How to Slence the dual thinking mind.

Physical exercise of any kind is another form of keeping the dual thinking mind or the monkey mind as Sunryu Suzuki Roshi calls it, from wandering here and there. Whether you jog, do Tai Chi or Hatha Yoga, whether you dance or swim as your routine of exercises, if you do it consistently, you keep the mind occupied for a period of time. The more involved or vigorous the exercise the more you are able to still the mind. A 100 meters sprinter stops his or her mind from thinking absolutely,  he/she is frozen in the present moment focused absolutely on the run ahead. The sound of the starting gun triggers a spurt of energy unleashing the whole body nto action without a moment of thought, the runner seizes to exist,only running happens. The same happens in just about every sports activity whe performed with complete attention and determination; mind body and spirit merge to become one. In the art of Bushido, the Japanese for of martial art, the Samurai warrior trained to become one with his Katana or samurai blade. There seizes to be the man wielding the blade making the strike, there is only striking. The same is true with Zen and the Art of  Archer; man, bow and arrow and the target becomes one.

Yoga means to yoke or gather together or harness all the energies of the body mind and spirit together through some for of practice, whether it is through breath control as in Prana Yoga or physical exercizes as in hatha yoga or mind control as in Raja Yoga. In proper execution of each exercise breathing becomes the main focus, only through proper breathing can a perfect form be achieved in all activities. Hence in Zen practice, breathing is the key note to every action taken especially in Zazen or sitting meditation. Through right breathing the body mind and spirit states becomes aligned and a pure sense of peace and presence is achieved when this happens.When this is achieved in performing one's prayers, one becomes one with God; ther is no you and no God only prayer happens: form and emptiness becomes one, no worshiper and none that is worshiped.

Hence the silence of the mind through any form of practice when achieved effortlessly unites the mundane with the sublime which also happens when one witnesses a glorious sunset or a beautiful flower. In this pure sense of witnessing the thinking mind ceases to exist only te presence of the beauty is experienced n all its glory. The moment thought emerges to describe or even express this beauty, the experience is gone; this is the essence of desire, the desire to own, to cling on to, to prolong the experience, how often we say, "What a beautiful sunset, I wish I have my camera."

#sunsyusuzuki #taichi #yoga #hathayoga #rajayoga #zazen #bushido