…the Way is intrinsically fulfilled; the principle of Zen is complete freedom. ~ Dogen
Upright, balanced – yet completely at ease. This is intrinsic fulfillment.
Rested, relaxed – yet alert with an awareness that penetrates everywhere and embraces all things. This is unbounded freedom.
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In praise of the Smoking Ban…
The “fag break,” so called in Britain – time to step outside and have a “gasper,” meaning a five-minute smoke outside the office, in the carpark, on the fire escape – was basically initiated by the ban of smoking in the office.
If you just remove the carcinogenic smoke, then the little time to focus on breathing, to breathe the air outside, to stand under the trees, under the clouds, under the blue sky, in the roar of traffic or the hiss of wind or the fabric of birdsong, or in the quiet of open countryside, whatever it may be – can become a time of recollecting our life, our environment, our body, our heart.
Maybe we should initiate the “breath break” or “air break” or “tree break” or “weather break” – a moment of brief rest and recollection, during which we stand outside our place of work and notice all the other sounds and sights and experiences going on throughout our day, to which we are ordinarily oblivious.