Question
Hello Master,
In his books, Thich Nhat Hanh teaches living mindfully all day long. He explains in particular how to walk mindfully or eat mindfully. During your teachings at the Montpellier dojo, you sometimes emphasize that "there is no need to do zazen while driving your car." From your teachings, I understood it was "enough" to do zazen in the morning, for example, then live the rest of the day normally without worrying about the breath, body, or openness of the gaze. What should we do? What should our practice be while we are not doing zazen?
Wishing you an inspiring end of the year.
Thank you in advance,
Christophe.
christophe.acb
Master Kosen’s answer
Meditation is fashionable these days. There is much talk of mindfulness, but mindfulness is not a meditation; it is a vital principle.
Zazen is a vital principle. Kodo Sawaki says: zazen is not a meditation; zazen is either the enemy dies or I die. Imagine a big bear threatening you and asking yourself, how do I run again? You run, that's all, and perhaps later you reflect on how you managed to run so fast.
Kosen