Meditation in Action

I had felt confused and scattered for a few days.
In the afternoon I picked up a book and came across a quote by Alan Watts. It says:

“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.”

I wondered for a moment and then decided to go for a walk on the beach.

What does it mean to just peel the potatoes? And how is that an act of spirituality?

I looked at the waves, walked and noticed my breathing – just looking, walking, breathing. There was a lightness, a calmness and openness, an awake-ness to this. It was like “just peeling the potatoes”. Simply just walking, looking, breathing. Suddenly in that place of just being creative words came to mind – not by thinking, more by receiving and certainly without trying The scatteredness had disappeared. I found myself smiling.

So “just peeling the potatoes” maybe really means to give all my attention to what I am doing in the present moment instead of thinking about this and that and making mental comments. In that way I become completely available to a simple yet sacred and infinite creativity. By giving all my attention, caring, love and presence into this very activity the activity itself is the spirituality. It is an expression of Spirit, of God.

I have noticed many times that when we are completely with what we are doing (and also our inner experience) without trying to get anywhere, then possibilities expand, action comes to us spontaneously and often we find insights and ideas that our rational mind would not have come up with. Sometimes this means we remain silent when our mind wants to speak and debate, sometimes it means we say something when mentally it doesn’t seem to make sense at all. Maybe this is in some way the spontaneous aliveness of Zen in action?

“Touching the Core” is about that. It is a space of meditation - or prayer - in action. It is noticing and being available to what is going on – inside and outside - thereby “touching the core” and allowing spontaneous action to manifest and healing to take place.

www.touchingthecore.co.za

The Trap

One day I was walking along the no-path through the forest of life. I was wearing shoes of joy, a coat of trust, a hat of strength and lingerie of love, carrying a sword of bold courage and a heart of open sensitivity. I was skipping along, whistling a sound of freedom.

Suddenly it started raining. First, the coat got wet and the hat started dripping. I was cold but I thought to myself: “No, this is the coat of trust and the hat of strength; I will keep them on to help me on my path.” It rained harder and my clothes got wet and cold to my bones. The lingerie was freezing cold against my skin; the sword squishing in the scabbard.  I thought: “No, I will not take of the underwear. Without love I cannot see my path and without the sword of courage I cannot cut through the obstacles.” 

By then I was shivering, muscles freezing, each step was a painful effort, my lungs grasping for air, the heavy burden of the coat, hat and shoes were weighing me down. My head was dizzy and confused. I saw people pass but could not see their faces.

Tired I sank to the ground by a large tree.
What had happened?

I could no longer bear it; so I took off my clothes and rested the sword. Naked and cold I sat in the rain, the water running down my bear shivering body - nothing to do besides feeling the rain, each droplet meeting the skin. I gazed into the mist in a long silence. Suddenly I heard a whisper:

“Don’t you know - the no-path can never be your path and essence can never be your belonging. Go, dance in the rain, naked – with your eyes wide open. That’s all.”