If we close our eyes, if we try to ignore a difficulty that is facing us, we may feel comfortable. But we cannot live life with our eyes closed. We have to be careful of having too much concern for our personal comfort. It will not bring us peace; it will only create more problems. Zazen is the expression of true comfort. It is our total being in the world. It is total seeing, hearing, and breathing the world. It is letting the world see, hear, and breathe us.
Les Kaye, in Zen at Work, an interesting look at the lessons learned by a 30-year IBM employee and part-time abbott of a Zen meditation center in Mountain View, CA. So far, it’s offered great perspective on how to balance spiritual practice with modern work and career aspirations/obligations. Part of the key is mindfulness, that nebulous notion of being present in each task and treating it as a form of inquiry and practice.
