Closing Words

When I began this book, I wondered whether it was possible to write about Zen at all. Its teachers have so often warned that words are only a finger pointing at the moon, and that the real thing is found not in reading but in practice. I hope that these pages have been a useful finger, and that you have looked up from them, at least now and then, to see the moon for yourself: in a breath, a step, a bowl of rice, a voice you listened to fully.

The people in these chapters are imagined, but their busy minds are real, and so, I suspect, is yours. If there is one thing I hope you carry away, it is that a settled mind is not somewhere far away. It is not reserved for monks, or for people with quiet lives, or for some future time when your life finally becomes less busy. It is available here, in the middle of the day, every time you notice that you have wandered and come back.

You will forget. Everyone does. The mind will wander off again into planning and worrying, and days or weeks may pass before you remember to come back to your breath. That is not a failure. It is simply the next chance to return. The old cook in the sun asked, "If not now, then when?" The answer, always, is now.

Thank you for reading. I wish you many ordinary days, fully lived.

Key Terms in This Book

Zen: a tradition of Buddhist practice centred on meditation and attention in daily life. The word comes from the Chinese Chan, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit dhyāna, meaning meditation. Zazen: seated meditation, the central practice of Zen. Shikantaza: "just sitting", a form of zazen with no special object of attention.

Kinhin: walking meditation, practised between periods of sitting. Samu: work practice, ordinary work done with full attention. Sōji: cleaning, understood in Zen as part of practice. Tenzo: the head cook of a Zen monastery. Ōryōki: a formal way of eating with nested bowls, meaning roughly "just enough".

Shoshin: beginner's mind, an open and fresh attitude. Koan: a short story, question or exchange from the Zen tradition, used in some schools to unsettle fixed ways of thinking. Ma: in Japanese aesthetics, the meaningful space or interval between things. Hara: the lower belly, often treated as the body's centre of balance.

Returning: the act of noticing that attention has wandered and bringing it back gently to the present. Counting breaths: counting out-breaths from one to ten and starting again. Ordinary mind: the everyday mind, which Zen sees as the place of practice. Don't-know mind: an open attitude that does not rush to an answer. Ox-herding pictures: a series of ten pictures showing stages of practice, ending with a return to the marketplace with open hands.

A Note on the Sources

All the classical stories and instructions in this book are retold in my own words. They come from the following works, which readers can find in many translations: Dōgen's Fukanzazengi, "A Universal Recommendation for Seated Meditation" (1227), and Tenzokyōkun, "Instructions for the Cook" (1237); the Gateless Gate, or Mumonkan, compiled by Wumen Huikai (1228), cases 1, 7, 19 and 29; the Blue Cliff Record, a twelfth-century collection, case 1; the Book of Equanimity, a later collection, case 20, for the story of Dizang and Fayan; the record of Dōgen's informal talks kept by his student Ejō, for the image of walking in a mist; the Transmission of the Lamp, an early eleventh-century collection of biographies, for the story of Dazhu Huihai; the old records of the teacher Xuansha (ninth and tenth centuries), for the story of the valley stream; the verses traditionally attributed to Layman Pang (eighth century); the recorded talks of Bankei Yōtaku (seventeenth century); and the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures with the verses of Kuoan Shiyuan (twelfth century).

The idea of beginner's mind is described with reference to Shunryu Suzuki's book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970), which is paraphrased and not quoted. The story of the overflowing teacup and several sayings, such as the comparison of cleaning a room with cleaning the mind, are traditional and often told, and their exact origins are uncertain. Where I describe modern research, such as studies of mind-wandering, task switching, thought suppression or the effects of breathing, I describe it in general terms, and I have tried to say where findings are mixed or limited.

Zen is a living religious tradition with its own teachers, communities and practices, far richer than any short book can show. Readers who wish to go deeper may look for a qualified teacher and a community of practice.

A Note on Health and Safety

The practices in this book are practices of attention. Most people find gentle breathing, sitting and walking practices safe and pleasant. But meditation can sometimes bring up difficult memories or strong feelings, especially for people who have been through traumatic experiences or who live with a mental health condition. If that happens, it is fine to stop, open your eyes, move your body and seek support. If you are unsure whether a practice is right for you, talk with a qualified professional.

Never force your body into a posture that causes pain, and adapt the practices to your own needs, using a chair, a cushion, standing or lying down as you need. If you have a condition that affects your breathing, heart, balance or movement, ask your doctor before beginning a new practice. If you have ongoing problems with sleep, eating or mood, please speak with a doctor.

If you ever feel that you might harm yourself or someone else, or if you are in danger, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline right away. Reaching out for help is an act of courage and care.

The people in this book's examples are imagined, and any resemblance to real people is not intended.

About the Author

The author writes about the mind in everyday life, and has long been drawn to the old contemplative traditions that treat breathing, walking, eating and washing up as places where a person can wake up. The author is not a monk or a teacher, only a fellow practitioner with a busy mind, who still forgets to return to the breath more often than not, and who has found, again and again, that coming back is always possible. When not writing, the author enjoys slow walks, simple cooking and the sound of rain.