On the wall above the fruit table in the dining room at the Zen Monastery Peace Center hangs an adaptation of “The Way of Transformation,” by Karlfried Graf Dürckheim. In this excerpt Dürckheim writes, “Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over again to annihilation can that which is indestructible arise within us. In this lies the dignity of daring.”
Sometimes to dare is to take action: to communicate, to seek guidance, or to practice a change in behavior; and sometimes the most daring act one can do is to cease all activity altogether and simply sit in stillness and silence. It is a courageous process to sit in meditation during life’s challenges (in the face of the voices of egocentric karmic conditioning/self-hate) and to practice bringing attention back to the breath again and again. It is the process of entering into the zones of annihilation that Dürckheim refers to. It is the process of allowing the “Divine Ground of Being” to arise. It is the way of transformation.
As I reflect on this, it becomes very clear to me that what I am willing for is to encounter the challenging experiences in life as a means for ego’s annihilation so that I may use each one as “a raft that leads to the far shore.” I welcome the opportunities to encounter that which I need to transcend. I choose to sit still with all of it and bring it all into conscious, compassionate awareness.
In this way, I do most deeply vow to train myself.
Gassho,
Amy