Counting Breaths to Experience Everyday Moments More Deeply

Instead of seeking for some success in the objective world, we try to experience the everyday moments of our life more deeply. That is the purpose of zazen.

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Meditation we sometimes practice counting our breath. You may think it is silly to count your breath from 1 to 10, losing track of the count and starting over. But the underlying spirit is quite important. While we are counting each number, we find that our life is limitlessly deep. If we count our breath in the ordinary way, as you would count the distance from here to the moon, our practice doesn't mean anything.

To count each breath is to breathe with our whole mind and body. We count each number with the power of the whole universe. So when you really experience counting your breath, you will have deep gratitude, more than if you arrived on the moon.

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The only way is to enjoy your life. Even though you are practicing zazen, counting your breath like a snail, you can enjoy your life, perhaps even more than taking a trip to the moon. That is why we practice zazen. The most important thing is to be able to enjoy your life without being fooled by things.

Enjoy Your Life, by Sunryu Suzuki, not always so