The cat becomes completely relaxed, and lands lightly on the ground. But if a cat were about to fall out of a tree and suddenly makes up its mind that it didn't want to fall, it would become tense and rigid, and would be just a bag of broken bones upon landing.
In the same way, it is the philosophy of the Tao that we are all falling off a tree, at every moment of our lives. As a matter of fact, the moment we were born, we were kicked off a precipice, and we are falling, and there is nothing that can stop it.
So instead of living in a state of chronic tension, and clinging to all sorts of things that are actually falling with us because the whole world is impermanent, be like a cat." Alan Watts
Here's an actionable item. Rather than wondering how you got into the tree, what kind of tree, how far up you are, where the tree is, how windy will it get and so forth, be like a cat.
In other words, rather than trying to figure out why there is tension or trying to change our mind's view or trying to change someone else's perspective, feel into the tension. Take a deep breath, letting the air out slowly through the nose. See if for that brief moment, the mind can stop thinking, wondering, questioning and worrying. That's relaxation. That's being in the moment. Just this moment. Just now.
To help practice relaxing, why not join a
day of meditation in the quiet woods near Chelsea?
Spending a day in Noble Silence is such a gift to yourself. To be able to slow down, be present in the moment and to feel the relaxation.
Plan to join us at Michigan Friends Center in Chelsea from 9am to 4pm on March 8th. There will be sitting and walking practice and a short exploration of the Buddha's teachings.
For more information or to register, please respond to this email or email
cb.meditate@gmail.com
Also, please join us for our regular
Monday sittings from 7Pm to 8:30 pm on Zoom. The meeting number is on the website
here.