I have become very motivated by momentary and more frequently occurring successes I’ve had with practicing stillness, thanks to the coaching of Eckhart Tolle and Oprah in the webcasts mentioned in the previous post. I want more of these experiences of being Presence behind the stories of my life. I had practiced Vipassana Meditation quite regularly many years ago and felt that meditation could support my wish to awaken. So, I decided to visit a Buddhist Zen Center near my home as part of the effort to revive my practice. I felt that through meditation I could build the strength for staying in the Now, as Eckhart Tolle calls it. Here is the story of my first day. I went to the Zen Center this morning and found it to be surprisingly refreshing and relaxing. The first time visitor teacher said that sitting in meditation can be relaxing when all the bones are lined up and actually, the methodology and having a way to do everything was very relaxing to me. I had a preconceived notion that Zen Meditation was very austere and difficult to learn and succeed at. Actually, it was more like learning your part in a play which was not too difficult and then you are free to observe your inner workings and eventually learn that impermanence is the quality of all things in this life. As far as succeeding, our instructor said that some people have spent years trying to perfect their practice, and that then they give up, realizing that we never reach perfection. So he said that we could go that route or just give up on perfection today and go on from there. In our 30 minute introduction “how to” session, I learned that as in the formal ceremonies of Japan, Zen meditation has an arbitrary, agreed upon form or way to sit, posture wise and way to hold your hands, etc. and the process is to focus in the posture and be mindful and that leads to stilling the mind, and opens the door to creativity and intuitive living. I actually enjoyed myself…in that very structured setting. I felt safe to be myself and was an interested guest in the ritual and ceremony and satisfied that I could play my small part. During my 30 minute meditation, I was more open to the many fears and foibles of my life rising to the surface because the physical position was set and the Play would last just 30 minutes. And I felt a bit freed of my burdens not to have to talk or listen to talk. One more thing – this experience was like visiting another culture, and because of my exposure to Taiji, and other elements of Chinese and Japanese culture, I was somewhat familiar with the unusual scene of dark robes, incense and chanting and bowing. I was amazed with the way this Zendo is replicating the way Buddhism evolved in Japan.