Zen Mind

Related to questions about death and dying that are highlighted by the pandemic, this talk discusses three arenas, in which to practice impermanence: self, phenomena, and attention. What happens when we say to ourselves, “I will die. I am willing to die. I am ready to die.” Beyond the mortality of our own bodymind, Zen emphasizes momentariness. This talk explores the practice of the Four Marks of all phenomena (birth, duration, dissolution, disappearance) and creatively applies it to the moment-to-moment observation of the movement of attention. In this moment-to-moment unfolding of experience, where is the birthplace and end of suffering?

This talk distinguishes two modalities of mind: consciousness and awareness. The job of consciousness is to make the world cognizable, sequential, predictable, and meaningful. Awareness establishes perceptual immediacy before it gets overlaid with concepts, time structures, expectations, and stories. Always standing on the two feet of both consciousness and awareness, what happens when we shift our weight from one foot to the other? How does that affect our access to freedom, wisdom, and compassionate action and our ability to deal with crisis such as the current pandemic?