Sages are benevolent without trying,
Trusted without speaking.
They gain without seeking,
Succeed without striving.
They take naturalness to heart,
Preserve ultimate reality,
Embrace the Way,
And promote sincerity,
So the whole world follows them as echoes
Respond to sounds;
As shadows imitate forms.
What they work on is the root.
 - Wen-tzu, courtesy of dailyzen.com
Anyone who comes in for psychotherapy is, by default, stimulating their inner sage. We all have the capacities for everything that is described in this poem. In therapy we work on the root. That does not necessarily mean long conversations about childhood experience. The root is the  basic assumptions we have about our self, our life, and our world. As new ideas emerge in our conversations,  ultimate reality is preserved. What we take for granted becomes a rich experience  of wonder and amazement. Our capacity to modify and change our basic assumptions helps us to take this  naturalness to heart and promote a sincerity in our personal growth. A natural outcome of this work is a cultivated benevolence and selfless regard for others. We are the Way.

If your mind is fixed on a certain spot,
It will be seized by that spot and
No activities can be performed efficiently.
Not to fix your mind anywhere is essential.
Not fixed anywhere,
The mind is everywhere
The Original Mind is like water which flows freely
Whereas the deluded mind is like ice
There is a passage in the Diamond Sutra that says:
"The mind should operate without abiding anywhere."
 - Takuan (1573-1645) courtesy of dailyzen.com

Freud taught us to maintain an evenly hovering attention when listening to our clients. His point was an open mind allows us to pay attention to everything that is discussed with equal importance and regard. I  listen to the struggles and concerns of my clients with an open heart and an open mind. When the hour is up they return to their painful life while I get a cup of coffee.  While that may sound callous it is an important part of coping with a day filled with appointments. Fixing my mind and holding onto that pain  commits a tremendous amount of mental energy which  would increase exponentially as the day progressed. I take a few minutes between each session to pause with the all important in-breath and reflect on what was discussed before returning to the present moment. It creates a pace that allows me to be fully present and fully available to each of my clients; from the first appointment till the last. If we can apply this strategy to our lives we can perform our activities more efficiently.  Taking small breaks through out the day creates an opportunity to let go of those thoughts that demand tremendous amounts of mental energy. By aspiring to engage our lives with an Original Mind we can manage our pain; our fears; and our joys with resilience and equanimity. Letting go is not forgetting, letting go is allowing everything  to be a part of our life with equal importance and regard. “Like water that flows freely.”

Our original mind includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself.
You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind.
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.
                                                                      - Shunryu Suzuki (1905-1971) courtesy of dailyzen.com

“ I know what I need to do, I just don't do it”. This is a very common phrase I hear in the initial meeting with a new client. A very powerful belief that allows the individual to be trapped in a web of shame and self contempt. Therapy can make this worse by insisting there are many possibilities.  We sit with this dilemma and spend our time understanding the different ways it disrupts and complicates daily life. Despair is the most powerful outcome and can have a devastating effect on an individual’s quality of life. Thoughts of suicide are not far behind, especially if there is a belief that others are suffering as a result of this constant failure. As we sit, our conversation creates a new space to explore. A space that is validating and supportive will allow  the idea of a beginners mind to emerge in our shared endeavor. The many possibilities of the beginner’s mind arise in subtle ways. To shift into an active problem solving discussion obscures their presence. It's like identifying  a faint star in the sky by looking to the side and seeing it in our peripheral vision.  The discovery of a new experience usually happens between sessions when my client is engaged in some other activity. We celebrate these revelations  and begin discussing the next steps for this new beginning.  When we can step back from our self defeating beliefs our beginner’s mind is engaged. Our self sufficient state of mind  resides in the periphery of our consciousness. In a loving and nurturing environment we can help each other to tap into it’s limitless possibilities.

