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: Feb 2025

February 25, 2025

Explore your personality through 4 mind-body energy patterns and learn to access whichever serves best.

See Event

Zen Leader 1: May 2025

May 15, 2025 – May 18, 2025

Embody the basic flips of Zen Leadership from transforming problems to realizing a desired future.

See Event

HEAL1: May 2025

May 15, 2025 – May 18, 2025

Apply the basic flips of ZL to healthcare with results and resilience in this accredited program.

See Event

FEBI-4U: Aug 2025

August 26, 2025

Explore your personality through 4 mind-body energy patterns and learn to access whichever serves best.

See Event

Master Class: Sept 2025

September 11, 2025 – September 14, 2025

Annual training for coaches and instructors of Zen Leadership.

See Event

FEBI Certification: Fall 2025

September 23, 2025 – November 4, 2025

Add this powerful mind-body personality assessment to your coaching and facilitation.

See Event

HEAL1: September 2025

September 25, 2025 – September 28, 2025

Apply the basic flips of ZL to healthcare with results and resilience in this accredited program.

See Event

Zen Leader 1: September 2025

September 25, 2025 – September 28, 2025

Embody the basic flips of Zen Leadership from transforming problems to realizing a desired future.

See Event

Zen Leader 2: Oct 2025

October 23, 2025 – October 26, 2025

Experience the freedom of reframing fears and conflict and the power of strengthening relationships.

See Event

HEAL2: Oct 2025

October 23, 2025 – October 26, 2025

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