Today's thought

“Buddhists believe that true love uplifts the person doing the loving just as much as the object of love”.

- anonymous

Meditating on a rose

A rose can engage our senses in many ways.

After we have attained calmness and regulated our breathing, we begin by gently closing our eyes and trying to construct a rose in our mind. We do not allow ourselves to digress into personal recollections about roses.

We see a stem - how long it is, how thick, how green, and so on. We see thorns, their shape, their points, their arrangements on the stem. Again, we don't digress into thinking about specific occasions when we were stuck by thorns. Perhaps we gingerly feel the thorn, but only in our mind. Then we come to the various parts of the flower. Depending on our knowledge of botany we assemble the flower... pistil, stamen, petals, and so on. The petals are so soft. What color are they? The pollen is so yellow and powdery. We see the yellow dust on nearby petals. A rose has fragrance. What is the specific scent of our rose? We actually begin to smell it.

This is how to meditate on a rose or on any object. Remember, we never allow ourselves to digress into "Roses I have known..." or instances in the past when roses were given or received. No thinking at all! We just become aware of a rose in all its parts and sensations.

Soon, the rose will glow in our mind. The rose will be of such exquisite beauty that we will know we have seen the Ideal Rose of Heaven, itself. Afterwards, we may squeal with delight. Not many people are permitted to view one of Heaven's treasures.

--The Teachings of Empty Cloud

How the dog found truth

The Zen teacher’s dog loved his evening romp with his master. The dog would bound ahead to fetch a stick, then run back, wag his tail, and wait for the next game. On this particular evening, the teacher invited one of his brightest students to join him – a boy so intelligent that he became troubled by the contradictions in Buddhist doctrine.

“You must understand,” said the teacher, “that words are only guideposts. Never let the words or symbols get in the way of truth. Here, I’ll show you.”

With that the teacher called his happy dog. “Fetch me the moon,” he said to his dog and pointed to the full moon.

“Where is my dog looking?” the teacher asked the pupil.

“He’s looking at your finger.”

“Exactly. Don’t be like my dog. Don’t confuse the pointing finger with the thing that is being pointed at. All our Buddhist words are only guideposts. Every man fights his way through other men’s words to find his own truth.”

And finally ...

May the blessings of these practices awaken your own inner wisdom and inspire your compassion. .... And through the blessing of your heart may the world find peace.

The Sarasota Zen Group meets every Sunday night at 7 pm for Zen and zazen (meditation). We start with readings and discussion, then transition into zazen and chanting. During times of the pandemic we meet virtually through the magic of the app Zoom. Submit this form and we'll email you the instructions.

Please join us. Come find the rest and inner peace that keeps us all in balance.

In non-pandemic times our zendo is in the Jefferson Room on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota (map here). Contact us at zen@uusarasota.org or, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can use the Contact form on our website.

Sarasota Zen Group
Email: zen@uusarasota.org

Our mailing address is:
3975 Fruitville Road
Sarasota, FL 34232

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