{"id":2608,"date":"2020-04-03T16:05:23","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T16:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zatma.org\/?p=2608"},"modified":"2020-12-08T16:46:19","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T16:46:19","slug":"heave-to-by-lao-di-zhi-shakya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/?p=2608","title":{"rendered":"Heave To —- by Lao Di Zhi Shakya"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Heave To <\/span><\/h1>\n

Dogen\u2019s Second Awareness: Be Content<\/span><\/h4>\n

For those of us who have forgotten, the first of the eight awarenesses by Dogen is <\/span>Have Few Desires. <\/span>A short discourse on it can be found here<\/a>. Before I launch into the second awareness to <\/span>be content, <\/span>I want to encourage us by pointing out our challenge. It may seem odd to think a challenge is an encouragement, but for the spiritual seeker challenges require us to be courageous. This <\/span>hot spot event <\/span>of the global epidemic challenges us to use our courage to <\/span>be content. <\/span><\/p>\n

In order to shed light on this awareness and bring clarity to it, I have taken the liberty to change Dogen’s wording to: <\/span>HEAVE TO. <\/span>I think you’ll understand as I tell my story and the story of Voss.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Confession<\/span><\/h3>\n

I have little to no experience with boats and sailing. What I do know can be said in one sentence. The stern is the back of the boat and the bow is the front. That’s it. <\/span><\/p>\n

I recently learned what HEAVE TO means while reading the <\/span>The Adventuresome Voyages of Voss.<\/span> If you know about sailing, you know what it means and how to do it. If you are like me, you don’t know the meaning and need a brief explanation. Here is a sketchy explanation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Heave To<\/span><\/h3>\n

Heave-to is a sailing maneuver used to slow a boat down in heavy seas. <\/span>It is done by adjusting the sails and dropping the ship<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s anchor in a storm. This<\/span> maneuver keeps the boat from traveling with the high winds. For if the boat goes with the wind, it can be sucked down by the force of the water and capsize. The winds, you see, move faster than a boat<\/span> can move<\/span>.<\/span> To the <\/span>inexperienced and ignorant, heaving-to seems counter intuitive and dangerous! <\/span><\/p>\n

Heave To is the same as Be Content while in life-threatening winds. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Story<\/span><\/h3>\n

It is allegedly a true story of two men <\/span>in a retrofitted canoe on<\/span> the open Pacific Ocean during high winds<\/span>.<\/span> To say the least, many of us feel we, too are in high winds in a retrofitted canoe in unknown waters. If so, it is time to heave-to! Now the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1901, in Victoria, Canada,<\/span> <\/span>a <\/span>young <\/span>journalist<\/span> asked Voss an experienced<\/span> sailor <\/span>if it was possible to sail around the world in a small boat.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201c<\/span>Not every captain would be able to do it. But, y<\/span>es I<\/span> can captain such a journey!<\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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\n

The journalist, I\u2019ll call him the mate, <\/span>offered to<\/span> pay the captain $2,500 dollars and half the profits from a book he would write<\/span> about the trip,<\/span> if <\/span>the captain took up the challenge.<\/span> <\/span>The mate, who had no sailing experience at all,<\/span> <\/span>saw the impending voyage <\/span>as <\/span>an exciti<\/span>ng adventure<\/span> with minimal danger. Turning his experience on the high seas circling the globe into a best seller was his motivation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The captain <\/span>pur<\/span>chased a 38 ft dugout canoe<\/span> carved from a single tree which he skillfully <\/span>turned into a vessel capable of sailing on the open ocean. There was plenty of work and preparation before they set sail. When the canoe was finished, it included a one-berth cabin, tiller and three masts. <\/span> Very tight quarters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making the effort to sail <\/span>around the world in this canoe brought many difficulties. <\/span>Gales, s<\/span>torm<\/span>s, high winds and rough waves on the open sea can<\/span> dangerous for all boats and <\/span>are<\/span> even more <\/span>perilous<\/span> in an ocean going canoe!!!<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>B<\/span>ut <\/span>t<\/span>he <\/span>captain, trusting<\/span> his <\/span>sailing and navigating skills enough kne<\/span>w <\/span>that<\/span> the venture had a possibility of succeeding. <\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he first few wee<\/span>ks the weather was calm<\/span>. The mate, the journalist,<\/span> <\/span>entered i<\/span>nto an<\/span> easy<\/span> routine<\/span> with the captain,<\/span> learning the skill<\/span>s<\/span> <\/span>required for<\/span> living on a small boat: cooking, <\/span>cleaning, <\/span>raising and lowering sails, steering <\/span>and <\/span>doing <\/span>night watches <\/span>to keep<\/span> the boat on course.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

During this time the two men worked and lived on board as friends. The mate didn\u2019t feel he was obeying orders, he was just learning the ropes of sailing. The captain did not feel the need to assert his authority because the mate was<\/span> a willing learner.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

