The Still Point
Center For Zen Practice
REMAIN WITH YOUR HEART
There are two new signs at The Still Point. On the outer door you will read, “Remain with your heart, enter silently.” As you leave the hall you will see, “Remain with your heart, leave silently.” These signs emerged from my desire to give myself support in my practice, and to provide that support for others as well.
How does entering and leaving silently support practice? It allows us to remain with the wisdom of our own hearts and our own experience when much of our life pushes us to check with everything and everyone outside of ourselves. We are rebuilding trust in our inherent wisdom and compassion of our own being. It helps to stay with what is happening in us when we are involved in a class or workshop.
Entering in silence we can drop all of the stories about needing to be the right person or to have the right response. We are among fellow travelers who are all seeking for ourselves the freedom of leaving our conditioned habits and coming to the present moment.
Leaving in silence we are supported in resisting the temptation to check out our ideas with others or to dissipate the energy that has built up during a class or meditation time. Often this practice creates a surge of fresh energy in our body. Since this energy is not familiar it is easy to try to dissipate it or project it outwards rather than allowing it to remain for our own nurture. The most habitual ways we do this is by talking to others, getting on the phone, or turning on the car radio.
So the signs are here to remind me to give myself, and everyone else, 5 to 10 minutes after any gathering to remain with our own hearts - to allow what we have experienced to become clear. We are here to find the freedom to live a fully aware life. I hope the signs will be a gentle reminder to give ourselves this kindness.
Gassho,
Nancy