“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,
but for the patience to win my freedom.”
It's momentous to have Mauna Loa erupting again on Hawaii Island and a joyful thing that there is no one in her path to be hurt. Tutu Pele is spectacularly alive and well and we respect and honor her!
My father used to say, “Health is wealth”. As I age, I find that health is also joy. My body thrives with a balance of movement, good food, and a good outlook on life. It’s easy for me to skip these things when I get busy. If I slip up on any part of this triad, I notice that I’m grumpy or foggy and my body is tense and out of sorts.
Mindfulness meditation helps me maintain this balance. The Dalai Lama, in The Book of Joy, says there are two types of happiness. The first is the enjoyment of pleasure through the senses. Happiness here is limited and brief.
True joyfulness, according to the Dalai Lama, is experiencing happiness at a deeper level through the mind, such as through love, compassion and generosity. He continues, “When you are joyful and happy at the mental level, physical pain doesn’t matter much. But if there is no joy or happiness at the mental level, too much worrying, too much fear, then even physical discomforts and pleasure will not soothe your mental discomfort.”
So how do I care for my mind? I love the four sesshins - silent meditation retreats - that our Zen Life & Meditation Center holds each season of the year. It’s a time when I can practice with others and take a big pause. I slow way down and truly rest my mind by practicing mindfulness. Which seems like a paradox. But the slowing down and doing one thing at a time is actually necessary for mind training.
My mind likes busy. Sometimes, it doesn’t know how to stop and can become like a prison. Sesshins are a chance for me to change the pattern. I sit on a chair and pay attention to my body. At times, I consciously breathe deeply and fill my body with oxygen. Other times I just sit with nothing in mind and watch many thoughts come and go. My practice is letting go of thoughts. Again, again, and again. This is the antidote: one-pointed attention and ho’omanawanui – practicing patience helps me be patient. Busy mind is needed to help me practice patience and win freedom.
Joy naturally bubbles up at some point midway through the 7-day sesshin. Deep and abiding joy that is unmistakably here. I find myself whistling softly as I clean or cook. I believe joy is here for everyone. My body, mind and heart know that joy, that aloha, is everywhere throughout the universe.
All Blessings for the Holiday Season!
Mahalo nui loa and malama pono (take good care of body, mind and heart),
June Kaililani Ryushin Tanoue
Kumu Hula, Sensei
P.S. Here's the November talk that Karleen Manchanda gave at Sunday Morning Zen entitled, "Embodied Awareness" https://youtu.be/KvxtEp5EPZA