Zombie Slaying

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

We did a nice 2.84 mile desert hike this morning with Judy, Eve, Allen, and Rachel. Of course, dogs Tripper and Lacey went along, as well. The sky is overcast a bit so the sun was hidden as it rose over the mountains. The air is a bit humid, but cool, so the walk was comfortable. I have our dishes in the dishwasher, my clothes in the clothes-washer, and coffee on my wooden clappers which act as a coaster in the zendo.

Walking and talking, looking after dogs, and just plain enjoying the company of friends is such a joy. While not, in itself, contemplative, it is deeply "spiritual". By this I mean such moments bring us to life.

We make life so passive so often that we forget it is to be lived. Deliberate living is Zen Living. It requires attention. It requires discipline. It requires pliability and flexibility. Life demands us to be awake in order to be lived.

When we live passively, we are the walking dead. We are modern zombies. I remember reading something, I think it was in that classic, "Blue Highways" by William Leastheat Moon, where he comments that people driving in the cars seem to have tombstones in their eyes.

Engaged Zen, Clear Mind Zen, is about zombie slaying. We are here to help wake people up. Get the tombstones out of their eyes. Call them to life. Of course, we cannot do that. What we can do, however, is wake ourselves up. We can live with our eyes wide open, see clearly what is before us, and doing what is there to do.

What is before you now?