Closing The Gaps

Zen… The practice of what some refer to as meditation, is the effort to unify Heart and Mind with our life. What does that really mean in practical terms? Closing the gaps and distortions, within ourselves, so that we are not just reflecting life, but are being life truly open, compassionate and free.

What is it that's running loose, creating the gaps and fractures within ourselves, our relationships, our life efforts? Nothing more than an uncentered  ego. As a help, I also refer to it as self-obsession or self-centeredness. As Kosho Uchiyama Roshi says, one aspect of this uncensored ego is that it has many "secretions," that will create potholes in our life path. Some of these secretions are expressed through addiction, low-self esteem, depression, anger, fear, anxiety, emotional disconnection, not embracing or following our intuitive nature. When we allow these secretions to exist without being checked at the door, the gaps in our life experience can be so big, that we don't notice them… this is in part a side effect of self-centeredness and self-obsession… we can be so caught in our own trap, that we don't know that we are trapped.

The process… the effort of "Closing the Gaps," is to have a spiritual practice and connection to as one friend put it last evening, our "Conscience." Conscience actually means, anti-science…. it's that quality that something within us that is not measurable, tastable, touchable, but it can certainly felt 100%, usually in our gut… 2 inches bellow our belly button. That's our true physical center of being and so in our center, we tend to feel the true, rather we are fully aware or not. It's hardwired into our body.

When ever we are creating a gap with ourselves, others or a situation, we feel it and know it. The reality is, are we choosing to ignore that feeling… that message from our conscience and allow our self-obsession or self-centeredness to over-ride what we are being told.

Zen… The Way of Unification can be practiced and lived many different ways. One key skill or aspect however is sitting with ourselves, coming face to face. This is a simple, clear and clean way to advance towards closing the gaps within our Heart-Mind and allow ourselves to heal. You might be inclined to ask, "Heal from what?" And I will respond, Sit with yourself on the meditation cushion, count your breath 1 to 10 or as my own teacher says, plant the question, "What is This?" with your body and mind, in the ground of your life. Then you have a real shot of finding out.

Zen… Unification is a verb and not a noun. It's what we do and how we are… with ourselves… each other… our life… It's not all theorizing and philosophizing… It's living as our life, by turning to face ourselves and each moment, without running away. It's arriving home at the present. When we are engaged in this activity, then we are closing the gaps. The result and reward of this effort is that just for today, we get to be a little more our so-called "True" self. As Rinzai said, "When you let go of the dis-ease of the mind, you will be able to master your life and live fully." Please practice life well, so that we can close the gaps in our life and live a real human beings.

Love All - Serve All - Every Single Day,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Comments

[mukubal]

thank you, Seiho. every so often i look into practitioners definitions of meditation, it somehow enhances my practice, as well as helping to introduce the practice to friends...
the last i checked, my teacher said: Meditation is being yourself., and proceeded to give the example of the one person who won't find a joke funny, and thus, will not laugh.
but, this idea of "letting go of the dis-Ease of the mind", "closes the gap" of what being oneself is... it's beautifully put. thanks.

[@100PercentProle]

One of the most essential posts on this blogs which does really say something. Thank you.

I have come to eschew the practice of counting my breaths because that differentiates between them. But it did help me learn how to sit.

Cheers!