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@Soothfast
I have never heard the term "shikantaze" but that is exactly what I do in meditation. No expectations, no goal. Just this.
I like that term - just this - and I will add it to my vocabulary. It is even better than "it is what it is".
If I have a formal practice besides regular meditation, I could list my "mental reminders" in this way:
- I am anchored in this moment
- I open my heart - my heart is open
- I quiten my mind.
This may be my mantra, if I have one. But NOT during meditation. Then it is Just This.
Thanks, Soothfast.
@caljust saidI certainly can't take credit for "just this" -- but it appeals to me also. While "it is what it is" always seemed to me to highlight our powerlessness to sway external reality to our liking, "just this" encourages us to adjust ourselves internally to the way reality "just is." But, clearly, this is all a matter of interpretation. My wife says "it is what it is" not infrequently.
@Soothfast
I have never heard the term "shikantaze" but that is exactly what I do in meditation. No expectations, no goal. Just this.
I like that term - just this - and I will add it to my vocabulary. It is even better than "it is what it is".
If I have a formal practice besides regular meditation, I could list my "mental reminders" in this way:
- I am anchored i ...[text shortened]... be my mantra, if I have one. But NOT during meditation. Then it is Just This.
Thanks, Soothfast.
I've run across "just this" on several occasions. I thought it was in the preface of this book I plan to read soon, "The Art of Just Sitting," but no.
Looking around, though, this rings a bell: Harada Tangen Roshi may have coined it, or at least popularized it.
https://buddhismnow.com/2018/03/20/harada-tangen-roshi-1924-2018/
I'm still new to all of this. There are a couple books I plan to read soon, sitting on my desk. Two others I'm in the middle of: "The Three Pillars of Zen" and "Why Buddhism is True." That latter title is certainly provocatively titled, but it turns out to be a reference to the non-supernatural aspects of Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice. It's written by a well-regarded psychologist and is quite interesting.
Definitely a big part of shikantaza is to be anchored in the moment. It's like chess, it seems to me: the rules are simple, but it takes a lot of practice to get good at it. How hard it is to stay in the present! How easily the mind wanders into the past, the future, or into fantasy! Yet how strange that when staying in the present, without passing judgements or analyzing things, peace and tranquility slowly take hold.
@soothfast [iHow hard it is to stay in the present! How easily the mind wanders into the past, the future, or into fantasy! Yet how strange that when staying in the present, without passing judgements or analyzing things, peace and tranquility slowly take hold.Very true. My wife and I have been doing what is called "Centering Prayer" or Contemplative Prayer, for about ten years now. It is basically the same thing, only given another name because some Christians attack or dismiss it as being "Eastern"!
@soothfast [i]said[/ "Why Buddhism is True." That latter title is certainly provocatively titled, but it turns out to be a reference to the non-supernatural aspects of Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice. It's written by a well-regarded psychologist and is quite interesting.I have a son who is a Buddhist, and very seriously so. Has been on many retreats, even a six-month silent retreat.
We have very good discussions, and I am very impressed by the "secular" ways in which Buddhism (or Mindfulness, for that matter) has definite measurable benefits. Also, the mind-blowing ways in which a new Dalai Lama is identified, and examples of how Reincarnation in general has been proven. Fascinating stuff.
@caljust saidMindfulness has become a useful tool in the field of mental health, especially as a control mechanism for anxiety or OCD.
I have a son who is a Buddhist, and very seriously so. Has been on many retreats, even a six-month silent retreat.
We have very good discussions, and I am very impressed by the "secular" ways in which Buddhism (or Mindfulness, for that matter) has definite measurable benefits. Also, the mind-blowing ways in which a new Dalai Lama is identified, and examples of how Reincarnation in general has been proven. Fascinating stuff.
@soothfast saidMindfulness, which Ghost mentioned, is a good English word for this, I think.
I certainly can't take credit for "just this" -- but it appeals to me also. While "it is what it is" always seemed to me to highlight our powerlessness to sway external reality to our liking, "just this" encourages us to adjust ourselves internally to the way reality "just is." But, clearly, this is all a matter of interpretation. My wife says "it is what it is" not infr ...[text shortened]... the present, without passing judgements or analyzing things, peace and tranquility slowly take hold.
I completely agree with “just this”, too — applied not only to the meditation, but to a whole life. Life is not a rehearsal for another one later on. This is it.
@bigdoggproblem saidI am at peace when everything in my life is at its worst. When my problems have cascaded in on me and I think nothing can help, that's when I know I'm not alone, and that there is one keeping me through it all.
There's much bashing of the Spirituality of others. On a different note, I thought to create this thread. In here, you have an opportunity to share how your spiritual practice has brought you peace.
I'll provide an example. I have had moments, after meditation, when I was fully accepting of the world as it was. That is the most peace I have ever felt in my time of existence.
Real peace is the peace of God.
@secondson saidLast year I worked with a young Muslim chap with quite debilitating mental health issues (mostly of an obsessional nature that led him to spend hours doing simple daily tasks). One comfort he had was a particular passage in the Koran that said God would never give somebody more woes than they could handle. (Not an exact translation). He seemed to gain great strength from it.
I am at peace when everything in my life is at its worst. When my problems have cascaded in on me and I think nothing can help, that's when I know I'm not alone, and that there is one keeping me through it all.
Real peace is the peace of God.
By chance, we crossed paths fairly recently on the bus and I was really pleased to see how far he had progressed since I had worked with him. (Which I guess a theist could argue validates the faith he had in his particular scripture).
(Yes, I sometimes take the bus).
@ghost-of-a-duke saidI knew a devout Catholic (now deceased) who used to say, “you will not be tested beyond your strength.” Similar idea to that of the Muslim you refer to. I guess that is a comfort, for some. Wouldn’t be for me though; I have seen people broken and driven to suicide.
Last year I worked with a young Muslim chap with quite debilitating mental health issues (mostly of an obsessional nature that led him to spend hours doing simple daily tasks). One comfort he had was a particular passage in the Koran that said God would never give somebody more woes than they could handle. (Not an exact translation). He seemed to gain great strength f ...[text shortened]... argue validates the faith he had in his particular scripture).
(Yes, I sometimes take the bus).
@moonbus saidYes, me too.
I knew a devout Catholic (now deceased) who used to say, “you will not be tested beyond your strength.” Similar idea to that of the Muslim you refer to. I guess that is a comfort, for some. Wouldn’t be for me though; I have seen people broken and driven to suicide.