Three of the 16 Arhats at Kenninji Temple: "...the Arhats support all who sincerely desire to follow the Dharma."

Ted left me a bunch of books by Brad Warner before he left and I managed to polish off the first one, Hardcore Zen, pretty damn quick. It’s an easy read though (if you’ve read his blog you’ll be familiar with his light humorous style), and the content is pretty cool too. Basically he details his early involvement in the punk scene in the 80s, how he came to Japan with the JET program and then somehow managed to wangle a job with the company that makes the TV show Ultraman and other rubber monster flicks. All through this biographical stuff though runs the thread of  Zen; how his life has lead him towards zazen practice and how things like the questioning attitude and anit-authoritarianism of punk rock  reflect quite nicely some key principles of Zen. Don’t take anything for granted. You have to work things out for yourself, he tells us. And as he talks about what Zen means to him and how he became an ordained Zen priest himself, he stresses that you shouldn’t just take his word for it. It’s something you can only do for yourself. And that means zazen practice. Meditation. Sitting down and doing nothing for a while and just figuring out who you are and what your life is about. Now a lot of people might say: “That’s all very well but how can I make time for meditation in my busy modern life? Let’s face reality: I’m just too busy!” He has an excellent response to this towards the end of the book in what is probably my favorite passage.

...Why would you want to waste time sitting on a cushion staring at a wall when there are so many “important” things you could be doing, like watching a rerun of The Simpsons, logging on to the internet to see if anything crucial has been added since this morning, or hanging out getting into a condition you’ll regret the next day?
You may be busy with work and family and responsibilities and all that, I sure am, but I’ll bet you also waste a hell of a lot of time every day. You devote hours and hours each week to “relaxing” in ways that aren’t relaxing in the least. You kill time. You steal a nap. You screw off.

I feel like he’s talking to me personally here. Did he just describe my summer vacation? Well, my vacation is over now, I went back to work again today. And do you know what? I’M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT! I think I probably need that little bit of structure in my life. Left to my own resources with seemingly endless amounts of free time I’m gonna fritter a fair bit of it away.  But when my time is limited I tend to use it more effectively. Today I was up at 6, I did a good, satisfying (and fun) day’s work, then I went to the gym with my workmates. Then I came home and cleaned my apartment. Then I threw a cafe review up on DK. Then I went for a jog. And then I came back and made dinner. Now I’m typing this. When I have less time I value it more, clearly. Of course I feel absolutely cream crackered, but in a good way, so I reckon I’ll sleep well tonight. Of course I’m also damn lucky to have finally found a job that I enjoy, and that actually gives me the energy I need and makes me feel positive enough to pursue other things… But anyway, I’m getting off topic. Reading something like Brad Warner’s book or just chatting this summer with someone like Ted, who has done so much during his time here simply by “following his bliss” with dedication and enthusiasm, is both inspiring and energizing. I want to pursue the things that call me, just like Ted. And I want to sit and face a wall like Mr. Warner. On a little island in lake Biwa this summer I said a little prayer to Fudo Myo-o, the deity that personifies resolve. That sword of his will cut through excuses. Who could slack off under that ferocious glare?

On Sunday I paid homage at Kenninji: the place where Kyoto zen began. It’s important to feel rooted, to see how small things can grow, and to see just how far a little resolve can take you.

On Wednesday I’m going to go looking for that place Ted recommended when we were talking that time over micro-brews.  I’m going to find myself a regular place and time to practice.  I’m going sit down and shut up.

I’ll leave the last word to Mr. Warner:

If you were bound and gagged inside a wooden barrel just about to head over Niagara Falls, you’d pray for just one more minute to live. And yet, while you’re alive, what do you do? You get bored. You wish to be elsewhere. You wish to get whatever you’re doing now over with. You want to speed by those boring minutes like your life your life is a video where you can fast-forward through the commercials. When the end comes you’ll be wishing you could have back all those boring moments you zipped through. But you killed them. Dead and gone. Try putting some of that time to good use and see what happens.

HARDCORE ZEN is available from amazon.co.jp
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com