Reaching my hut built of quiet mystery,
I sweep clouds away and settle into repose.
There's no one left to climb with me beyond
Slippery moss and frail vines to this peak
Where autumn winds bluster and breeze
And spring grasses grow lush and green.
                  - Hsieh Ling-yun (385-433 C.E.) courtesy of dailyzen.com


We all fear being alone in the world. Our relationships are an essential part of our sense of self identity. In therapy the work is often directed to the conflicts experienced in the interpersonal arena. I like the idea that each of us has a hut built of quiet mystery. A metaphorical “place” for us to settle into repose. It is a dangerous delusion to think we can achieve a state of equanimity that allows us to experience life without pain.  For the hut to be a refuge we need to allow all of our feelings to settle with us.  Insight and self awareness are far more important than comfort.  Conflicts in our relationships are the most important opportunities for us to deepen our understanding of ourselves. If everything is going well there is no motivation to change. Relationships grow and develop over time, there is a necessary tension that facilitates this process. The quiet mystery of our hut is the uncertainty that allows these changes to happen. To step into this  uncertainty is to walk  the path to our hut. It is a path we have to walk alone if we are to discover our own truths. As we come to know ourselves we are able to have meaningful and fulfilling relationships with the important people in our life.

If one lives in peace, a day can be like a year.
Trying to sleep, I toss and turn on the worn out mat,
And pace around and around
In my tattered monk's shawl.
The Master suggests I make my bed
Among the wind and bamboo,
And have a drink beside the waters of the rocky spring.
A nod of the head, and all worldly affairs seem wrong.
Laughing at myself,
I understand the wisdom of the Master.
- Su Shih 1073 courtesy of dailyzen.com

Giving advice in psychotherapy is a risky endeavor. I frustrate many of my clients when I decline their requests for advice. A suggestion to make a bed among the wind and bamboo is to allow one to find their own answers. I work hard to ask questions that encourage self reflection and curiosity. We all seek a life in peace; in the spirit of the bodhisattva we seek peace for all sentient beings. We engage in life as a student and a master. My work is to allow my clients to recognize the master within; drink beside the waters of a rocky stream; and realize the opportunities for a life in peace.

Contemplate the mind;
This king of emptiness
Is subtle and abstruse.
Without shape or form,
It has great spiritual power.
It can eliminate all calamities
And accomplish all merits.
Master Fu (497-569) courtesy of dailyzen.com

The time that is spent in therapy is often subtle and abstruse. We sit for 50 minutes and reflect on the events and the concerns of the past week.Exploring and working through fears is a difficult task. The goal is always to contemplate the mind.The effort to do that is not an easy one. Calamities tend to elicit strong feelings,we are reacting to very serious situations and   we seek dramatic solutions to our problems. The decision to seek professional help happens when we are overwhelmed by the circumstances of our life. When we find a place to sit still long enough to tell our story the contemplation begins. By bearing witness to the pain and to the struggle  I am able to carefully slow the pace of my client's experience and allow the subtle and abstruse qualities to emerge in our conversations. This is the essence of active contemplation. We discover new possibities and new perspectives in our careful study of the presenting calamity.Change becomes a natural outcome of this work. To sit still and listen to our breathing helps us to slow the pace  of our experience and connect with a great power to work through calamities and grow stronger and wiser in the process.

You are a seeker.
Delight in the mastery
Of your hands and your feet,
Of your words and your thoughts.
Delight in meditation and in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.
You are a seeker.
-Buddha in the Dhammapada, courtesy of dailyzen.com


A common symptom of depression is isolation. People can spend hours in bed; shut in their houses; and avoiding human contact. The experience is agonizing and grows more powerful with each day spent in the dark . The desire for death becomes stronger and more possible when someone is convinced they are truly alone in the world. The process of psychotherapy is to realize we are seekers and can experience unconditional positive self regard when in the company of others. To delight in the mastery of our hands and feet we need to accept all aspects of ourselves without judgement. As a seeker we turn our life’s journey into a pilgrimage. We pursue new understandings of our self and others. We turn to meditation and solitude as a healthy refuge to cultivate our inherent compassion and loving-kindness. As a seeker we embody the Awakened Way and celebrate our connection with the world.