There are parallels to “visual thinking”, attending to information coming to awareness before any discrimination of intent, in disciplines other than psychic healing. Dogen the Japanese Soto teacher emphasized “non-thinking” as the pivot of zazen, for instance (in Fukanzazengi).
I myself am coming to the conclusion that the ...
On sitting the lotus, here are some instructions I find very useful, every day almost:
An empty hand grasps the hoe handle
Walking along, I ride the ox
The ox crosses the wooden bridge
The bridge is flowing, the water is still.
(“Zen’s Chinese Heritage”, Andy Ferguson, pg 2, copyright 2002 Andrew Ferguson)
So ...
I remember Blanche Hartman from S.F. Zen Center talking about one day when she was on her way to a day of mindfulness and she buttoned her shirt backwards or something. I do revere some of the teachers I met from Japan, whom I thought had a certain grace and poise, and sometimes I think I should be concerned to practice hard and be more like them; ...
