BEYOND CONSCIOUSNESS: You know how to rest physically. You do not know how to rest mentally. Even though you lie in your bed your mind is still busy; even if you sleep your mind is busy dreaming. Your mind is always in intense activity. This is not so good. We should know how to give up our thinking mind, our busy mind. In order to go beyond our thinking faculty, it is necessary to have a firm conviction in the emptiness of your mind. Believing firmly in the perfect rest of our mind, we should resume our pure original state. … I want you to have a firm, wide, imperturbable conviction in your zazen of just sitting. Just to sit, that is enough. Zen Mind p129-30
To be frank about the opening line – ‘You know how to rest physically. You do not know how to rest mentally.’ – I’m not sure I even know how to rest physically…
Let’s meditate and experience that ‘perfect rest of your mind’. Just to sit, that is enough.
***Zazen20minTimer***
Glimpses of ‘rest of mind’. Just glimpses today. What is your advice for me today?
How are you feeling physically?
Pretty bloated, puffed up, stiff and, yesterday, achey.
There is ‘something in the air’ as they say. No, not CV19 here, but a shifting energetic pattern. It’s pressing at you for connection. You are resisting it somewhat, and the result is the feeling of pressure, like an inflated balloon.
Say, what..? What is the shifting energetic pattern? I’ll need some help here.
If we said everyone was getting their iOS upgrade, would you baulk?
No… Is that why everyone is on lockdown?
Yes. Like a computer goes into maintenance mode while updating, you all are on rest mode for a software update.
And… how best can we facilitate this process?
By offering emptiness of mind. The computer has to rescind the old iOS to be able to install the new. To do that, it has to Quit all programmes running, and close down the system.
Ha! So, in this period, we are being asked to Quit all our productive programmes?
Yes. Close your spreadsheets, your word processing, your internet browser tabs, your music player. Minimise all your windows. And then…
Oh my goodness. I see. And then, press ‘Shut Down’…!
Shut DownLiterally, we are in Shut Down period. Some people call our restrictions ‘Lock Down’. Others ‘Shut Down.’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52025553
Suzuki-roshi says above: ‘Even though you lie in your bed your mind is still busy; even if you sleep your mind is busy dreaming. Your mind is always in intense activity.‘ It’s like are minds are computers always on standby or at most ‘sleep’ mode… But we never switch off long enough for the system to perform full operating system updates.
Ok, but this new iOS?
We discussed it before: The Good iOS.
How do we know we’re not downloading malware that looks like a genuine Good iOS product?
You get in to your body. And you sense. Switching off the mind (thinking) does not mean switching off the senses (feeling). We know how well you have all prioritised thinking over feeling.
True. We’re all having to learn about feelings from scratch. And we have an epidemic of mental ill-health, as these energetically sensitive young people flow into this thought-heavy, feeling-avoidant system that we and our forebears created. And as our older people can not bear the disconnect from self any longer…
So having rebooted your senses, you can spent the shutdown time bathing in sensory experiences. No thoughts are needed.
But what if we sense ‘malware’ incoming?
Your body knows exactly what to do, if your mind doesn’t put a spanner in the works with it’s ‘thinking’ about things.
What does the body do?
Rejects. Instantly. Your body, when the senses are switched on, is like an frequency ninja.
If you want to really heighten your sensitivity and capacity to discern with your body: practice your qigong daily.
Ok, yes. Ty. I’m using https://www.holdenqigong.com/ videoclasses.
Use them daily. And do the long versions, not the short where you can. And do the Breathing sessions, where you can.
What is really important to realise is that this is not a time for intellectualising. Curious about what’s going on in politics, or with the healthcare policies, or the business world? Really, for now, where you can, take your mind of these conundrums. The more you can get away from intellectualising and in to your body, the more capacity you will have for performing your Good iOS update.
There is nothing mysterious about this, for all our use of metaphors. It simply means this: you have all been running on Long Wave radio, and it’s time to move to Digital. The sound quality is going to be better, and you’ll have more choice.
Another metaphor.
Yes! You like them, though, don’t you?
I do.
Your body is the radio machine: receiver and speaker. So, for now, focus on the radio device itself, and not on the radio programme. You’ll pick up the new radio programmes soon enough.
Freshen your body. Enliven it. Move it. Feel it. Put it the sunshine and in the fresh air. Get it frisky in nature. Dance about. Eat lightly. And occupy your mind with The Simplest Matters only. Potter about. Occupy your mind, and your hands, with the very lightest of matters.
Really, where you can, be Daniel-san. Waxing on, waxing off. For this is how you will absorb your new energetic patterns as they download. And they will be ready for you, when the Shut Down is over.
Man alive… Beautiful. Unexpected. Valuable.
So: emptiness of mind, awareness of body.
‘Believing firmly in the perfect rest of our mind, we should resume our pure original state.’ = Restore factory settings. 🙂
🙂 … Reboot. Defrag. Recalibrate…
Empty the mind; sense the body. Get in to your body (and out of your head). Let your hands fascinate you. Watch them. Feel them. Let them do little tasks. Let them practice qigong. Be led by your hands. Let them tell you about the sensations of the body.
Energise your body today, whatever it takes, for that is how you will best ‘step down’ your mind. Let your mind become so busy watching your body that it has no time to think.
Empty the mind; sense the body.
*****
Later:
So good. And even though it was a soft 20mins, it was just enough to kick off the TRE stress release tremor response. And outside in the garden in the sunshine is amazing. Like being on holiday! In my body.
More Empty the Mind; Sense the Body:
- Ditched the phone 12-6pm – extremely calming, and such a good discipline not to respond to the twitchy mind saying ‘Check it; look it up; play a podcast/tune while you do this next thing; message them…’
- Gardening in sunshine – watching hands doing the work
- Savouring lunch
- Walking in woods – observing sensations of sight, sound, touch, smell, taste
<3