Zen Leadership Post – The Institute for Zen Leadership
Close Menu

And Back To One

Greetings from Spring Green!

This week, about 15 of us are in Wisconsin attending summer sesshin, seven days of intensive Zen training. We spend many hours doing zazen.

At the start of the week my mind sounds something like this: Check your posture. Breathe into hara. Count the breaths, onnnnnnnnnneeeee…twoooooooo. Sit up straighter. I wonder how my mom is doing? Relax the shoulders. Ouch, my right leg is falling asleep, if I just move it a t-i-n-y little bit, will the jiki yell, “Don’t move!”?

We’ve all been there – meditating while a thundering herd of thoughts runs through our minds.

Of all the guidelines I use during zazen, the one I use most regularly is counting my exhalations and, when I lose count, coming back to one.

It’s reassuring: I lose count, I catch myself, and I can always start again with sincere effort.

“Back to one” is especially resonant right now. As you may have heard, IZL’s sister organization the International Zen Dojo of Wisconsin has purchased an old mission church near downtown Madison. Our new Madison dojo needs a lot of TLC. Every time we start one project, we discover another. “And back to one,” I remind myself.

If you can, please add your sincere effort to help the Madison dojo reach its “$20K in 20 days” goal and check out the revamped website, thanks to Anita Taylor.

PS The Higgs boson, or “God particle,” is considered the building block of the universe and lasts only a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second—taking tiny ferociously fast loops into and out of existence—so that the universe is continuously being reborn. Read more about “going back to one” in this context in this article from the winter solstice edition of Tricycle magazine: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/winter-solstice-buddhism/

Please join us at an upcoming Zen Leader program:

FEBI-4U

March 21 – April 4

Discover your inner team of energy patterns.

See Event

FEBI Certification

May 2 – June 13

The next step in your FEBI journey.

See Event

ZL and PL: Zen, Zen Leadership (ZL) and the Cycle of Perma Leadership (PL)

May 6

A One-Day Introduction to Zen, Zen Leadership (ZL) and the Cycle of Perma Leadership (PL)

See Event
white water rapids

HEAL 1: Online Weekend Program May 2023

May 18 – May 21

Immerse yourself for a long weekend and see how wonderfully different you feel by Sunday.

See Event

Zen Leader 1: Online Weekend Program May 2023

May 18 – May 21

Awaken the Zen Leader In You. Your leadership will never be the same.

See Event

Zen Leader 2: Online Weekend Program June 2023

June 8 – June 11

Take the next step towards unleashing your capacity to lead from your whole self.

See Event

HEAL 2: Online Weekend Program June 2023

June 8 – June 11

HEAL 2 is where we work at removing fear, first in ourselves and then helping others. We’ll trace the roots of fear and share several ways to overcome it, along with skills to resolve conflict, empower others and deepen relationships.

See Event

Zen Leader 3: Online Weekend Program July 2023

July 13 – July 16

This final program in the Zen Leadership trilogy completes your journey through the “flips” of The Zen Leader, equipping you with skills and practices by which you can sense the whole picture, seize opportunities and transform visions into value.

See Event

HEAL 3: Online Weekend Program July 2023

July 13 – July 16

The final course in the HEAL Series equips you with the physical condition to face challenging situations with resilience, joy and a sense of abundance.

See Event

Master Class 2023 (Online)

September 14 – September 17

Deeper training to become coaches and instructors in Zen Leadership.

See Event
white water rapids

HEAL 1: In-person Weekend Program

November 2 – November 5

This rare, in-person opportunity to immerse yourself in the setting of a Zen dojo is open to the first 10 people to register.

See Event

Do we know how to find you?

If you received this from a friend and want your own monthly boost of insight and resources, let us know.

What are you interested in? Check all that apply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *