Four Practices of Mindful Living
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
Good Morning Everyone,
My hope is that each of you had a wonderful New Year's Day and that your life will be much improved as this year unfolds. When I say this, I don't mean your circumstances, but rather, your life. We often assume that our lives are our circumstances, but we all have circumstances, don't we? It is how we approach and encounter these circumstances that make our lives what they are.
When each day dawns I make a vow to see the world as it is and free all beings in the process. This is an acknowledgment that Clear Mind and Zen Practice are one. Many of us struggle with this. We think that our circumstances, if improved, will make our lives better. In some respects this is true, I suppose. If we understand better to mean food on the table, a warm home, or recovery from illness. But if we mean better to mean a larger TV screen, the latest fashion, or a new car, well this is just lust. We human beings regardless of our circumstances always envision better circumstances and too often "better" is framed by cultural or media tease and tinsel.
Clear Mind enables us to see directly, exactly, what is there. Zen is the approach of a full human being who is in sync with reality. Attitude adjusted.
We do this through the Four Practices: the practice of Zazen (seated meditation), the practice of Kinhin (walking meditation), the practice of Oryoki (eating meditation), and the practice of Samu (work meditation). These are the practices of mindful living, the practices of Clear Mind Zen.
Be well.
My hope is that each of you had a wonderful New Year's Day and that your life will be much improved as this year unfolds. When I say this, I don't mean your circumstances, but rather, your life. We often assume that our lives are our circumstances, but we all have circumstances, don't we? It is how we approach and encounter these circumstances that make our lives what they are.
When each day dawns I make a vow to see the world as it is and free all beings in the process. This is an acknowledgment that Clear Mind and Zen Practice are one. Many of us struggle with this. We think that our circumstances, if improved, will make our lives better. In some respects this is true, I suppose. If we understand better to mean food on the table, a warm home, or recovery from illness. But if we mean better to mean a larger TV screen, the latest fashion, or a new car, well this is just lust. We human beings regardless of our circumstances always envision better circumstances and too often "better" is framed by cultural or media tease and tinsel.
Clear Mind enables us to see directly, exactly, what is there. Zen is the approach of a full human being who is in sync with reality. Attitude adjusted.
We do this through the Four Practices: the practice of Zazen (seated meditation), the practice of Kinhin (walking meditation), the practice of Oryoki (eating meditation), and the practice of Samu (work meditation). These are the practices of mindful living, the practices of Clear Mind Zen.
Be well.
