Leaning Together

If we really allow ourselves to reflect on our direct experience of interconnection we can realize that this world is completely entangled with our own awareness. One analogy I appreciate is the analogy of bundles of reeds leaning against each other for support. If you remove one of the bundles, the others fall down. We lean together in a tilty world. Interconnection can be explored through each one of our senses. Notice how the world blossoms in your seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting. Shitou says in the Sandokai: All of the senses, all the things sensed— they interact without interaction. Interacting, they permeate one another. yet each remains in its own place. Notice how thoughts proliferate, taking us sometimes deeper into experience and other times down roads of confusion, anxiety, meanness. Elizabeth Namgyal Mattis says this about interdepdence: Since everything arises in dependence upon other factors, we can’t identify where one thing ends and another begins. We can’t find the edges of anything, and we begin to see that the world resists definition. This doesn’t mean our perceptions or thoughts are muddled. It’s just that, as much as we attempt to reach definitive conclusions about our selves, others, and our world, life continuously bursts from the seams of our beliefs and ideas. Because all things rely upon the ever-shifting nature of other elements, they will always remain uncapturable, beyond our ability to fathom them…. Yet because we are a part of the great nature of interdependence, everything we do influences life—everything matters. In a leaning, tilty world your compassionate vow to liberate all beings from suffering goes deep. This is Jizo’s vow, and something trustworthy that we can *lean* into. **Weekly Online Meditation Event through ZCO** Monday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring the Identity of Relative and Absolute. Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINK **In-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus Sangha** Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I’m back in Columbus for a while, and we have a lot happening. Check out our website for retreats, weekly meditations and other events. I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe