Honesty
I wanted to talk about my view of the essential ingredient of Zen practice while on or off the meditation cushion–honesty. We tend to squirm when we encounter something unpleasant about ourselves–we look away, head for a distracting pleasure, or blame someone or something else. How do we develop the courage and honesty to face what we encounter moment by moment? On the cushion, we do this through repeated effort to sit through whatever arises in our consciousness, to keep on breathing and to keep the focus on the meditation despite the mind or the body’s shenanigans. In this way our concentration increases, and we deepen our ability to be honest with what we are actually up to–even when it is not very pretty! Off the cushion, if we keep paying attention to our own reactivity, we can notice the subtle movements of the mind and notice the emotions that arise in the body. These movements belong to us, they are not caused by another. While we may have the idea that practice helps us to become less selfish people, this only happens with our actual engagement– our patient and honest presence. It is through our own effort in practicing and facing our selfishness: one thought, one impulse, one craving and one vindictive action after another that we are liberated from the toxic grip of our selfishness. Do not aim to be perfect; aim instead for perfect honesty. The ability to be honest (with yourself) is strengthened by and strengthens your meditation practice, and will serve you well in all of your relationships.