Sitting with Chaos | Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, an ordained Zen priest and author, discusses the value of disruption as a catalyst for transformation. She shares how to sit with chaos, embrace the unknown, and practice "a sip of silence" to cultivate tenderness and "be love" in a tumultuous world.
Deep Dive Analysis
10 Topic Outline
Introduction to Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and Episode Themes
The Value of Disruption for Transformation
How to Sit with Chaos and the 'Dive'
Embracing Beginner's Mind and Continuous Discovery
Death as a Doorway to Tenderness
Defining Tenderness and Personal Experiences
Processing Racism with Tenderness and Stillness
Zenju's Path to Zen Buddhism and Christian Roots
The Concept and Experience of 'Being Love'
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel's Books and Upcoming Works
6 Key Concepts
Value of Disruption
Disruption is seen as a valuable space for change and transformation, where individuals transform amidst messiness rather than in a neat, painless way. It's a dynamic movement that can wake us up and change us if we allow it, serving as 'mud for the lotus flower' for growth.
Sip of Silence
This is a practice of taking a moment or two throughout the day to stop, breathe, and be quiet, letting go of external distractions like news or conversations. This brief pause can change the tone of subsequent engagements and help one notice self-created chaos on top of imposed chaos.
Beginner's Mind
An approach to life where one continuously rediscovers people, ideas, and movements, acknowledging that even familiar things can reveal something new. It involves living in ambiguity and the process of discovery, rather than seeking definitive answers, and finding beauty in the unknown.
Death as a Doorway to Tenderness
Witnessing death can evoke a profound sense of authenticity and openness, characterized by a deep softness even amidst grief, sadness, and sorrow. This experience can inspire a desire to cultivate gentleness and softness in daily engagement with the world, rather than tension or frustration.
Tenderness (Zenju's Definition)
Tenderness, for Zenju, is a state of being completely engaged with one's heart in the moment, feeling vulnerable and soft, but also powerful and liberating. It's a way of touching into one's pain or suffering in a nurturing, 'motherly' or 'parental' way, rather than trying to escape or fix it with external means.
Being Love
To 'be love' is to exist in the direct experience of being in the world every moment without judgment, without being an expert, and without making a project to fix something, but simply being. It involves recognizing that our hearts never truly close, even amidst anger or dislike, and learning from the unconditional presence of others, like babies.
6 Questions Answered
Disruption is valuable because it is the space where change and transformation occur, forcing individuals to transform amidst messiness rather than in a neat or painless way. It's a dynamic process that can lead to awakening and growth if allowed to change us.
One can start with a 'sip of silence,' taking a minute or two to stop, breathe, and be quiet, letting go of news and conversations. This brief pause can shift one's engagement with the world and help process sensations in the body rather than the mind.
No, meditation is not for everyone; it's for a rare group of people who are seeking, open to a quest of inquiry about life, and willing to live in ambiguity without expecting definitive answers. Zen meditation, in particular, focuses on the process rather than results.
To 'be love' is to exist in the direct experience of being in the world every moment without judgment, not as an expert or trying to fix things, but simply being. It involves recognizing that our hearts never truly close, even amidst anger or dislike, and learning from the unconditional presence of others, like babies.
Tenderness is defined as a state of being completely engaged with one's heart in the moment, feeling vulnerable and soft, yet powerful and liberating. It involves being present with pain and suffering in a nurturing way, rather than trying to avoid or eliminate it.
The unknown, such as not knowing where we came from, why we are here, or where we are going, can be seen not as a dilemma or a shadow, but as a continuous place of discovery and sacredness throughout life, even until death.
28 Actionable Insights
1. Value Disruption for Transformation
Recognize that transformation happens in the midst of messiness and disruption, viewing these periods as dynamic movements that can lead to internal and external change.
2. Allow Disruption to Change You
Instead of resisting disruptions, allow them to change you, as forcing against them can prevent transformation and keep you stuck in old patterns.
3. Transform Suffering into Contribution
Utilize your experiences of turmoil and suffering as ‘mud for the lotus flower,’ recognizing that these difficulties can be used to contribute to society and fuel personal growth.
4. Engage with Life’s Troubles
Instead of trying to fix all of life’s troubles to create a perfect existence, engage with and utilize the inherent difficulties of living as part of the experience.
5. Practice Continuous Rediscovery
Approach interactions and experiences with a mindset of continuous discovery, recognizing that even familiar people or ideas require rediscovery each time.
6. Embrace the Unknown
Cultivate an appreciation for the beauty and sacredness of the unknown aspects of life, viewing them as opportunities for discovery rather than dilemmas.
7. Adopt a Beginner’s Mind
Revisit familiar concepts, people, or ideas with a ‘beginner’s mind,’ allowing new insights and perspectives to emerge, even if you think you already know them.
