Question
I realize that Zen does not allow compromise, that it cannot be practiced halfway but requires total commitment to practice, in the dojo and throughout daily life. This commitment benefits me, but it directly confronts me with fears I used to bury through psychotropic substances: fear of death, losing loved ones, illness, and suffering. I am a fragile person, and this confrontation causes mental pain I cannot always manage despite practicing zazen. Do you have any advice for overcoming these episodes that verge on panic and regularly overwhelm me, further hindering a practice my whole being feels as an urgent necessity? P.S. I turn to you because the dojo where I practice is not fortunate enough to have a master of transmission present. Thank you.
Frédéric
Master Kosen’s answer
Continue regular zazen practice and organize your days strictly so you do not waste time, alternating active and passive phases throughout the day in perfect complementarity. Live each fully in its intensity. In this way, imbalances will disappear.
Kosen