Karma

This very life is the place of awakening, to awaken to who we truly are, to awaken to the oneness of all beings, and that we are all one. When I was a little girl in rural Montana, lying in my bed at night, I sometimes saw myself as a speck in the universe, and felt comforted by the interconnection of my life and the universe. Later in life, I realized that the universe is me, everything is me, and I am everything, within the emptiness was fullness. This can’t be grasped, or understood, but in this life we have the opportunity to realize it, to awaken to our True Nature.

I took this photo in my backyard. I’m always delighted to see it, so it is here for you too!

Karma is operating moment to moment, the fact you’re here, that there is a dharma talk, and a place to have a talk is all due to karma. Think back on the chain of events it has taken for you to be here this very moment. Not just in this Zendo, but to even exist this moment. There has never been another you, and there will never be another you. Each one of us is unique, and yet we are the same.

Realizing that our life is nothing other than our karma, and our karma is nothing other than our life, there is no conflict. If there is resistance to or wanting one's life to be different than it is, then we suffer. This is where practice can assist us, by changing how we relate to our karma. If we choose it and see it as “just this,” there is no resistance to what is. We look back at our life’s journey and see the steps along the way, the decisions we’ve made, all of that brings us to this very moment. Seeing it in this way, we can appreciate the ups and downs of our life, the “mistakes” we've made. They have brought us to this very moment. Our life is a gift.

Sitting meditation (zazen) gives us the opportunity to pause before taking the next step. We have the opportunity to respond to what arises rather than reacting out of our habitual patterns. Every decision or action has karmic consequences but don’t get attached to getting it right or wrong, we just do the best we can under the circumstances, doing what is appropriate for the time, place, position and amount.