It is very easy to feel there is no difference between self and other while alone, whether under a tree outside or in a server room. Maintaining that understanding while a person that knows you well and is really mad at you and is in some conflict with you is a different challenge.
I sometimes joke that my koan that I am working on is 'my wife and I are not two.' I do find that my getting upset at other people is showing I have some idea that reality should be different than it is. The nice thing about an intimate relationship in the zen context is that it is much harder to fool yourself about your level of maturity than when you are more alone. I personally also find that while he various forms of moving meditation are a good way to maintain calm awareness, zazen is unsurpassed for establishing it in the first place. Thanks, Chris Austin-Lane Sent from a cell phone On Nov 25, 2010, at 3:47, "Lana M. Gibbons" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > For me the issue is not location, it has nothing to do with noise or > hustle-bustle. It has to do with non-superficial interaction with people, > which I guess in and of itself is the issue because that is not the Way. > > Thank you for the realization. > > -Lana > > "We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life." - > William Osler > > > > On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 7:50 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Lana, > > There are times that quietude and solitude are helpful in zen practice, > especially in the beginning. But eventually you have to bring your practice > into the 'real world'. Zen is everyday life. You should be able to > maintain Buddha Mind in the middle of Times Square New York City during rush > hour just as well as in a cave in Tibet. > > ...Bill! > > >
