Often people tell me they need a spiritual path to find out who they are and their purpose in life. My answer is: "You are who you are, and your purpose in life shows itself in each moment." Let me explain.

Consider wild flowers for a moment. When they bloom, they are beautiful just as they are without doing anything special. They cannot make choices, and they cannot escape their circumstances, even if they want to. When the wind blows, they sway; when the rain comes, they drink; when the sun beats long and hard, they droop. Yet they always completely express their flower-ness-and that makes them lovely to behold. We, too, are naturally beautiful without any special effort. But when we become preoccupied by questions of who we are and what we should be, it can prevent us from simply being present. We strive to answer our questions, to achieve something that seems tangible, searching for happiness, searching for meaning. And though we are not satisfied, we believe that if we continue to drive ourselves in the same way, the result will be different. A certain momentum catches us, and we forget to stop and smell the flowers.

How can we get out of this cycle? Stop chasing for a moment and you will see what is right in front of you, what is always available. Sitting quietly calms the mind, allowing us to become reacquainted with ourselves and find the meaning of life in each moment. When plans and retrospectives dominate our thoughts, it's hard to be in touch with what is happening around us. When the mind settles down, even a little bit, it is possible to see what we do to keep ourselves from enjoying the present moment, and seeing this, we can slow down even more. This is called "meditation."

There are different styles of meditation. In Buddhism, some of these differences came about as the practice of meditation moved into different cultures. Starting in India, it then traveled to Tibet and Southeast Asia. It arrived in China, too, and was then carried to Japan; in the last century, Eastern meditation has been introduced in America and Europe. The "how to" of meditation practice shows itself in many different forms. But the results are the same.

For the past thirty years, I have been practicing a Japanese style of Zen called shikantaza, or "just sitting." In shikantaza meditation, there is no point of reference. As my teacher used to say, shikantaza means "just sit down and shut up."

Meditation practice is simply a matter of letting yourself become aware of and appreciate the situation you're in rather than being trapped by ideas of how you want things to be.

HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL WAYS TO GET STARTED:

• Decide how long you want to sit. It's better to be regular than to challenge yourself with long periods of meditation. Even five minutes can be beneficial. When you sit alone, fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty.
• If possible, try to sit at the same time(s) each day.
• Keep your spine straight. A cross-legged posture with both knees on the ground and your tailbone slightly elevated creates a very stable base for supporting your lower back. If you cannot sit cross-legged, find a solid chair that allows your feet to be flat on the ground in front of you (or put something under your feet) and elevate your tailbone slightly. Put your tongue on the front roof of your mouth with your teeth and lips both shut.
• Breathe gently through your nose.
• Scan your body for tension. Notice if you are squeezing your frontal lobe. Do you have tension in your forehead? In your eyes? Do you feel a pushing in your chest? Allow any tension you find in your body to release. Notice what your mind is doing. It may seem as if nothing is happening. You may think, "This is a waste of time." But this type of quiet sitting is like walking in a mist-you don't really notice that you are getting wet, but after walking for a while, you're soaked.

Once you get the hang of sitting meditation, you can use this practice in any situation:

• Doing one thing at a time, staying fully present with what you're doing, is a form of meditation. Meditation is the opposite of multi-tasking.
• Measure your steps with your breath when you're walking and slow down as much as possible. If you feel the urge to go faster, feel pulled by a wish to get somewhere, just notice the place in your body that seems to be pulling and take a few deep breaths. Your body will begin to relax.
• Take a walk without a destination. Do it at a time when you don't have to be anywhere. Resist the tendency to try to get somewhere. Enjoy things around you. Stop to look at something beautiful and smell the flowers.
• When you get behind a slow vehicle while driving, try slowing down. Take a few deep breaths and enjoy the ride. If you have an urge to pass, honk, or get irritated, take a few deep breaths.
  Beginning and advanced practitioners do the same practice, but there are different challenges.

The challenge for someone who is just starting is to stay with it. Even with strong determination to practice meditation, many distractions come up. At first, it may seem like nothing is happening, a kind of boredom. Or the opposite: a busy mind that seems like something one shouldn't bring to meditation. But something is happening whatever the condition of your mind, and you'll soon find yourself encouraged by small successes.

After practicing for a while, the challenge is to not expect something. Positive experiences create expectations of the same thing or something more. This can cause disappointment and frustration, and it's easy to give up. Like a child learning to walk, it's necessary to continue and not be discouraged.

Remember, meditation is not something that helps achieve a certain state of mind, rather a practice that teaches to live in each moment. When you take a few moments each day to quietly settle into life, you will see who you are and your purpose in life.

Disciple and Dharma Heir of Dainin Katagiri Roshi, Rev. Teijo Munnich received training at Hosshinji Monastery in Obama, Japan. She currently teaches at Zen Center of Asheville (zcasheville.org) and Great Tree Zen Women's Temple (greattreetemple.org).

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