‘To appreciate things and people, our minds need to be calm and clear. So we practice zazen, or “just sitting” without any gaining idea. At this time you are you yourself. You “settle yourself on yourself.” With this practice, we have freedom, but it may be that the freedom you mean and the freedom Zen Buddhists mean are not the same. To attain freedom, we cross our legs, keep our posture upright, and let our eyes and ears be open to everything. This readiness or openness is important because we are liable to go to extremes and stick to something. In this way we may lose our calmness or mirrorlike mind.’ (Not Always So)
Perhaps the least conspicuous line here is ‘At this time you are you yourself.’ How would it feel if that were the case all the time? If you are wondering how to do that, not sticking to something, including our idea of who we are, is a good way to head towards freedom.
