Just Breathe
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all myriad things.
—Zen Master Dōgen
The question is not how do I see this mountain, how do I hear the forest speaking—the question is how do I simply allow myself to experience everything that surrounds me without allowing the intrusion of self.
Years ago I climbed Mt Katahdin. At some point during the ascent I forgot about how tired my legs felt. When we reached the Knives' Edge I realized that I hadn't expected a trail that in some places was only three feet wide with a thousand foot drop on both sides.
This is a mile long stretch. People warned us not to look down.
After ten minutes I stopped thinking and simply walked and listened to my breath—in and out. When I stopped worrying about falling, tripping on a rock or pebble, I noticed the shades of rocks, the way the some rocks seemed to pierce the sky.
My breath and my steps—one in unison.
—Zen Master Dōgen
The question is not how do I see this mountain, how do I hear the forest speaking—the question is how do I simply allow myself to experience everything that surrounds me without allowing the intrusion of self.
Years ago I climbed Mt Katahdin. At some point during the ascent I forgot about how tired my legs felt. When we reached the Knives' Edge I realized that I hadn't expected a trail that in some places was only three feet wide with a thousand foot drop on both sides.
This is a mile long stretch. People warned us not to look down.
After ten minutes I stopped thinking and simply walked and listened to my breath—in and out. When I stopped worrying about falling, tripping on a rock or pebble, I noticed the shades of rocks, the way the some rocks seemed to pierce the sky.
My breath and my steps—one in unison.
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