If a person is *overly attached* to wearing the VR headset or becomes addicted to the content projected by thought-world, though they might say they like the idea of Zen and want to practice so that they can come to "Awakening," in point of fact it's often discovered that's not accurate; evidenced by not having a consistent and intentional practice that would allow for awakening with completeness.
This experience is extremely familiar to those in Recovery-World. We all know people who want recovery. The idea of no longer suffering, though appealing isn't enough to produce "Meaningful action," in the words of Jimmy Kinnon, founder of Narcotics Anonymous. Too many are hesitant or flat-out resistant to the lengths necessary to actually heal their heart and mind. Though they were getting high with amazing regularity... surrendering to the problem, strangely surrendering to the solution becomes quite selective. It’s a mismatch of time, energy, force, and application to the practice of recovery. If nothing substantively changes nothing substantively changes.
Stuck remains stuck, when enough is not done to get unstuck. Those of us in the practice of recovery have buried way too many friends unnecessarily. We are here rooting, and supporting people to embody their "Highest, best self," but oddly I've seen sponsors, family, friends, and counselors can at times be more invested in the addict getting better than they are themselves, because the nature of addiction mind can be so seductive. The reason isn't because they're "Bad people," as some might think. They're usually distracted or lost in Thought-world, in the apperance of motion and movment, without actually being so, walking in circles. Even when making some effort, money, power, property, titles, and prestige gets in the way of the way of us Living in our "Primary Purpose," ...To be fully whole, and wholly free, through goodwill and creative action.
It could seem weird to mention the above in a discussion about Zen... Buddhism... determination... and meaningful practice of Zen rather than theoretical, but it's a distinction without a true difference. There are a significant number of people, that are suffering... like frogs in a pot of water. The heat is turned up slowly, and progressively. There's often a false assumption because suffering doesn't seem or appear acute, and we can "Make time for it later." Because the feedback loop of the VR headset of thought can be so powerful and influential, many end-up procrastinating on substantive, and meaningful change, putting off authentic happiness, and settling from "Almost happy." or "pseudo happiness," despite a lack of action and effort that would manifest such a result. Just because we put ourselves on the treadmill, doesn't mean we're actually going somewhere. It's life and suffering by default, rather than living by conscious intentionality, authentic goodwill and creative action.
Authentic Zen practice requires that we take a break... a kind of vacation from the VR headset of thought-world... our personal version of "Second-life," to actually notice, and participate in Reality as It is, rather than through the spotlight of the headset painting it as It isn't. That’s a lot like trying to see and experience the entire universe through a straw. It’s the physical, mental, emotional, and aspirational posture harmonized that discards the artificial barrier that was never really there to begin with.
Being without the persona… the mask of personality… that can be scary… our identity can be our addiction. Been there, seen it, and done it… which is why so many willingly and so easily consume personalized blue pills... their addiction that keeps them from not experiencing True Reality, and engaged in the simulation, even if it’s filled with suffering. As some of us know… “There’s a certain comfort in old familiar pain.“ But when we do that, it could be helpful to remember that when we argue for our limitations… they remain ours as a matter of choice rather than necessity.
Only Zazen is Zazen. There are no decorations to be found. In fact it's a kind of taking the decorations projected by the VR headset of thought, masquerading as Reality. What could happen for us if we took an hour vacation from being the hero or the villain… from our history… from our present moment trials, tribulations, and dilemma‘s? That could be sonomama (そのまま)... the moment before the mind captured and reconfigured Reality to more effectively curate our experience within It. We cannot think outside the box of the VR headset of thinking, when thinking is the illusion there’s a box in the first place. Zen is a verb, rather than a noun or adjective.
一We Are the Practice Itself
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