On Sitting Still
In explaining the importance and emphasis of sitting still in the Zen tradition, Allan Watts observes, “Although the West has its own contemplative tradition in the Catholic Church, the life of ‘sitting and looking’ has lost its appeal, for no religion is valued which does not ‘improve the world,’ and it is hard to see how the world can be improved by keeping still.”
But there’s an inherent flaw in this pervasive belief system as Watts points out: “It should be obvious that action without wisdom, without clear awareness of the world as it really is, can never improve anything.” And sitting still can lead to greater awareness and a heightened understanding of the nature of things.
Wisdom, arising from introspection and personal discovery, is difficult to attain in an age wired for speed and the accumulation of information. Wisdom, like sitting still, is elusive in the digital age. Corporations make decisions based on the short term, often overlooking long-term consequences. Individuals hold ideologies and take actions without first clearly evaluating and apprehending what’s in the common Good of all.
We’ve heard it said that wisdom comes with age. Without conscious intention and effort—without fostering the capacity for sitting still—we grow older but not wiser.
Make a practice of sitting still on a daily basis. Wisdom will ripen through this powerful practice.
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This is a beautiful concept. All of us have software “written” on our hearts that is activated through contemplation. We use this software to accumulate knowledge through our physical senses but we need contemplation to convert the facts into understanding and finally with conscious intention and effort…into wisdom. Keep up the good work Jeffrey!
Nicely said, Todd.
So, I read this this morning and my first reaction was a western resistance. Thoughts like “I gotta get things done. Sit still?” But I decided to apply it to actually dealing with customers and I found it made people a lot more trusting and made my day more efficient. Yet, it definitely is a practice. For someone who’s Type A, restless and figgity, it takes some getting used to. The biggest barrier is thinking, I’ll sit still when I get here or do this, and then find myself in restless motion all over again. The key I found was sitting still inside, right here and now, even though the body is doing something, like walking or talking.