Oakville Zen Meditation
Awakening
Main attributes toward equanimity, and eventually Awakening Part 2
To be awakened in its Eastern philosophical root means not to be a daydreamer that is to realize that our mind is the greatest illusionist of all time.
The practice of meditation is the best tool not to be trapped in its tricks.
Here is the second part of the list, in non-specific order, of the attributes linked to Awakening. You will see that they are linked to the previous ones presented last week.
11) Don’t make spontaneous judgments, naming, or labeling unless you know, and have to make a decision.
12) Avoid strong attachment since nothing, absolutely nothing either good or bad will last.
13) Accept uncertainty because uncertainty is certain.
14) Express compassion and loving-kindness to others but also to self.
15) Being at ease with death including your one.
16) Be at peace with your non-peace mind.
17) Realizing that:
Everything is impermanent.
We are all interconnected and interdependent rather than being separate, self-sufficient living beings. The Zen expression “ No self” defines the non-existence of a separate self.
We do not control anything: neither our mind, body, people, event, situation, life. thinking that we do control x, y z, is a great source of delusion, and suffering. What do you control?
Happiness is an inside job. Seeking outside happiness all the time is suffering by itself.
Our thoughts, and feelings exist but they are not necessarily true despite coming from our minds.
Only the present moment exists. The past is dead and the future is unborn except on the calendar.
The past creates regrets, guilt, and anger, and the future creates anxiety, expectation, desire, hatred, and illusion.
Both spacetimes are fictional
Life is what it is, and not what we want it to be. It is not a person who cares or doesn’t care about you.
Final words:
Again, most of the time we are trapped in our thoughts/feelings/ concepts/ past/future dreaming states rather than in the current moment which is not too exciting!
Zen calls us: “ Day sleepwalker” and is asking us to escape from these fictional worlds as often
as possible. How? By learning to observe your mind at work, and asking: is it factual? Remember: when you meditate you learn to control your illusionist-called mind THANKS
