The Moment That It Is
Image: Unsplash
By Myoshin Diane Benjamin
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of ringing the hanging bell in the zendo 108 times in order to mark the end of our sit-a-thon. After a few rings, it became apparent that I was going to need to do two things over the next 50 minutes: first, every 30 seconds when I went to ring the bell, I had to ring it as if for the first time. Thinking about all of the bells to come was overwhelming! Second, after each ring, I had to let go of my idea about what just happened. Was it too loud? Was it too soft? Was it too fast or too slow? All of those thoughts simply got in the way of ringing the next bell.
As I was ringing and bowing, and ringing and bowing, this line from Dogen’s Jijuyu Zanmi, (Self-fulfillment Samadi) came to mind:
“Zazen is equally the same practice and the same enlightenment for both the person sitting and for all dharmas. The melodious sound continues to resonate as it echoes, not only during sitting practice but before and after striking emptiness, which continues endlessly before and after the fall of the hammer. Not only that but all things are endowed with original practice within the original face, which is impossible to measure.”
So now I'm asking myself, can I just let each moment be the moment that it is? Too loud or too soft? Happy or sad, easy or difficult? And then, can I release that moment as the next one arises? When I ring the bell in this way, and when I live in this way, freedom is possible.
Myoshin Diane Benjamin (she/her) is a lay dharma teacher, a path that reflects her deep interest and engagement in the ways that Buddhist practice both permeates everyday work and family life, and supports engagement in social change. Myoshin began practicing Buddhism in 1996 and received dharma transmission in 2022 from Sosan Flynn. She taught for over a decade in the children’s program at Clouds in Water, and has practiced at Hokyoji and Ryumonji monasteries and attended numerous retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and his community. She has worked for many years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, and is also a musician. Additionally, she is fully certified to teach the Realization Process.