Quote by John Tarrant, Poison and Joy

So, the darkness in life appears immediately when we sit down to do zazen because immediately we'll find out that our best intentions to do zazen well don't come off. Usually we don't do zazen quite as well as we want to. And we also find out a curious thing that even when we are very sincere, unbidden thoughts arise, unbidden feelings. Things come out of nowhere that we had no intention of summoning. And usually we spend some time fighting with these. I certainly did. A lot of time fighting with these. And I think some fighting can be good because we can feel our strength and our sincerity, but in the long run you just feed the demon when you fight it. You give it energy. In the long run what happens is that if we just attend, things settle. In that way, I think, we go into the poison. We darken the darkness.Zazen: a particular kind of meditation, unique to Zenhttp://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Poison_and_Joy_John_Tarrant,_Roshi

So, the darkness in life appears immediately when we sit dow

Summary

This quote reflects on the experience of practicing zazen, a type of meditation in Zen Buddhism. It suggests that when we begin meditating, we become aware of the challenges and difficulties that arise, such as distractions and unwanted thoughts and emotions. The speaker mentions the temptation to fight against these challenges and spend a lot of time and energy battling with them. However, they propose that instead of fighting, it is more beneficial to simply attend and allow these experiences to settle on their own. By embracing the darkness and not engaging in combat, a sense of clarity and stillness can be found.

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By John Tarrant, Poison and Joy

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