Once we understand we are not the masters of our thoughts—but victims—we can stop cooperating. Lola Mar 17, 1985

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, recounts tales of Master Fugai. Lola gives a detailed explanation of meditation. How the word meditation, historically, has been thought to mean thinking, pondering. But in Zen it’s just the opposite. In Zen meditation you sit, and can watch your thoughts go by, but you do not get swept up by them. If you observe closely you’ll start to see that your thoughts create a circular pattern… over and over, and at the center of this circle is a point with which you are identified: anger, or greed or some other kind of self-centeredness. Once we understand we are not the masters of our thoughts—but victims—we can stop cooperating, stop remaining a victim of them. When you sit, don’t cling to thoughts or emotions. Just sit. And be. Zen is not something you just read in a book. It is an encounter with reality. Also, Lola discu ...