[kjanyeaz1]

Hi Danny,


Bhikkhu Bodhi's book "In the Buddha's Words", he dedicates the first chapter to explore thoroughly what is human condition; at the end of his introduction he states:

"Most beings live immersed in the enjoyment of sensual pleasure. Others driven by the need of power, status and esteem, pass their lives in vain attempts to fill an unquenchable thirst. Many, fearful of annihilation at death, construct belief systems that ascribe to their individual selves, their souls, the prospect of eternal life. A few yearn for a path to liberation but do not know where to find one. It was precisely to offer such a path that the Buddha has appeared in our midst. After this then come the selected suttas that explain human condition. In this way, Buddha Nature is the event of having overcome that human nature or that human condition.

I am a regular Zazen practitioner since quite more than two years. In short, what zazen is about, at least as the way we practice it at the Dojo, is to watch thoughts; the wilderness of thoughts; the muddle we have as a mind. We were warned not to expect any sort of experience but just to watch... and to be mindful of our breath, counting it, watching thoughts how they arise and fade. This helps to develop insight and tranquility so to bring zazen into daily life; to bring that same awareness into day a day issues. There is nothing more than that. But it is a huge task anyway.