
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/

Join Our FEBI Certification Waitlist
September 13 – January 1, 2024
Add this powerful mind-body personality assessment to your coaching and facilitation.

Zen Leader 2: Oct 2023
October 26 – October 29
Experience the freedom of reframing fears and conflict and the power of strengthening relationships.

HEAL 2: Oct 2023
October 26 – October 29
HEAL 2 builds further resilience by reframing fear and conflict and strengthening relationships.

HEAL 1: In-person Program
November 2 – November 5
WI
This rare, in-person opportunity to immerse yourself in the setting of a Zen dojo is open to the first 10 people to register.

Zen Leader 3: Nov-Dec 2023
November 30 – December 3
Complete your journey through the “flips” of Zen Leadership equipping you to sense the whole picture, transcend limits, and create desired futures.

HEAL 3: Nov-Dec 2023
November 30 – December 3
The final course in the HEAL Series completes the flips of ZL with aplications to healthcare.

Zen Leader 1: March 2024
March 7, 2024 – March 10, 2024
Embody the basic flips of Zen Leadership from transforming problems to realizing a desired future.

HEAL 1: March 2024
March 7, 2024 – March 10, 2024
Apply the basic flips of ZL to healthcare with results and resilience in this accredited program.

HEAL 1: September 2024
September 26, 2024 – September 29, 2024
Apply the basic flips of ZL to healthcare with results and resilience in this accredited program.

Zen Leader 1: September 2024
September 26, 2024 – September 29, 2024
Embody the basic flips of Zen Leadership from transforming problems to realizing a desired future.
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.
Published on May 28 2019
Last Updated on Dec 11 2019
By Ginny Whitelaw