by Daniel Doen Silberberg | Aug 29, 2009 | Uncategorized, Zen
photo credit: Flowery *L*u*z*a*
In Lost Coin practice we talk about actions being “mechanical” happening on their own, without consciousness. It seems negative but it really isn’t. Because we are mechanical we have a wonderful opportunity for freedom. We do so much asleep imagine what we would do and realize if we just began to awake.
We have heard this requires, knowledge, practice, a group to work with and a teacher. The teacher needs to be connected to a real source. Even if we find these things it isn’t easy but it is an objective way in which we can make real efforts and produce real results. We can run our lives rather than being the recipient or victim of our experience.
In our normal state its like being in an airplane that is on automatic pilot. The pilot has gotten used to this convenience so he is fast asleep. The airplanes destination has been decided a long time ago by conditioning, by others’ aims. The flight plan doesn’t include the pilots desires or deeper understandings of a meaningful destination.
We are these pilots. Some of us are fast asleep, some sleeping lightly, some just drowsing. The ones that are just drowsing have dreams in which they have lost or forgotten something, something important.
by Daniel Doen Silberberg | Jan 12, 2009 | Uncategorized, Zen
What becomes increasingly clear to me is how the two sides of practice are dependent on each other. Realization has traditionally been accomplished by sitting and often the use of other methods – koan study, talks, as well as one on one work with the teacher. There is, I think, an assumption that seeing the one mind, the true nature of the self leads to embodiment, or application in everyday life. I think this is not necessarily so. Even after we see who we are, find the Lost Coin, it is still very easy to be identified with the conditioned self. Its easy to still be really stuck in our old patterns, particularly negative ones, the ones that hurt us and others -fear, dissatisfaction and anger. Our realization can become a concept and the conditioned self can really be the part of us that is running the show.
The good news is that realizing this creates a real opportunity for us. It is the opportunity to engage in practices that observe the conditioned self. This is the use of consciousness rather than analysis. As our realization of the one mind deepens our identification with our conditioned self can weaken. We can find distance from it. We can see it. Just seeing it weakens our mechanical way of operating and the cause and effect it creates.
Working in this way we can really develop our practice and freedom in everyday life.
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