Dear friends,
A long time ago, my teacher said to me: “Seido, you teach kindergarten Zen.” And without
hesitation I replied: “Well, someone has to do it.” I never took his comment to be an insult. On
the contrary. I may be teaching kindergarten Zen, but even kindergarten Zen is difficult for
some people to comprehend and to put into practice.
There are five parts to this teaching: be still, look out, put it all down, don’t get stuck, don’t give
up. Each of the five overlap and are, ultimately, one teaching.
First: be still. This simply means stop! Pause. Take a breath. To sit zazen is the foundation of Zen
practice and the most expedient means of being still. Practicing zazen on the cushion is
essential. But let’s be clear: if you are waiting for satori, kensho, enlightenment, Buddhahood,
you’re just wasting your time. Forget all these useless terms. As Master Foyan said, “You must
seek without seeking – non-seeking seeking.” And as Master Rinzai taught, “If you aspire to
Buddha, you lose Buddha. If you aspire to the Way, you lose the Way. If you aspire to be the
Master, you lose the Master.” Why? All this “aspiring” is ego-based. Too much ego amigo!
Correct sitting means to have a stable posture, natural breathing, and to be alert and attentive.
As thoughts arise, you are not bothered; they’re just thoughts that come and go on their own –
unless you get stuck. If you do, no problem: when you realize you’re meandering in the
labyrinth of the thinking mind, let it go by returning to correct posture and breathing.
Second: look out. This is about opening wide all the senses — eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and
mind – and practicing “panoramic awareness.” This applies to sitting zazen in the zendo. Smell
the incense, feel the temperature of the room, listen to the sounds of the traffic, of the birds
and insects. Keep this panoramic awareness functioning while allowing thoughts to arise and
dissipate. It’s very important to practice this, over and over while sitting on the cushion. Do not
be attached to habits of thought: look out!
Third: put it all down. Looking out is a method for putting it all down. If your full attention is on
the song of the Carolina Wren outside the window there’s no room for subjective thinking.
Putting it all down is a more polite way of saying, “Get over yourself!” Drop your opinions,
beliefs, desires, likes and dislikes, all of it! Experience the freedom of just being present and
breathing. This you must practice over and over again, both on and off the cushion. Unburden
yourself of yourself and become the wind in the trees, the smells of the forest, the birdsong,
the drone of traffic, the jet plane flying overhead and so on: look out, put it all down, again and
again, from moment to moment. This is how the cramped fist of the ego relaxes enough to
open and let go.
Fourth: don’t get stuck. Being still, looking out, putting it all down are ways to practice not
getting stuck. But as my teacher was quick to emphasize, don’t get stuck in emptiness either.
Tathagata Zen is about both the living activity and the dying activity. It includes plus and minus,
expansion and contraction, oneness and separation. This is the Tao, or the Way of Dharma activity. Not getting stuck acknowledges the impermanence of all things – change is the natural way of the Tao. As much as we would like for some things to last forever, we know they never
will. That’s the nature of nature. It’s also the root of suffering. When it’s time to suffer, you
should suffer; when it’s time to weep, you should weep freely, when it’s time to laugh, laugh
wholeheartedly, allow yourself to feel joy; but again: don’t get stuck! Nothing lasts forever,
including pain and misery; happiness and sorrow. Not getting stuck is about true stillness.
Stillness is fluid – like a leaf floating down a river. To live life with equanimity is following the
Great Way. Movement and stillness become one activity, like inhaling and exhaling.
Fifth: don’t give up. We say Zen “practice” because that’s what it is: practice. Know now that
there is no end to this practice. And always remember, sitting zazen in the zendo is
fundamentally important, but that’s just the foundation. You must take your practice off the
cushion and into the world. The world is where the real practice takes place. In monastic
training, working Zen (samu) is just as important as sitting Zen (zazen).
Zen practice is not something special. In fact, it’s quite simple: show up from moment to
moment and do what needs to be done without distinctions. This – “without distinctions” —
goes back to putting it all down and not getting stuck in the endless labyrinth of your own
subjective thoughts. People who don’t understand this practice ask me, “So, are you saying we
can’t think and have our own opinions and our own feelings?” If that were the case, I’d say,
good luck with that! We think: that’s what we do as human beings; we experience gain and
loss, good and bad, kindness and cruelty and we have opinions about it all – it’s natural. But the
subjective mind can easily become a prison, particularly when we get stuck and self-absorbed.
And then, there’s no end to the suffering. And when that happens – depression, despair,
anxiety, hopelessness, etc. – you need more than zazen. There’s no shame in seeking
professional help. Contemplation is as important as meditation. Speaking with someone who is
professionally trained to help you can be a great blessing.
To live freely means living life with equanimity – freely going to heaven, freely going to hell, no
distinctions; just don’t get stuck. Be still. Look out. Put it all down. This is the Way of your True
Nature. This is why we must practice on the cushion and off: to be able to rise to the occasion,
whatever that may be. Show up. Don’t give up.
Words are never enough. More zazen.
With a deep bow,
Seido Ray Ronci
Hokoku-an Zendo
8/16/25
