Zen and Now

Do you find your mind rehashing negative past events? Obsessing on the past through thoughts is often referred to in Zen teachings as a chattering mind. Realize that you have a beautiful mind and not to judge it. Understand that it is designed to latch onto thoughts and problems in an attempt to analyze and solve these puzzles of life.

Have compassion for your mind as it is like a dog gnawing a bone with, at times, bitter ferociousness. Have you ever tried taking a meaty bone away from a normally docile animal only to be snapped at? Your mind is similar as it wants to hold onto that meaty and juicy thought.

Only after compassion and understanding for yourself are you able to realize that you are NOT your thoughts and mind. Your true Christ or Buddha Nature is found not in the thoughts of the mind but between its thoughts in silence. It is found in the peace and quiet of the non-chattering mind.

Be the observer and watch your mind. Breath into the moment and work at being conscious in that moment as you proceed through the activities of your day. It is the Now that becomes the Then. So be more now of what you want then. It's all about the "Zen and Now" as you create your future and past by controlling the focus of your mind now. Use your mind in a more constructive way by focusing on what you want and not on what you don't want. Leave past events in the past.

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

http://www.rider.edu/suler/zenstory/obsessed.html

Be at peace.
Namaste.