Buddhist<\/a> priest at the Shin temple. He said he didn\u2019t do much with ghosts, and suggested the foreign priest at the Zen temple. She went there and the roshi, my roshi, said, \u201cI can fix this.\u201d <\/p>\nShe showed Myozen how to sit, sat her in the tiny zendo and had her sit there day in and day out for quite a long time. Every once in a while the roshi would come in and violently strike the young woman across the shoulders with a kyosaku, a stick made for the purpose of startling, punishing or encouraging people in meditation halls. Depending on the pronunciation the stick was said to awaken or to warn. In this case it was to drive her forward.<\/p>\n
It did.<\/p>\n
Eventually the ghost moved on to easier pickings.<\/p>\n
Anyway, that was how Myozen knew how to help someone push into just sitting in a serious way.<\/p>\n
When I wasn\u2019t working, I was sitting, every morning, every evening, all weekend.<\/p>\n
And periodically, Myozen would come in with her kyosaku and strike me hard across the shoulders.<\/p>\n
It drove me forward.<\/p>\n
It drove me inward.<\/p>\n
It focused everything.<\/p>\n
Now, one doesn\u2019t need the stick. I\u2019m moderately confident that it pushed things along a bit faster than otherwise might have been the case. But really, the deal is pretty simple.<\/p>\n
All one needs to do is just sit down, shut up, and pay attention.<\/p>\n
This is the universal solvent of the heart.<\/p>\n
Become as wide as the sky.<\/p>\n
Let the whole play of what is play across the screen of the mind and heart.<\/p>\n
Just notice.<\/p>\n
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