Everyone lives within the realm of reality. No one is without the reality or state of this present moment. The current reality exists equally for all. Reality is, in essence, the very state of now. And that reality unfolds upon what we call the self.
Who am I? Without deeply exploring the true self, one cannot understand reality. We learn about reality through our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These senses are all given to us, and reality itself is also given.
The state of now appears from nowhere and vanishes before we realize it. There is not even a trace of it appearing or disappearing. Only the new now continues to exist perpetually. It is fascinating, isn’t it? And we can never fully grasp that now. It is a perfect way of being. The past states do not remain, nor does the current state ever become incomplete.
We are called to accept the reality given through our senses and simply live in this moment. That is our true nature.
As a matter of fact, We have been living this way up to today. When we do not understand reality itself, even though we see things with our own eyes, it can feel as if what we saw earlier still lingers somewhere. However, that is just an illusion. In truth, what we saw does not remain. The sense of being separated from the present moment leads to confusion and suffering. In truth, there is never any separation from the reality of the present moment.
To clarify this, it is necessary to take time to sit still without moving the body. It is crucial to transcend our thoughts and be simply illuminated by the reality itself. That is the essence of zazen (sitting zen) and our true form. Without doing anything, we come to clearly understand that reality. This is zazen.
OZE National Park in Japan
Words and photo by K E I K O
Comments