so comfortable with themselves. Their needs are easy to read, no confused communication, no fuss, just, here I am.
They present themselves and we must chose our response.
Sitting is like that: we present ourselves to the wall, we choose to notice and let go of our response to what arises. It is best, then, to come to the wall with a clear sense of openness and lack of judgment and fear. As our briefly visiting cat, just sit then move on: nothing special. We walk in our own authority.
Meow.
Good Morning Everyone,
Today at Clear Mind Zen Temple: Private meeting with Hogaku-roshi and Gozen-sensei at 12:00 PM; Contemplative Yoga at 3:00 PM; Zen 101 Study Group at 6:00 PM; Zazen at 7:00 PM. Please consider joining us at the Temple.
We sat last night in the Zendo alone, Soku Shin and I. It was a wonderfully quiet period. Sometime during the period, a cat appeared at the door. I could see him, as I was in the Inos seat which looks out over the Zendo and the door to the Temple is in plain view.
The cat came up, sat down, and looked in. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. I am always impressed by cats. They truly live in their own space and seem so comfortable with themselves. Their needs are easy to read, no confused communication, no fuss, just, here I am.
They present themselves and we must chose our response.
Sitting is like that: we present ourselves to the wall, we choose to notice and let go of our response to what arises. It is best, then, to come to the wall with a clear sense of openness and lack of judgment and fear. As our briefly visiting cat, just sit then move on: nothing special. We walk in our own authority.
Meow.
