Wholistic Fitness

ZEN MIND, BEGINNERS MIND….and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANANDA!

after working with WF Teacher Ananda in structured zazen, i test her zen skills by taking her climbing. i do this so she can apply Zen focusing abilities while in a challenging situation. The fear of falling causes most conventionally trained ‘zen people’ to completely, utterly lose all their zafu prowess the moment their ego’s feel ankle breaking air beneath their britches. i train my Warrior Athletes differently; i want my students to ANIMATE their zen fitness by taking risks to ensure their focus is strong and sincere and capable of sustaining beginning Bardo Training (moment of death preparation). Here, Birthday Girl Ananda, cranks some plastic…HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANANDA…THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT and DEVOTION OF OUR HUMBLE TEMPLE!

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As many of you know, i am very mindful about suggesting reading assignments. only a few ‘spiritual’ books are to me like the SUNRIDER herbs; wholesome, can do no harm, can only help ignite what already lies within.

One of the first books that was suggested to me, many years ago, was D.T. Suzuki’s classic book; ZEN MIND, BEGINNERS MIND. you may know i suggest this book to my TBT readers. Below, you will see why i have authorized my Online Teaching Staff to suggest this book for Students of WF. you will feel the worth of the book through Online Student Featherman’s beautiful insights as he draws connections between Suzuki’s teachings and the world of WF Training.

may it help your Practice and i bow to Noble Online Student Feather from the Haku Clan…

namaste,
coach ilg

(ps; i and Ananda are heading up the coast for a couple of days…you only have several hundred DL’s to archive in case you need a fresh DL hit! breathe into the beingness of the beauty that originated you.)

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Coach Haku Teacher Sensei Jomanji:
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All I Need To Know I Learned in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.
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This is a very profound book. �I actually picked it up a long time ago, and read it after Ilg recommended it in TBT. �It’s a little too profound to just casually pick up and read, though. �Actually, the book itself embodies the teachings within the book: simple, to the point, shedding everything not essential or necessary to the teaching.
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As to the assignment, I can’t really “identify five things I learned from the book.” �The book needs to be breathed in. �But five things that stand out:
1. �The chapter on breathing, where he says taht “when we practice zazen, all that exists is the movement of the breathing,” and to be aware of this movement means to be aware of our buddah nature. �The thing that struck me here was his explanation that “you and I are just swinging doors.” �I really FELT this one when meditating a couple of times, where I was completely in the groove, and I felt connected to the UniVerse through the breath. �I also, as I told you before, felt this when doing a tough climb. �I would like to carry this into all areas of life
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2. �Mind Weeds. �In this chapter, Suzuki says we should be grateful for the obstacles to our practice, since, like weeds, they eventually enrich our practice. �Too often when meditating I get down on myself – I have monkey mind, I can’t do anything but daydream etc. �But instead, Suzuki says that if we work through the difficulties, we enrich our practice. �Sort of a take on embracing difficulty.
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3. �The whole idea of having no “gaining ideas” is profound. �By letting go of seeking an outcome – be it in meditation, cycling, yoga, life- we can more fully embrace the moment. �So it is the process that matters, not the result. �”When you do something, just to do it should be your purpose.” �I really took this to heart in the gym and on runs and on the bike this cycle. �So instead of thinking about how lifting would make my biceps look bigger or better or something, I just got into the lift itself, executing it with good form, and concentrating on the thing itself.
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4. �No Trace. �Here Suzuki says that when we do something, we must “burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” �I love this. �This is, I think, another way of doing things without attachment to the results, without a gaining idea. �Thus, when doing something, we must do it completely in the moment, using our whole minds and bodies. �This is an extremely intense idea for the warrior I want to be. �Too often, for example, I hold a little back — I can’t give it my all here, I might get dropped, or I might be too tired tomorrow, or I might burn myself out. �The whole point is to do it in such a way that you do burn out, so there is nothing left, no ego, no thought.
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5. �Throughout the book, Suzuki emphasizes doing, not philosophising. �This is a particular issue for me. �Too often I step behind the intellect to put distance between myself and my experiences. �So I analyze what I am doing, rather than just doing.For some things, I must intellectualize – for example, certain legal things I do for a living. �But for what matters, the thing is to do rather than to think. �This is a tough one for me, but one to which I am rising to the challenge.
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I read the book twice, just to embrace it. �No doubt I will read it many more times.
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Peace,
Feather �