{"id":4248,"date":"2019-04-09T10:04:21","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T16:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manyvoices.soundstrue.com\/?p=4248"},"modified":"2020-04-07T17:46:23","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T17:46:23","slug":"coffee-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resources2.soundstrue.com\/blog\/coffee-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Coffee<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During\nthe twenty years I lived in a meditation center, I rushed through my morning\ncoffee. After all, if I didn\u2019t drink it fast enough, I\u2019d be late for\nmeditation. It was important to get to meditation on time; otherwise, one had\nto endure the social stigma of being late (obviously lacking the proper\nspiritual motivation), as well as the boredom and frustration of having to wait\noutside the zendo to meditate until latecomers were admitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\nmoved out of the center, I had to learn to live in the world. I had been\ninstitutionalized for nearly twenty years. Now I was out and about. What did it\nmean? There was no formal meditation hall in my home. I could set my meditation\ncushion in front of my home altar, or I could sit up in my bed and cover my\nknees with the blankets. There were no rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon,\nI stopped getting up at 3:30 am. Once I did awaken, I found that a hot shower,\nwhich had not really fit with the previous circumstances, was quite\ninvigorating. Of course, getting more sleep also helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I\nwas ready for coffee\u2014hot, freshly brewed, exquisitely delicious coffee. Not\ncoffee in a cold cup from an urn; not coffee made with lukewarm water out of a\nthermos; not coffee with cold milk, 2 percent milk, or nonfat milk\u2014but coffee with\nheated half-and-half. Here was my opportunity to satisfy frustrated longings\nfrom countless mornings in my past. I would not have just any old coffee, but\nPeet\u2019s Garuda blend\u2014a mixture of Indonesian beans\u2014brewed with recently boiled\nwater and served in a preheated cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately,\nby the time I finished the coffee, I had been sitting around so long that it\nwas time to get started on the day, but I hadn\u2019t done any meditation. With this\nheavenly beverage in hand, who needed to meditate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsolution was obvious: bring the ceremoniously prepared coffee in the preheated\ncup to the meditation cushion. This would never have been allowed at the center\nor in any formal meditation hall I have visited, but in my own home, it was a\nno-brainer. Bring the coffee to the cushion\u2014or was it the other way around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nlight the candle and offer incense. \u201cHomage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the\nLovely, the Holy,\u201d I say. \u201cMay all beings be happy, healthy, and free from\nsuffering.\u201d I sit down on the cushion and place the coffee just past my right\nknee. I cross my legs and then put the cup right in front of my ankles. I sit\nwithout moving so I don\u2019t accidentally spill the coffee. I straighten my\nposture and sip some coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel\nmy weight settling onto the cushion, lengthen the back of my neck, and sip some\ncoffee. Taste, enjoy, soften, release. I bring my awareness to my breath moving\nin, \ufb02owing out. If I lose track of my breath, I am reminded to take another sip\nof coffee\u2014robust, hearty, grounding. Come back to the coffee. Come back to the\nbreath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ndistraction? A thought? Sip of coffee. Enjoy the coffee. Enjoy the breath.\nFocus on the present moment. Remembering the words of a Vipassana teacher of\nmine: \u201cWisdom in Buddhism is defined as the proper and efficacious use of\ncaffeine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nstabilize my intention. \u201cNow as I drink this cup of coffee, I vow with all\nbeings to awaken body, mind, and spirit to the true taste of the dharma. May\nall beings attain complete awakening at this very moment. As I visualize the\nwhole world awakening, my mind expands into the vastness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Friends, this is one of the teaching stories that is shared in my new book, The Most Important Point<\/a><\/em>. This offering comes to you with my gratitude for the efforts of Danny S. Parker, who edited over 60 of my Zen talks for inclusion in this volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, I invite you to try the Tea and Ginger Muffins recipe<\/a> that accompanies this story. Danny must have enjoyed them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Edward Espe Brown<\/a> is a Zen Buddhist priest and was the first head cook at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danny S. Parker is a longtime student of Brown\u2019s and is an ordained Zen Buddhist priest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Pick up a copy of Edward Espe Brown’s newest book, The Most Important Point<\/em>, today! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds True<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | Barnes and Noble<\/a> | IndieBound<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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