During our February retreat, we spent the second day hiking through deep snow. There was rain, there was wind. This was our walking meditation. Was it a good hike, though?
Often, when we use the word “good,” we really mean “pleasant for me.” And “bad” means “unpleasant for me.” It sounds like a statement about the world, but it’s just personal preference.
On the way to the mountain, in the early morning before sunrise, we might perceive ‘cold’. Normally, we immediately complicate that perception with a valuation. For example, it could be ’this is unpleasant’. Then, going up the mountain, we might perceive ‘hot’. Again, just as quickly another thought might arise ‘This is even worse!’.
If we are not careful, we linger on these thoughts, and we begin to tell ourselves a story. The more we think about it, the stronger the story becomes: ‘This is bad, why do I even do this? I could be at home, comfortably in my bed!’.
However, during a Zen retreat, we take these moments as our friends, as helpful opportunities, not problems. We look carefully and deeply into our self. We can see the thought for what it is - just a thought. When cold, it’s cold. When hot, it’s hot. No problem. Every moment is like this!
What makes a hike ‘good’? Not comfort. Not a view from the summit. A hike is good for our practice when it gives us the chance to look into the nature of our mind. And this hike gave us plenty.
Don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to look into it yourself! If you cannot go on a hike, you can work on it with this:
Blue Cliff Record, case 43: Tōzan’s “No Cold or Heat”
A monk said to Tōzan, “Cold and heat descend upon us. How can we avoid them?”Tōzan said, “Why don’t you go where there is no cold or heat?”
The monk said, “Where is the place where there is no cold or heat?”
Tōzan said, “When cold, let it be so cold that it kills you; when hot, let it be so hot that it kills you.”
