AROUSING THE THOUGHT OF ENLIGHTENMENT
by Sensei Robert Joshin Althouse (c) 2005

"In the great Way of the Buddha patriarchs
there is always supreme continuous practice
which is the Way without beginning or end.
Arousing the thought of enlightenment,
practice, bodhi, and nirvana have not the slightest break,
but are continuous practice which goes on forever.
Therefore, it is neither one's effort nor someone else's effort;
it is pure, continuous practice which transcends the opposition of self and others."
from Gyoji by Dogen Zenji

There is no end to this continuous practice that Dogen Zenji speaks of. For us, an important part of continuous practice is zazen (meditation). Zazen is not easy. Making it part of our every daily life can be challenging. Our lives seem to become increasingly busy and driven. We come to Zen practice for different reasons. Sometimes it is some shock or crisis that propels us to plant ourselves on a cushion and bear witness to our experience without running away or escaping. We feel compelled to face something in ourselves that continually eludes us. Who are we? What is the meaning of our lives? Why are we here and what are we to do with our time on this earth?

In Japanese, "Arousing the Thought of Enlightenment" is Hotsu Bodaishin. This literally means to "Raise the Bodhi Mind/Heart". When we awaken this aspiration to accomplish the Way, we trigger a deep longing within ourselves to clarify our the meaning of our life as Buddha did 2500 years ago. We don't really know how to do this; only that we must somehow find the Way. So Zen practice begins as a search, a process of seeking the Way. We may initially look for it outside ourselves and eventually discover it can't be found that way. Then we may redirect the search inward. So practice is a process. It requires effort, diligence and discipline.

Starting to practice zazen is like learning to play the piano or a sport. You must practice it over and over again, and this practice will require steady discipline and focused effort. It will be awkward in the beginning. A beginning piano player is not likely to sit down and play beautiful Mozart. It will take many years before the music begins to flow and really sound like music. It is much the same with zazen. We must apply a steady, patient effort and focus to this practice.

Zen practice is both a process and a completion. Dogen speaks of this mysterious paradox when he says that continuous practice is not your effort or somebody else's. How can this be? We can all agree that zazen takes effort and energy. But this effort is not directed towards a goal. So it is also effortless. It is both process and completion.

As our practice of zazen deepens and matures, we experience the raising of "samadhi". There is no easy translation of this sanskrit word, but we could say it is an experience of effortless absorption. As process, one begins zazen as if swimming upstream. As you continue to sit, a flowing quality arises that feels increasingly like swimming down stream You may experience this process and completion within several sitting periods in just in one morning or evening. During your first sitting period you may be distracted and sleepy. In your second or third sitting period you begin to feel more clarity as the mind/body settles. At this point, it is not so clear. Are you meditating on the cushion or is the cushion meditating on you? Is meditation a verb or a noun. As verb you do it. As noun, it does you - you just BE meditation.

If you are already practicing zazen regularly please just keep on going. Zazen will take care of itself. If you are just beginning or wishing to begin, please be patient with the process of establishing zazen as a regular daily practice in your life. It will take time. Support from teachers and sangha communities is helpful. You don't have to isolate yourself to practice Zen meditation. It can be very rewarding to practice together with others.

There is no beginning or end to the Way and this Way continues forever.