Meeting a Zen Master
Zen Master Miao Tsan
While in California promoting my book A Moment’s Peace, one of the highlights of my trip was the opportunity to spend the afternoon with a Zen Master.
Shifting gears
The sensation didn’t arrive in an instant. It was steady and gradual. It offered the opportunity to unwind and feel deeply relaxed and content– like sinking into a warm soothing bathtub after a long tiring day.
The feeling traveled up from the soles of my feet, through my body to the top of my head, creating a blissful sensation I want to savor and call back as I write this post. My time at the Vairocana Zen Monastery in Garden Grove, California, with Master Miao Tsan and the people there, allowed me to shift gears from feeling pressured to “keep up with life” and instead step into a new world, one fresh with subtle but powerful awareness in the present moment. Perhaps, the middle way.
A walk in the garden
I arrived earlier than my scheduled 1:30 meeting, which resulted in a lunch invitation. After having a quiet meal of fragrant vegetables and rice, Master Miao Tsan and I took a walk in the garden. During our mindful walk, we paused each time we engaged in conversation. Despite Master Tsan not speaking much English, I shared about my work, new project ideas, and my life in Houston, and he listened attentively. It seemed like he absorbed every word I said, and I felt truly understood.
After our walk, we met Jay, a gentle-mannered engineer from NASA, who had arranged the meeting on behalf of our mutual publisher. Jay mentioned that our books shared similar themes. Even before Jay arrived, the communication with Master Miao Tsan felt very rich, perhaps due to the intensity or intentionality of our awareness. There was a true interest in understanding each other without speaking the same language in words.
The annoying ache in my shoulder disappeared
I then asked the master if we could meditate for a few minutes before I left, and once more his generous sweet nature shone through and accommodated my request. As I began to settle into my body and deepen my breath, the master took hold of my hand. This experience was something I hadn’t anticipated. What I felt next was something like the Los Angeles freeway system running through my body. It was as if I had a circuit of high speed energy traveling through me. It’s hard to describe how long it lasted but the feeling was so freeing, like opening a blocked traffic-laden road. The annoying ache in my shoulder disappeared.
I then asked the master if we could meditate for a few minutes before I left, and once more his generous sweet nature shone through and accommodated my request. As I began to settle into my body and deepen my breath, the master took hold of my hand. This experience was something I hadn’t anticipated. What I felt next was something like the Los Angeles freeway system running through my body. It was as if I had a circuit of high-speed energy traveling through me. It’s hard to describe how long it lasted but the feeling was so freeing, like opening a blocked traffic-laden road. The annoying ache in my shoulder disappeared.
Moment-to-moment awareness
Everyday life is chock-full of opportunities to live with mindfulness. Imagine a life filled with blissful moments–for me, that can be as simple as noticing as the humidity lifts and I breathe in the fresh crisp air, or maybe it’s truly enjoying my aromatic and flavorful lunchtime noodle salad. What I call “present moment” or mindfulness is a simple three-thousand-year- old Zen practice also referred to as mindfulness meditation, and it’s a valuable gift you can give yourself.
Check out his books, Zen Moments, it’s one I keep on my bookshelf.
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