The crucial difference between fixing and transforming

But it is very hard, if not impossible, to convey with the words the difference between a life that is fixed and one that is transformed. For one thing, there is a blazing physicality in Zen practice that is obvious only within the silence and struggle of zazen. In experiencing without thoughts the bodily tension of emotion, the conditioned self or shell begins to weaken, and the possibility of the satisfying life we all want - the transformed life - begins to be born. A Zen teacher will make it clear to the student when she is not staying with reality, with what's happening right now, but is instead persisting in trying to find a solution based on self-centered, blaming thinking. 

Zen practice can be difficult, frustrating, and slow, but after a time (usually a long time) the student will notice that her emotional reactivity is decreasing and that the ability to act clearly and insanely is increasing. Self-centeredness diminishes, as does being judgmental. Relationships are more intimate and more satisfying. Compassion appears more frequently and is effortless. 

But this practice is a lifetime work and is never done. It is a process of experiencing again and again each thing that enters her life, moment by moment.

Ordinary Mind by Barry Magid, Forward by Charlotte Joko Beck page x

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It is the explicit acknowledgment and working through of the emotional difficulties of practice that have been the hallmark of Joko Beck's distinctive brand of Zen. Her way of practicing and teaching were borne directly out of the failure of so many of the first generation of Japanese and American teachers here in the United States to adequately deal with their own emotional conflicts, transference reactions, substance abuse, and sexual behavior despite having completed traditional Zen training.

Ordinary Mind by Barry Magid Introduction page 11

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