Everything changes.

Five for five!

I didn’t have a chance to post last night because a work issue came up and I was up until midnight fixing that. But I made it this morning anyhow. Luckily I have today off so I can take a nap later.

While I don’t think I’ll keep going to morning sittings regularly, going to every morning and evening sitting this week was a great way to tap into (and contribute to!) the joriki of Rohatsu. Today is the last full day of the Vermont sesshin, and I could feel the energy this morning. May everyone from our triple sangha sitting sesshin be able to put their full effort into their practice today and tomorrow!

Almost forgot to post! Three for three.

Have to get to bed now though, morning and evening sittings tomorrow. I have the day off, to get some extra sitting in since it’s the actual day of Rohatsu, too.

Two for two.

This morning was very cloudy. Not “I am resisting practicing” cloudy, not “I am exhausted, the ego is exhausted and practice remains” cloudy, but “what is even going on oh why is there a bell oh yeah I remember” cloudy. Tomorrow morning I am going to make coffee at home and drink it on the way to the centre. Even during sesshin I have a cup of black tea first thing in the morning.

A friend of mine — from a small online community I’ve hung out in for, oh, holy cow, probably twelve years now — mentioned today that a friend had passed away. And that that friend’s partner (wife? I can’t remember) had gone through his wallet, as one does when one is closing up the affairs of another, and found that he had carried with him the metta sutta.

The last lines seem fitting —

By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

One down, four to go.

Hit the snooze button a few too many times this morning but still got out of the house on time to get to the Zen Centre around quarter to six. I was the first in the zendo other than the monitor.

Our morning sittings don’t have any kinhin — just two rounds with a bell in between at which you can change your posture — and that was tough, because if I’m a little sleepy kinhin usually snaps me out of it. I can see needing to work extra hard this week.

Tomorrow’s going to be a real challenge, though. Morning sitting, then home to keep an eye on a software release at work, then back down to the centre’s neighbourhood for a business meeting, then up to the office for the rest of the day, then back to the zen centre for the evening sitting.

But it’s not like I’ve got better things to do, right?