They <\/span>encountered<\/span> rain, choppy seas and thunderstorms <\/span>but nothing that proved dangerous<\/span>.<\/span> Until<\/span> o<\/span>ne afternoon, the captain <\/span>noticed the <\/span>darkening clouds and <\/span>that <\/span>the <\/span>winds and waves<\/span> <\/span>were<\/span> stronger<\/span> and it started to rain<\/span>. He knew a gale was <\/span>almost on them<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, the roles of the two <\/span>men,<\/span> take a drastic change. The mate, never having been at sea in a gale, was terrified and feared for his life. He did not trust that this amiable man who taught him how to cook could manage a storm this dangerous. He lost confidence in the captain.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the storm got closer<\/span> and winds got stronger and the rain started,<\/span> the<\/span> captain <\/span>had to yell<\/span> over the wind to his mate.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201c<\/span>You have to go to the stern of the boat and drop this anchor overboard. I will<\/span> tie this rope around you, <\/span>so <\/span>if you get tossed out, I can pull you back. <\/span>I\u2019m going to<\/span> steer the boat<\/span> and set the sails. <\/span>We are going to heave-to<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Terrified, t<\/span>he mate <\/span>let the captain tie a rope around him and<\/span> fighting the wind struggled<\/span> to the stern <\/span>carrying <\/span>the anchor. When he got there he saw a <\/span>huge<\/span> wave coming <\/span>straight at him. In <\/span>sheer<\/span> <\/span>panic he<\/span> <\/span>dropped the anchor in the boat and climbed up the nearest mast. The captain <\/span>yelled<\/span> again, louder.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cClimb down and d<\/span>rop the <\/span>anchor overboard right now<\/span>!<\/span>\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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\n

Shaken, the mate<\/span> climbed down and<\/span> <\/span>threw the anchor overboard. <\/span> <\/span>Fighting the wind and rain he <\/span>struggled back<\/span>, <\/span>frightened, angry, defensive<\/span> ready<\/span> to argue with the captain<\/span>. <\/span>The mate felt <\/span>that dropping the anchor was<\/span> wrong. The boat should be going with the wind, not stopping in the middle of it. <\/span>Didn\u2019t <\/span>the captain know how big<\/span> the waves were? The mate<\/span> saw the size of the waves and knew <\/span>he was going to be drowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the storm raged<\/span>, the captain <\/span>knew the power of heaving-to. He knew from experience what actions he <\/span>had<\/span> to take, <\/span>and what actions he had to order his mate take <\/span>to make the b<\/span>oat, his mate and himself safe. And he took them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having done all he could do, and knowing the space was too small for disagreements, he <\/span>welcomed his <\/span>terrified, <\/span>angry <\/span>mate into a surprisingly <\/span>dry and <\/span>steady<\/span> cabin<\/span>. <\/span>The rain and wind and rough waves hadn\u2019t stopped, but<\/span> dropping the anchor, <\/span>slowed <\/span>the boat and it <\/span>was no longer fighting the wind and waves. The captain <\/span>helped the mate untie<\/span> the rope and dry off. He offered him a <\/span>cup of coffee<\/span> and a seat to ride the storm out.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Twofold View<\/span><\/h3>\n

Notice how similar this story is to our being asked to drop everything and slow down. To withdraw from the stormy winds blowing this virus across the globe, to have a cup of coffee, to calm down, to trust that dropping everything will keep us safe. <\/span><\/p>\n

That is the material realm safety. <\/span><\/p>\n

This applies to our spiritual life as well. Drop every fear-mongering thought – heave-to right in the middle of what comes into your life. Face the challenge without fear; trust, be confident in spiritual fortitude to get up and keep going. Study the teachings in a disciplined way – be reasoned with knowledge of spiritual teachings, take action when required, offer devotion and praise in silence and meditation. Give like the captain who knew the fear of his novice mate. <\/span><\/p>\n

The novice seaman thought he knew more than the captain and almost lost his life. Take to heart the teachings – <\/span>heave to <\/span>and <\/span>have few desires<\/span>; two of Dogen’s life jackets in the storm’s of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Humming<\/h1>\n

Author: Lao di Zhi Shakya<\/p>\n

Old Earth<\/p>\n

Zen Contemplative Priest of the Order of Hsu Yun<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZATMA is not a blog.<\/p>\n

\u00a0If for some reason you need elucidation on the teaching,<\/p>\n

please contact editor at:\u00a0yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured Images: Lying a Hull<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heave-to is a sailing maneuver used to slow a boat down in heavy seas. It is done by adjusting the sails and dropping the ship\u2019s anchor in a storm. This maneuver keeps the boat from traveling with the high winds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","category-essays-by-yao-xiang-shakya"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2608"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2622,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions\/2622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zatma.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}