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Finding Oneness Through Public Meditation

     This photo was taken outside of the market by my house, and the poster is a mantra that I repeat to myself during times of distress.  

     I believe strongly that practice doesn’t stop when we leave the cushion.  As a result, I often find myself meditating in public spaces (parks, street corners, train stations, etc.). This is very different from four years ago when I practiced only inside of Zen centers and behind closed doors.

     Initially, I started meditating as a means of escaping the world around me.  I had hoped to find inner peace by detaching myself from the messiness of human life. But Buddhism has taught me that we don’t find peace and happiness by separating ourselves from the world. Rather, we must immerse ourselves more fully in it.

     When I practice meditation in the midst of laughing families and busy shoppers, the entire world becomes my zendo. More than that, I recognize my oneness with the world



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Comments

  1. Love this. It is reminding me that I still can find time to meditate - even if just while waiting in line at the grocery store.

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  2. Very nice. I too find myself sitting Zazen in public; which is a far cry from when I first started and wore ear plugs. I realized that I was trying to "escape" reality through sitting, which defeated the purpose. Now, by sitting amongst the workaday world I am by far more tolerant and less judgmental and critical.

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    Replies
    1. Just curious: what is the purpose in your opinion?

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  3. So let us begin to clear our minds of useless, wayward abstract thoughts having no justification to control or dictate our life's direction. We will find meditation allows you in the purest sense, to create your own life's experiences. (More discussion about that possibility a bit later). best books on meditation

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