Phil Jackson mentions many books in Sacred Hoops
Here’s a couple passages from this text on thoughts as normal distractions during meditation, or for me, prayer.
“If you want to obtain perfect calmness in your zazen, you should not be bothered by the various images you find in your mind. Let them come, and let them go. Then they will be under control. But this policy is not so easy. It sounds easy, but it requires special effort. How to make this effort is the secret of practice.”
“When you are practicing zazen, do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself. If something comes into your mind, let it come in, and let it go out. It will not stay long. When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it. Do not be bothered by anything. It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind, and if you are not bothered by the waves, gradually they will become calmer and calmer. In five or at most ten minutes, your mind will be completely serene and calm.”
“It will take quite a long time before you find your calm, serene mind in practice. Many sensations come, many thoughts or images arise, but they are just waves of your own mind. Nothing comes from outside your mind. Usually we think of our mind as receiving impressions and experiences from outside, but that is not a true understanding of our mind. The true understanding is that the mind includes everything; when you think something comes from outside it means only that something appears in your mind. Nothing outside yourself can cause any trouble. You yourself make the waves in your mind. If you leave the mind as it is, it will become calm.”
I do not wish to suggest that I am giving up everything I know about prayer in favor of Zen practice.
But I also don’t think there is any harm in looking within Zen for ideas about how to improve my prayer life.
Its intriguing to me, so I’ve recorded it for future reference. Its just another part of the journey.
