Last week, Garrett and I began an exploration of Zen meditation. We're enrolled in a 5-week introductory class at the Houston Zen Center. In the first class, after leaving our shoes and our worries at the door, we shared our reasons for being there ("Garrett made me come!") and learned a little bit about the history of Zen. We also had the opportunity to practice meditating on some cozy pillows.
The first week's "homework" is to meditate each day for 15 minutes, and to practice "mindfulness." To practice mindfulness, we are to pay full attention to the activity of opening and closing a door (in the natural context, not as an autistic activity): reaching for the knob, turning the knob, crossing the threshold, etc. It sounds silly, but it is actually a great example of the spirit of Zen. Rather than focusing on where we've been or where we're going (which the brain is very good at doing), we are to focus on the here and now. Oh, meditation! Where you Zen all my life?
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