A note to the sangha from Jikoji Guiding Teacher Shoho Michael Newhall.
This last Sunday the residents maintained the traditional program of morning practice, a service (chanting the Metta Sutta), a talk and a lunch. It was the usual, but also not usual. With just the few of us here “in place,” we were missing the fullness of the zendo, the engaging questions and dialogue following the talk, the social chatter in the dinning room, and the group walks or programs that followed. We were missing the whole sangha. We were missing you. In holding Jikoji now, we residents extend our affection and connection to all of you in your places. May we all be safe and healthy going through this.
On Sunday our little group together did a guided “metta” meditation. This is unusual for a zen center, with its preference for silence and formless shikantaza, but common in Vipassana traditions. Early Buddhism established various kammatthanas, or topics of meditation, suitable for occasions or individual development. Awareness of breath is a common one, and meditation on loving kindness or metta is another. I believe may people are familiar with this metta practice.
With the metta practice on Sunday, we began with settling ourselves in shamatha, coming into a foundational presence as we attended our breath, our posture, and accepted our bodies and minds as they are. We included our thoughts, our past, our fears, everything gathered together in each breath. We then brought to our bodies and minds a kind of washing or bathing of loving kindness, an empathic care and concerned attention to our very selves, with our breath bathing all that is us with love. Then after a time of settling with that, we extended the same feeling of loving concern to a person close to us, a friend or family person, we bathed them with our love and let that extension settle with them. And then bringing a person to mind who is difficult for us, also the same wish, giving them loving kindness. And progressively, to the close community, those around us, to those farther, to the nation, the world, all animals and plants, the earth itself.
I suppose we could have gone farther, to the solar system, our local group of galaxies, etc. but that seemed enough for now. Then we progressively returned to the room and to our bodies and minds, continuing to extend loving kindness. I think we will do this again. It seems quite appropriate for this time. You may want to give it a try wherever you are. If you do, give it lots of space, let it develop slowly, and its ok to evoke the feelings. They can grow from that.
Another thought about practicing in place occurred to me in remembering some advice I gave a friend who was practicing at home. I told him “ Those times when I was practicing alone it worked for me to set up a strict schedule with an escape hatch. What I did was “owe” each day an incense stick. One time it was a whole stick, at another time broke them in half and owed a half stick. Sit with it each day, until it has finished burning. You know - meet your mind, accept the waves, ride the waves, sometimes be under them where it’s still and quiet. The usual. Then go about your day. The escape hatch is when too restless, impatient or busy with life stuff, can’t finish the stick, put it out and still “owe” the rest of stick (or a whole stick) to another day, or another time of the day. (sometimes I had a big debt to work off!). And I always gave myself a day off a week. A Sunday usually.” I might additionally add that in practicing at home, it’s always helped me to have a proprietary place, cushion or chair that I went to. It was nice to have a statue of a Buddha, etc. with me too. It made it a place to go to, to just do that one thing.
Well, it looks like this is how it will be for a while. Talks and classes will hopefully soon be available to zoom live or video steam later. Please take care of yourselves, use the time well, be safe, be healthy. Somehow we feel the threads that connect us even more deeply now...