Zazen

• Always be doing something, even if it is “not-doing”
• Do not force thoughts to stop; let them settle naturally
• Allow thoughts to arise and pass without attachment
• Posture: straight spine, relaxed shoulders, head up, chin tucked
• Breathe from the abdomen; hands near navel
• Zazen and daily life are continuous, not separate
• Everyday life itself is practice/enlightenment
• Avoid expectations or goals mindset
• Practice should be natural, like responding to thirst
• Do not force effort

Controlling The Mind

• Observe thoughts rather than suppressing them
• Calm comes from non-interference, not force
• Mental “waves” are self-generated, not caused by external events
• External circumstances do not inherently disturb the mind
• Let go of attachment to methods or techniques
• A naturally settled mind becomes calm, open, and clear

Understanding Reality

• See things as they are
• Let everything come and go naturally
• Emptiness = mindfulness/clear awareness
• Everything is a temporary, tentative form
• Without this view, experience feels like suffering
• Many “problems” arise from self-centered views
• True problems are not fixed realities, but constructions of perception

Beginner’s Mind

• Many possibilities exist when approaching situations openly
• Expert mindset can narrow perception to a few expected outcomes
• Beginner’s mind keeps perspective flexible and open
• Openness helps prevent missing opportunities

Naturalness

• Place, action, and time are not separate
• “To eat lunch is itself one o’clock”
• Cultivate naturalness in all activities
• Act according to natural states: eat when hungry, sleep when tired
• Zazen and daily life are continuous
• Without naturalness, action becomes self-centered
• Fully immerse in what you are doing
• Partial attention breaks naturalness

Enlightenment

• “Kill the Buddha” = let go of fixed ideas, even of enlightenment
• Complements other traditions rather than opposing them
• Enlightenment = understanding oneself clearly, not supernatural experience
• Buddha nature = inherent capacity in all things to simply be
• Human overthinking can create delusion