What does Infinity mean? It means that nothing exists in the physical world that does not exist in Infinity. Infinity is another name for yin yang. Infinity is one, as yin yang is one. it can also be seen as “Not Two”…..
In the physical world, yin and yang are pulled apart to a discreet distance, so we can see both sides. Shadow and Light, Love and Hate, Obvious and Hidden, Male and Female, Awake and Asleep, Full and Empty. The physical world is the world of mental distinctions.
When we allow ourselves to see this, struggling ceases. Struggling ceases because that which seems repugnant to us, and that which we love, are seen as two parts of one whole…… so there is nothing to struggle against and nothing to struggle for. When struggling ceases, the flowing which was there all the while, becomes the predominant Reality. Our whole life is spent as a struggle against repugnance and for love. Most of us truly enjoy the struggle….. performing masterful swordsplay against ghosts. Some see through the illusion of this drama….. for whatever reason…. This is why some practice zazen. In that sense, zazen is “seeing clearly”.
Why do we need to spend time quietly sitting in zazen each day?
Some folks ask why a person should take a few minutes to be quiet and sit with the “inner person” (which imho IS none other than Infinity) We spend our whole day being hit and often confused by the world of the 5 senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, thinking. We spend our days distinguishing, dividing, sorting, categorizing, accepting and/or reacting, struggling with, or struggling against ALL THAT DATA…. .
The “apex” of the 5 senses, which is our physical experience, where our senses come together to form what we call “I”, bombards us with physical and emotional data NON-STOP … sometimes quietly, sometimes very loudly…. like the experience of being an American in 2018…… so many folks heads spinning…..
Yet most folks are aware of an inner quietness, which can “make the noise take a break” (and it IS there any time we look for it)…… so my question is…. why WOULDN’T we take a few minutes, to compose ourselves.
Take a minute, think about how you feel when you feel “scattered”…. then think for a moment about how you feel when you feel “quiet and focused”…… if you can experience that difference now, then you can experience it any time you choose to……
This is what zazen teaches us. And it is why it is so important to have some “practice” which helps us discover that it is possible to choose to either live out in the wild storm, or in the depths of ourselves…. The physical world…. the world of the 5 senses will never give us this….. but it does point us to that quietness…. so in all of its bombarding, the physical world DOES point us towards our quietness……. spend a few moments and see how valuable this type of practice is.
It isn’t an escape, it is a tool to deal effectively with what life throws at us…… it is a tool for active participation in life….. not just living as the “French Resistance”……
“Let’s start participating in life from this deeper self, instead of being drawn into a reactionary stance.”
Reality is Dharma 