Honesty

 

IF NOT HERE, WHERE? IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT ME, WHO?

The most important thing in Zen practice is honesty. I think there may be many people who are dishonest in their lives, pretending they are bigger or better or smarter or littler or worse or dumber than they actually are. Such pretense is painful because it blocks the understanding of what is true. In Zen practice, your personal truth is important. You begin with who you are and end with who you are. In between, there is zazen, the practice that helps to take the fiction out of your life.

Some fear that paying attention to their own lives will only serve to create a greater distance from others, a greater loneliness. But real connection does not come from words or books or inspirational talks. It comes from actualized understanding. When we practice zazen, you do your practice and I do mine -- you live your life and I live mine -- and suddenly the line between us is nowhere to be found. Here at last is a place where real friendship can flourish.

Posing for a picture is OK, but please don't waste time posing in your life.