Getting Warmer
On winter afternoons here the crows will stream overhead by the hundreds as they move closer to the city. They fly over my neighborhood a dozen at a time on their way to find a warm place to roost in the city core. I like to watch them gather and in the past I've had fun practicing taking pictures of them in-flight. It struck me one time while watching them that they likely don't know exactly why they are drawn to the downtown area. Crows are smart animals but even they can not know why the city is warmer than the country. Despite this lack of knowledge they are still motivated to gather in large winter flocks simply drawn by moving toward the warmth. It's not just Crows who act this way either, even plants will grow toward the sun without having any idea what they are doing.
Maybe Zen practice is the same at times. We might not know intellectually what we are doing. Why we are getting up at 5AM, or spending our precious free weekend just sitting and walking in silence. I'm not sure if anyone knows why sitting down and focusing on your breath has so many seemingly miraculous effects on our hearts and minds. But just like the Crows are moving toward warmth without fully knowing why, maybe we are being pulled by the experiences of freedom, ease, and joy that we find in Zen practice. The Buddha said that the dharma is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. If we slow down and pay attention to those good feelings of warmth they might pull us further along the path. They could even be a guidepost for the times when we start to wonder if there are better ways of spending our time.
Going full circle, I only got into bird watching from meditation. As I slowed down and started to look more around me, I noticed more trees, clouds, and wild animals. The warmth that pulls us forward can take many forms. It could be natural beauty, or getting along better with your family, or just feeling more at ease. So pay attention as you practice to feel if you are getting warmer or colder and keep moving toward the warmth.
