Solutions to Resolutions:

 

a Zen Approach to the New Year

 

The transition into a new year is often treated as a monumental threshold, but Zen perspective invites us to view it as the 無門関, Mumonkan – Gateless Gate. While we often feel the need to reinvent ourselves, the reality is that the present moment is the only place where life actually occurs. Perhaps the familiar Dàoist prescription of balancing external and internal energies doesn’t suit you or has already been given a chance. Maybe this year you are ready for a Zen-inspired resolution focusing on direct experience and the stripping away of unnecessary complications. This outline proposes a return to the basics of existence through the simple lenses of sitting and acting.

 

a Foundation of Presence: Shoshin
We begin our year by cultivating 初心, Shoshin – Beginner’s Mind. This Principle suggests that we approach our resolutions as though they are a tuft of goose down. Unburdened by the weight of past failures or by the momentum of plan-grasping…however expert-sounding those plans may be. In the Beginner’s Mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. By looking at your daily habits as if for the very first time, you remove the “beaver dams” of expectation that often lead to burnout. The goal is not to become a “better” person in the future, but to be a more awake person right now.

 

a Practice of Stillness: Zazen
The first simple practice is 坐禅, Zazen – Simple, Seated Meditation. Unlike practices that involve complex visualizations or energy manipulation, Zen emphasizes 只管打坐, Shikantaza – Just Sitting. Shikantaza Demands no special outfit, fancy hat, or even a specific philosophy. One is invited to simply – and only – sit down and be still. The focus in Shikantaza is on the breath. The point is not to “fix” the breath or “deepen” the breath. In fact, you cannot breath right and you cannot breath wrong in Shikantaza. You simply observe the air as it arrives in and as it departs the body. In this mental/psychological/intellectual/emotional/bodily stillness, you may come to realize that your thoughts are merely passengers in another train – silently passing by. Perhaps in your direction, perhaps not. Perhaps they shared an origina point, perhaps they share a destination. But they exist on their own track, just as you do on yours. And your train is stationary in the station…Just Sitting. This practice provides a mental stability that remains unshaken by the chaotic pace of a new year.

 

a Practice of Movement: Kinhin and Samu
Zen practice is never confined to the cushion, so a Zen adherent will integrate movement into his or her lifestyle through 経行, Kinhin – Walking meditation. Where the Dàoist might stretch to release physical tension, the Zen practitioner walks to once again realize their profound connection to the Earth. Every step in Kinhin is taken with full awareness of the weight shifting, with full awareness of the foot upon the ground. Zen also provides 作務, Samu – Mindful work. Whether you are washing a dish, typing an email, re-typing an email, looking for an email that you just know you ahve in here somewhere, or practicing a Vinyasa flow, you do so with 100% of your being. Fully. Present. And – only – fully present. When you wash the dish, there is only the dish and the water: no past, no future, and – importantly – no judgmental and critical self.

 

The Sustainability of Fluidity: Mushin
To prevent the common pattern (or trap? Or self-sabotage?) of abandoning our resolutions after a single mistake, we might embrace 無心, Mushin – No-Mind. This is a state of mental fluidity where the ego does not interfere with the flow of life. And the flow of life, we have all certainly learned, is riddle with errors and wayward wanderers. Most resolutions fail because the “judge” in our head creates a narrative of failure. “That was terrible!” or “I knew I would be terrible at this!” Instead, we recall that a Wabi Sabi aesthetic is, itself, what makes a thing, a practice, a let-down…beautiful. By practicing No-Mind, if you might miss a day of sitting or lose your focus during those Sisyphean dish washing chores; scratch that! You will come up short. You will forget a practice, or “phone it in” during a practice, or become distracted. That’s life. Life is messy. Wabi Sabi is where there is beauty perceived only after the messiness is made part of the whole. In Mushin, you simply return to the task without the commentary. There is no guilt and no self-congratulation: there is only the return to the present.

 

The Final Realization: Ichigo Ichie
As the year unfolds, we treat every session and every task as 一期一会, Ichigo Ichie – One Time, One Meeting. To a student of Zen, One Time, One Meeting reminds us that this specific moment will never happen again. Ever. Thus, the practice of “Just Sitting” or “Just Walking” is metamorphosed into an act of profound gratitude. Yes, even the act of “Just Replying to my Co-worker’s Email.” We conclude this path by visualizing the 円相, Enso – Zen Circle. The circle is often drawn with a single, uninhibited brushstroke, representing a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. It might be seen as a symbol of the New Year itself: empty of preconceived notions, yet complete in its current form. Incomplete, perhaps but in its incompleteness and freedom – complete.

 

 

Bio

Stephen is a regular Poetry contributor to IAMOnline magazine, the world’s premiere source for online martial study and has been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame including the Oriental Martial Arts College’s Hall of Honor as a “Bruce Lee Legend.” In fact, Inside Kung-Fu magazine calls Stephen Watson one of America’s 18 greatest Sifu (Kung Fu teacher) and named him to their prestigious Masters’ Forum. Stephen can be found at SomedayFarm.org as well as https://linktr.ee/SomedayFarm for all of the usual online spaces.