What Is True Awareness?

What happens when we stand up from our meditation cushion and proceed with our day to day affairs? Invariably we begin to slide back into our established mind habits. True Awareness, or Shonen Sozoku, is a continuance of samadhi, not just confined to the time spent on the meditation cushion. True awareness must be present in everything we do, in all of our daily encounters and situations. Cutting and letting go of our compulsive day dream habits then becomes our new habit, one that is real and dynamic. How so? Because it lovingly escorts us right here into this moment. Whether working, eating, driving, reading, spending time with our family and friends, we are truly present, not mentally leap frogging in preparation for the next event.

How many times have you mentally prepared responses during a conversation not really listening to a friend’s sincere attempt at conveying a matter of importance to them. The moment is lost. Becoming attentive, better listeners, and present to life’s situations can only appear with the stilling of the scattered mind. No longer relying on familiar constructs, a presence begins to emerge, one that is not contrived. You are resonating from a place of genuine openness. With practice, this becomes a 24/7 continuance that as referenced above is “real and dynamic.”

By Zen Master Ji Haeng
Excerpt from: True Awareness