It is becoming increasingly evident that for practice to deepen in general, it must reach beyond the zafu and beyond the confines of the zendo (or one’s own home practice quarters). This past Saturday’s (June 11th) talk by Shikai sensei during general sitting was an excellent and just-in-time reminder of the importance of bringing practice in one’s life activities at large … outside the monastery.
One essential distinction between formal and informal practice is that in formal practice there is this constant “dropping” and “surrendering” of any “thinking” that arises and tries to establish itself into a stream of discursiveness. In attending to my day-to-day activities however, there is a place, even a requirement I would say, to use cognitive capacities in various ways. Evaluating, planning, deciding, etc. Something I could elaborate on further down the timeline. For instance, if I am to apply practice right now as I write this, I can have my attention open peripherally enough to allow for feeling feet on the floor and posture of the back, neck, and shoulders. This can occur even while employing my brain to think about what it is that I’m writing. Right now it feels like “checking in” every few moment or so (very organic and imprecise) with what is occurring and can be perceived outside of what would usually be the focus of my attention. I can imagine also including opening to peripheral vision … so that now we have feeling feet on the floor, feeling the posture and correcting it when it goes out of alignment, and opening to peripheral vision. And perhaps there is also the possibility of also opening to the various sounds that are occurring as I write these words. There is also smell and taste that I can open to. The feeling of other parts of my body. Pausing to “catch” the quality and feeling of my breath.
Perhaps the concept of “pausing” helps to grok how these instantaneous check-ins can occur. These micro practice moments of opening with the whole bodymind.
Another item that comes to mind is the concept of planning and scheduling activities in such a way that things that need doing get done and that getting lost in any particular activity is avoided as much as possible.