Dear Friend,
Phew, writer’s block has been hitting hard! These past two weeks, I’ve struggled to come up with a post idea and nothing in my backlog resonated with me either (click here for info on how I do my backlogs/life management). Since this blog is so deeply intertwined with my personal thoughts, discoveries, and spiritual journey, writing a post just for the sake of writing a post felt unjust, so I’ve allowed space for something to come to me.
And alas, it has. While I’ve been gone these two weeks, I’ve returned to regularly reading more of the book The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau. This book always has a way of revitalizing my ardor in my spiritual quest for enlightenment, and these past two weeks have proven no different.
As I was reading this past week, there was a quote that struck a chord within me:
“The object here, as in every other type of zazen, is the cultivation first of mindfulness and eventually mindlessness. These are simply two different degrees of absorption. Mindfulness is a state wherein one is totally aware in any situation and so always able to respond appropriately. Yet one is aware that one is aware. Mindlessness, on the other hand, or ‘no-mindedness’ as it has been called, is a condition of such complete absorption that there is no vestige of self-awareness.
Any action arising from these states of mind can be neither rushed nor desultory, neither strained nor lax, can have no false movements nor waste any energy. All labor entered into with such a mind is valued for itself apart from what it may lead to. By undertaking each task in this spirit, eventually we are enabled to grasp the truth that every act is an expression of the Buddha mind.”
When I read this, I had the sudden realization that we can create a life conducive to deep spiritual development without completely overhauling our life. The hidden key within that excerpt was the idea that mindfulness and mindlessness are both different degrees of absorption that we strive to cultivate in Zen (or Yoga, meditation, etc.).
Mindfulness is important because it takes away the false concepts of past and future; as a result, it also takes away associated worries, attachments, etc. because the only thing occupying your mind is the present moment, allowing your mind to achieve a state of steady calm.
Mindlessness is important because it strips away your ego; when you’re so lost in your task that you are no longer aware of yourself and the world around you, there is no ego to be fed. In fact, in this state of being, you are most connected to the Universe because you and the task become one and the same.
The thing is, mindfulness and mindlessness are both states of being that we can also cultivate through our daily tasks and actions, without implementing spiritual practices at all.
Our indulgence in hobbies that allow us to lose ourselves, such as painting or playing an instrument, creates this space for mindlessness that we strive to create in Zen.
Outside of our personal time, when we’re doing work or caring for our families or conducting any number of other duties, anchoring into the present moment and maintaining intentional awareness during these tasks will create a habit of mindfulness, which meditation also helps us do.
Hence, by simply choosing mindfulness while conducting our duties and making time for hobbies that allow us that blissful escape where we lose ourselves in our work, you can live a life of deep spirituality without even doing anything explicitly spiritual.
This was a revolutionary concept to me because beyond being mindful throughout my day, my spiritual journey falls into its own bucket, with an independent subset of activities that don’t fit with the rest of my life. As someone who truly prizes spiritual awareness, it made me realize that cultivating a life conducive to spiritual growth doesn’t always have to come at odds with the rest of your passions and lifestyle, and creating this life can not only be just as important as active spiritual endeavors, but it can actually be the catalyst for spiritual enlightenment.
So, here’s to creating a life of mindfulness and mindlessness, enjoyment and fulfillment, spirituality and Zen.
Shreya
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