Posted inDharma, Dogen, Other Teachings, Valerie's Messages

Message from Valerie: Flowing

April 19, 2023

Sitting in zazen, we embody the silence in all sound and the stillness in all movement. We come home, again and again, to the here and now.

Dogen call this ‘the still-still state,’ or ‘mountain-still sitting.’ He also calls it ‘flowing.’ Zazen, as Dogen coveys, is all-inclusive. And it is constantly changing. 

One all-inclusive flowing. Nothing fixed; nothing excluded. Not only our practice – brand new each time we sit – but also the seasons. Each one complete and utterly dynamic.

Taking up spring as his paintbrush, Dogen writes, “Spring with all its numerous aspects is called flowing. When spring flows there is nothing outside of spring.” How are we to experience this all-inclusive state? Again, Dogen writes, “When you paint spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots – just paint spring.”

When spring comes, let spring occupy everything. Springing forth as the wellspring of this moment. Always arriving, always already gone. This is practice – and not only practice. Practice-realization.

Tasting, exploring, embodying what is. Coming to rest in things just as they are. Exactly as you are.

With love and gratitude,
in shared exploration,

Valerie

Photo by Cory Schadt on Unsplash

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