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Dogen\u2019s 6th<\/sup> Awareness:\u00a0 \u00a0Control Your Mind – Cultivate Meditation Concentration<\/p>\n Meditation<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0 engage in contemplation or reflection; taking charge of one\u2019s mind<\/p>\n Concentration<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0 deep reflective thought; an inner seeing that transcends the intellect<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dogen\u2019s Awarenesses \u2013 Having Few Desires, Being Content, Quietude, Diligence, Unfailing Recollection are not commandments or rules to be memorized and slavishly followed. They are qualities to be lived not just something to think about or observe in other people.\u00a0 These awarenesses are like seeds in our minds, when we water them with practice they can break through our ignorance, like seedlings breaking through the dirt to become plants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what Dogen intends, I think, is to bring all of these awareness\u2019s directly into our daily life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I began my Buddhist practice I joined a Zen sangha.\u00a0 A group of us met every Wednesday and Saturday to do sitting meditation for 40 minutes, followed by walking meditation for 10 minutes, followed by another 40 minutes of sitting meditation.\u00a0 I was taught to sit still on a cushion and not scratch an ear or ankle, quiet my body and mind.\u00a0 And for many years, cultivating spiritual practice\u2026concentrating and meditating meant sitting on a cushion.\u00a0 The problem was that when I got up from sitting and began to do things this spiritual practice did not go with me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So\u2026knowing that Dogen intends for us to bring spiritual practice\u2026meditation concentration into our every action I ask \u2018how do we do it?\u00a0 how do we actually do it?\u2019 It takes practice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Quilt making is a practice for me; a spiritual practice of taking care of my mind and reflecting on spiritual teachings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A couple of months ago, I finished a quilted chair covering and wanted to start something new.\u00a0 I decided to use up everything in my cloth box and make a large quilted spread.\u00a0 I was eager to begin because I knew when I got to the quilting part my mind would settle down into a contemplative, meditative state.\u00a0 I wanted this calm practice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AWARENESS OF THE HINDRANCES<\/p>\n What happened was that when I\u2019d begin my sewing-work I found I was irritated Every day I became obsessed with trying to figure out if I had enough material. The design was complicated\u2026I needed over 900 small squares not to mention needing yards of material for the frame. Every day I wanted to get to the quilting place\u2026AND there was just so much to do.<\/p>\n Finally, I woke up and saw that what I was practicing wasn\u2019t controlling my mind\u2026I was practicing worry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AWARENESS OF RELIEF<\/p>\n So now here is my practice\u2026each day as I come to work on the to-be quilt I focus on turning my mind to the tasks at hand, not look to the future.\u00a0 Will there be enough material for all the squares?\u00a0 What should I use for a backing?\u00a0 Do I need to get more thread?\u00a0 I need more chalk markers\u2026and on and on my mind goes. \u00a0My practice is slow, deliberate work to turn my thoughts away from what I want to do or judging the progress I am making or not making.\u00a0 Now, when the irritation starts, I literally say to myself\u2026drop the irritation.\u00a0 Just drop it and focus on what I am doing now.\u00a0 It is a practice of moment by moment awareness…to have no desire to want to be further along than I am\u2026to be content with just cutting squares\u2026not worrying about there being enough, just being with this task.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, I have found how to meditate off the cushion.\u00a0 It is to know that every moment is an opportunity for spiritual practice.\u00a0 To really know this is to first see where my mind is at any moment and then turn away from my life-long habits of not paying attention\u2026to multi-tasking\u2026to thinking about the next day or next hour or next minute.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once we see where our minds are\u2026what do we turn them to?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I get here, I turn my mind to reciting chants or a line from a chant I have memorized.\u00a0 This is taking control away from the mind of irritated thoughts or the mind of worried thoughts and giving it something to do.\u00a0 When I do this, I find concentration.\u00a0 I am present with what is in front of me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dogen is encouraging us to take control of our minds all day long by watching the mind both on the cushion and off.<\/p>\n