Decline or Incline?

It is truer than true that no mountain can be summated, without physical effort and exertion. Whether it is walking or riding a bike up the incline, it will take some energy, some determination and perhaps even moments of sacrifice. To get to the peak, you are definitely going to have give something of your so-called “true” self to the task.

On the other hand, to decline and descend downward seems a much easier task. All we have to do is stop resisting the impulse of gravity and let go. We just give in and stop pushing back. And once that happens, it can seem almost impossible to stop the downward spiral. Whether we realize it or not, there is a deep cost in doing that, though the price is not always readily apparent.

In journeying the incline towards the peaks summit, there is something of a twist that we may find helpful. It is the compassion, kindness, tenacity, resourcefulness and support of others that can and often does motivate us towards a better place, even when we may not be sure that we can make it.

A great example and deeply ingrained memory for me was from last October when I was at Autumn Sesshin. I have an old knee injury and sometimes when I sit, I can get tremendous pain or what is called “fire in the knee.” It can make Zazen quite grueling, if I give in to it. As I was going through it, I was feeling bad. I was even a little (or a lot) ashamed of it, as I took it as a sign of my own weakness. There was even some anger there too, as a result. But during a break in the sitting, Zenka Sally Metcalf mentioned a story to me about Eido Tai Shimano Roshi, when he had sustained a leg injury and how he still managed to cut through, despite what may have looked like a limitation.

Those words became a hand-hold or my upward climb and perhaps prevented me from falling into self-pity which can definitely be a kind of personal torture or hell. I pushed back and exerted myself. And when Autumn Sesshin ended, every single person there crossed the finish line together. That is important. We practice and are enabled to practice, because of the interconnection of all sentient beings.

So there is a choice for us. Do we decline or incline? There is no so-called “pause-button” or “middle ground.” That is simply an illusion or a trick within our mind, that lulls us into a false sense of safety and security. It’s that voice that says “this doesn’t really count, this really doesn’t matter.” Looking back, everything matters… even a grain of sand. Personally, I intend to push onward with my friends. How about you?

Namaste’
Jaye Morris, Curator
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