A key aspect of zen practice is 向く (Makū) - "turning our attention toward" our Original nature. This means facing insecurity of the ego-mind with care and compassion, realizing the disquieted thoughts projected in our head are not reality itself.
It's like when we finish watching a movie - we turn it off and come back to the present moment. For humans, thoughts are just projections on the screen of consciousness from the inner narrator of ego. They seem real until we mindfully turn our attention back to the here and now... and what's actually happening in our present moment experience.
Through meditation practices like zazen, we can settle the chattering mind. We turn away from the superficial desires and commentaries about life, and reconnect with the ground of our being.
Returning to the origin point of consciousness is like coming home - we turn toward our true nature, which is always right here. Zazen is the beginning of this journey, the opening of a doorway to presence.
By sitting with compassion for ourselves and the thoughts placed in front of our attention which ego-mind hopes we bite down on, we can relax into the loving awareness that is our birthright, undisturbed. With practice, we realize life is the movie, and we are the space in which it unfolds... Free.
一We Are the Practice Itself