8. Cultivate Daily Gentleness
Strive to hone a sense of gentleness and softness in daily life, similar to the profound openness experienced when witnessing death, to engage with the world from a more tender place.
9. Action from Open Heart
When taking action, ensure it stems from an open, sacred, and deliberate place that opens your heart, allowing for both gentleness and strength.
10. Return to Heart Consciousness
Use practices like breath, song, meditation, chanting, and stillness to consistently bring yourself back to your heart consciousness and stay connected to the earth.
11. Practice Non-Judgmental Presence
Practice ‘being love’ by engaging in the direct experience of the world every moment without judgment, the need to be an expert, or the urge to fix things, embracing a state of not knowing.
12. Learn Non-Judgment from Babies
Practice observing babies as they look around, aiming to develop a similar way of seeing – without judgment, expertise, or the need to know anything.
13. Begin Meditation Slowly
If new to meditation, especially during chaos, start with very short periods, like one or two minutes of sitting still to breathe, as your system is accustomed to its current way of dealing with chaos.
14. Short Breathing Breaks
Take one or two minutes to simply breathe in and out, as this brief pause can change the tone of your subsequent engagements with the world.
15. Daily Sips of Silence
Incorporate ‘sips of silence’ throughout your day, pausing whenever possible for a minute or two, allowing phone calls and texts to wait.
16. Pause from Information Overload
Periodically disengage from news and ongoing conversations, even for a minute or two, to create a moment of quiet and reset your engagement with the world.
17. Breathe with Fear
When fear arises, simply note its presence and take a few breaths with it, treating it like a temporary visitor rather than immediately analyzing or trying to get rid of it.
18. Process Sensations Bodily
When experiencing strong physical sensations related to difficult events, allow them to process within your body through breath and stillness, rather than immediately intellectualizing them in your mind.
19. Breathe Through Difficult Sensations
Practice breathing with difficult or ancestral sensations in your body to allow them to process without causing harm, fostering stillness and self-care.
20. Follow Your Body’s Guidance
Cultivate awareness of what’s happening in your body and allow it to guide you, rather than solely relying on intellectual analysis.
21. Acknowledge Fear Without Analysis
When fear arises, simply note its presence and take a few breaths with it, treating it like a temporary visitor rather than immediately analyzing or trying to get rid of it.
22. Momentary Presence with Pain
Practice being present with pain and suffering in the moment, even if only for a brief period, to engage with your current experience.
23. Face Tenderness Directly
Instead of trying to escape feelings of tenderness or vulnerability through various forms of abuse, learn to be present with these emotions.
24. Address Internal Wounds Directly
To truly heal internal wounds, engage directly with them rather than externalizing the problem onto others, which prevents personal transformation.
25. Embrace Confusing Transformation
When undergoing personal transformation, especially with tenderness, allow the process to unfold even if it’s confusing, and avoid letting the analytical mind interfere with the experience.
26. Pause for Integration
Allow for integration of new understandings by pausing and engaging in the process of discovery, rather than rushing to conclusions.
27. Thoughtful Response to Injustice
When faced with injustice, consider a thoughtful and measured response, such as writing a letter, rather than immediately crumbling or reacting with overwhelming anger.
28. Consult Professionals for Calm
Consider using teas, herbs, or other professional help from a trusted herbalist or doctor to calm your nervous system during times of trouble and turmoil.
6 Key Quotes
Disruptions are here for us to transform within and without so that if it changes us within, it will change what's going on without.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
I begin to stop suffering the suffering and begin to actually enjoy it. Even while I was in pain and in tears, traumatized and everything else, but I knew, I knew and I still know, because I'm still in a dive, I'm always in a dive, that something's coming through that disruption or darkness for me and for us and everyone around me and us.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Meditation is not... for everyone. It's actually for a very rare group of people. A very small and rare group of people. Those who are seeking. Those who are open to a quest, an inquiry of what is this life? And how am I living it? Who am I? And getting no answer to none of it at all. It's just the process.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
No one and nothing has an answer to anything. Isn't that scary? So, what are we left to do then? Just be with not trying to find answers and fix things, but be in the discovery of things.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
I'm not advocating love as an answer to all of the ills of the world. Then again, it is just that simple to be love.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
Our hearts don't close. They never close.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel
1 Protocols
Processing Difficult Sensations in the Body
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel- Feel the sensation in the body (e.g., stomach flop, heart jump) without taking it to the mind for analysis.
- Breathe with the sensation to allow it to process itself in the body.
- Stay with the sensation and allow it to happen, recognizing it as potentially ancestral and older than oneself.
- Engage in stillness and breath to take care of the body, rather than running away from the experience or letting it overwhelm you.