A slight correction regarding engaged Buddhsim the ease of practice

I would like to revise my remarks I wrote on a blog post recently, which while it had a strong theme of engaged Buddhist practice, actually wasn't about that at all.

It's not to say I completely misspoke, mislead, lied, or expressed an opinion so vile I had to walk it back.

I said in that post, "Watching your mind  compassionately, and kindly for a half an our or an hour is not that difficult."


Rather, I was listening to a recent teisho by Genjo Marinello on 無 and impermanence and he had a point: sometimes, particularly in sesshin, it can be excruciatingly difficult for some people.  Indeed, even for myself there have been looong stretches of times where I just did not want to sit, and had to make myself.

Now, after a lot of that, it is not so difficult for me, if I remember that my aches and pains, physical, emotional, psychological, and such are echoed in all beings.  I try to practice - and often fail miserably - being able to remember the aches and pains I feel can be prevented from arising in other people by treating them mindfully and compassionately, even when I am peeved to the gills at them.

Thanks. Now I feel better.

Except that it's almost time for me to have another sesshin; (i.e.I hadn't done one in years and it's time for another one.)   I have to arrange it with  my teacher somehow.