Practicing with Difficulties
By Sosan Theresa Flynn
Here is a story Zen Master Dogen recounts in “Only a buddha and a Buddha”:
Long ago, a monk asked a master, “When hundreds, thousands, or myriad of objects come all at once, what should be done?”
When I hear "Hundreds, thousands, or myriad objects come all at once" the image in my mind is of a hurricane. Sometimes our lives seem like this. A lot of difficulties may come to us. Sickness and death of loved ones and relatives, our own health issues, job troubles, relationship troubles, financial troubles, spiritual troubles. And sometimes even positive experiences can be overwhelming. We might get a glimpse of the truth such that we see things being born in each moment and everything seems to come all at once - that can be overwhelming or scary also. So, what to do?
Long ago, a monk asked a master, “When hundreds, thousands, or myriad of objects come all at once, what should be done?”The master replied, “Don’t try to control them.”
Regarding this exchange, Dogen adds:
Don’t try to control them. Don’t try to change them. Whatever comes is the buddha dharma, not objects at all.
Whatever comes is the Buddha’s teachings and the inner experiences or realizations of these teachings. Dogen goes on:
Even if you try to control what comes, it cannot be controlled.
Not changing or trying to control them is letting them be. When we let things be, we embrace the possibility that anything can happen. This is not the same as being passive. We can work for change, while at the same time letting go of the outcome. We can’t control or change the objects, people, ideas, or situations that are coming at us. What we can do is decide what our response will be.
Another version of the same story of the hundred and thousands of objects goes like this:
Yang Shan asked Kui-shan: "When hundreds and thousands of objects come upon us all at once, then what?" The master replied, "Green is not yellow, long is not short. Everything is in its place. It’s none of my business." (case 27 in The Iron Flute)
It’s none of my business is like saying, I can’t change what comes. But in this version, we are encouraged to see the particulars of the things that are coming at us. This is not in opposition to having the wide view of "Whatever comes is the buddha dharma, not objects at all." It’s great to see that this thing coming at me is empty of inherent nature. It’s not a separate entity that I need to fight. And yet, if something is green, I need to see it as green and not try to make it yellow. if the winds are coming at 200 miles per hour, it’s best that I board up my windows. If the floods are coming, it’s best I go to higher ground. If someone causes me harm, it's best that I understand what happened in order to take care of myself and protect others.
How do we, as Buddhists, respond to difficulties? There is no one way, but there are some teachings that can help guide us.
First, we can ground ourselves in the three dharma seals - impermanence, non-self, and nirvana. Here's what these three dharma seals do for me:
Impermanence gives me hope. These difficulties will not last. I will not last in the way that I am now.
Non-self gives me comfort. It's not that I disappear, but that I am not separate from all beings and all things. This is true grounding. We can say non-self, but we can also say Interdependence or Interconnection.
Nirvana brings joy. It brings me back to my body. There are no concepts, no ideas. I can just be.
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says in "No Fear, No Death,"
Impermanence and no self are not rules to follow given to us by the Buddha. They are keys to open the door of reality. The idea of permanence is wrong, so the teaching on impermanence helps us correct our view of permanence. But if we get caught in the idea of impermanence we have not realized nirvana. The idea of [a separate] self is wrong. So we use the idea of non-self to cure it. But if we are caught in the idea of non-self then that is not good for us either. [The teachings of the Buddha on impermanence and no-self] are skillful means; they are not absolute truth. … The Buddha said, “My teachings are a finger pointing to the moon. Do not get caught in thinking that the finger is the moon. It is because of the finger that you can see the moon."
These three dharma seals are all really good teachings, but sometimes when the hundreds, thousands, myriads of objects come all at once, or maybe when one object comes that is really huge and difficult, then we might need a more explicit practice.
I've used the RAIN practice from Tara Brach, author of Radical Compassion. And I've modified that to include some of the wisdom of Resmaa Menakem, author of My Grandmother's Hands.
RAIN practice from Tara Brach is:
Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture
The 5 steps (Resmaa calls them the 5 anchors) can be connected to RAIN practice. For this, we start with Nurture… then Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture again.
We can do this in zazen when difficult emotions arise. The practice of Shikantaza (just sitting and letting go of all thoughts and feelings) sometimes leads to us shutting down feelings instead of receiving them. With Shikantaza practice, we sometimes try to let go too quickly and end up throwing things away, rather than receiving them fully and then letting them go. RAIN practice helps guard against that.
Step 1: Nurture. Soothe, settling my body
Step 2: Recognize. Notice sensations, vibrations, and emotions in my body.
Step 3: Allow. Accept the discomfort, or whatever is arising.
Step 4: Investigate. Stay present in my body. See what happens in my body and with the unfolding experience, and respond from the best parts of myself. Try to experience beyond the story, thoughts and ideas about what is happening, and focus on the pure sensations.
Step 5. Nurture. Safely discharge any energy that remains. Let go! Recognize that this is not about me alone. Shake it off.
In this way, we can practice with the three dharma seals (impermanence, non-self and nirvana) beyond our ideas about them. We can bring the practice into our bodies, or rather, bring consciousness of our bodies into our practice. Our practice and our bodies are never separate, but sometimes we need to engage in activities to help us realize this. If we make RAIN practice, or awareness of the three dharma seals, or even just basic body awareness part of our day-to-day practice and consciousness, then we will have a better chance of experiencing nirvana even in the midst of difficulties.
Sosan Theresa Flynn is the Guiding Teacher of Clouds in Water Zen Center.
She has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 36 years live a short distance from Clouds in Water. For more information, see Sosan’s website.