Recognize that problems are a constant part of life, and focus your energy on learning how to deal with them effectively rather than hoping they will disappear.
Step back from fixating on your current problems and appreciate the fundamental fact of being alive, as this perspective creates ground and ease for addressing challenges.
When facing significant problems, quiet your dualistic, thinking mind and access a “big self” or embodied wisdom that can hold contradictions and provide a more grounded response.
Gradually build faith in your intuitive wisdom by softening and emptying your mind, trusting that this embodied presence will provide the necessary connection and response with wisdom and compassion.
Engage in fully embodied, grounded practices like “chop wood and carry water” or mindful movements, connecting with the vastness of being through physical presence rather than abstract spiritual experiences.
Utilize Zazen (seated meditation) as a foundational practice to experiment with relaxing and softening the mind, helping you balance and navigate daily life more effectively.
When practicing Zazen, adopt an upright posture to align your spine, head, and body, allowing your breath to naturally settle into your lower belly (hara) for grounding.
For beginners in Zazen, count each out-breath from one to ten, and when distracted, gently return to one with gratitude and joy, rather than self-criticism, to foster presence.
During Zazen, keep your eyes and ears open to become curious about your surroundings, allowing the external world to cut through internal thinking and foster intimacy with your environment.
After a few initial deep breaths to set intention, allow your breathing to be natural during Zazen, observing its rhythm in the belly rather than forcing it.
Approach Zen teachings intuitively rather than trying to intellectually “figure them out,” as deep understanding comes from direct experience and a less mental way of being.
Recognize the miraculous nature of simple, everyday experiences like breathing or drinking water, which helps quiet the mind and create space to effectively meet problems.
Cultivate an understanding that everything you experience is part of your life, not separate, fostering intimacy with your surroundings rather than perceiving them as external objects.
Occasionally bring the phrase “This is nature” into your mind to appreciate that your experiences are not “me plus nature” but are fundamentally nature itself, fostering a sense of unity.
Stop trying to intellectually “figure out” life, as this separates you from it; instead, embrace the intuitive understanding that being alive is a direct, ungraspable experience.
Develop the ability to respond appropriately to situations by being fully present and receptive, allowing responses to emerge spontaneously from the moment rather than from preconceived ideas.
To genuinely help others, ensure you are also open to receiving help from them, as true intimacy and connection require a bidirectional flow of support.
When interacting with others, especially loved ones, trust that authentic and helpful responses can arise spontaneously from a place of deep listening and presence, rather than relying on pre-planned ideas.
In stressful situations like meetings or traffic, quiet your mind, be present, and embrace the situation as part of your life, allowing for more connected and effective responses rather than reacting from frustration.
Cultivate a genuine willingness to say “I’m sorry” when you make mistakes, recognizing it as a “living precept” that reflects your ongoing effort to do your best while being fully alive.
Accept your flaws and imperfections (“idiot” self) as part of who you are, without this acceptance meaning resignation; this allows for genuine self-improvement and a natural desire to help others.
Embrace all aspects of yourself—your flaws and your inherent wisdom—without picking between them, allowing for natural growth and a more complete, holistic response to life.
Soften the rigid need to “make a choice” by cultivating presence and staying in “not knowing,” allowing decisions to unfold more naturally from the totality of the situation rather than solely from the dualistic mind.
Trust that by including all aspects of yourself, your innate Buddha nature (love and intimacy) will naturally prevail over negative impulses, as it is a more fundamental and powerful aspect of your being.
Reduce stress by occasionally letting go of the need to constantly “drive” your life; instead, trust the natural flow and allow life to carry you, recognizing that you are inherently supported.