Buddhism is Action, Part I

There are two things about Buddhism that I think most people get wrong about it, particularly about Zen Buddhism. I'm going to talk about the first mistake today, and then another mistake later in the week, maybe tomorrow. The first thing people get wrong about Buddhism is that it's passive. Because the essential mode of operation in Buddhism is seated meditation, either zazen or koan introspection, it looks very passive. Like people aren't doing anything. But zazen is an action. It is a practical action in a world that is chaotic, cynical, and kind of stupid. First, it is grounding: you sit in a particular meditation posture to be very grounded upon the earth. We are in free fall: we will all die, everything we love will pass away, the things we hate that we like to hate will also pass away. Seated meditation immediately grounds our life here, now. Alive. What is zazen? one master asked another. Alive! said the other. So, that is first. Meditation isn't passive. It is an action. It is the action of embodying our universe-ness, of sitting not just with, but as the universe. When we sit in this way, the entire universe sits with us. Starting from seated meditation, the rest of Buddhism is also an action. Buddhism is not about thought, it is not about having thoughts about the world. Thoughts are useful tools. Human intelligence is wonderful and a part of Buddhist life, but it is not the whole life. Bowing, sitting zazen, lighting incense, cleaning the dishes with attention, doing the laundry with attention, paying attention to your kids, paying attention to your students, whatever it might be, that is Buddhist life - directing your actions very mindfully, from the rooted place of zazen. The world is action, and thus Buddhist philosophy is a philosophy of action. To act with the universe, as the universe. To step into it fully. Doing this does two things: first, it relieves neurosis of all kinds: depression and anxiety have less of a chance of existing in this place of action because you're here, not somewhere else in your head; secondly, it allows you to see more clearly the suffering of others, when for so long all you could see was your own suffering, and in seeing the suffering of others, you begin to care about it, through very basic actions, like paying attention (this doesn't mean getting mired in someone else's neuroses). Buddhism then is the action of the universe acting to know and be itself compassionately.