Zen and emotion

It seems that many people, when faced with the dharma, and the dissolution of the conditioned world, lose touch with the emotional side of practice.

Emotion is maya, illusion, conditioning. But then so is your hand, when it comes down to it, and yet you pay attention to your hands all day. What I'm trying to say is that although zazen allows one to see through the illusion, it is still usefull and often neccessary to have other ways of working with the world. Practises that are founded in the dharma, but that don't cut as deep as zen. Then surface level work can be done.

Why bother with surface level work when you could just dissolve the entire structure? Well, one reason is that it's fun. I like to work (consciously) with maya. Brahman is dreaming, and the dream is beautiful. Also there are times (like on my last retreat) when I make a decision not to zen my way through, but rather to backtrack and sort out the pieces slowly.

Disillusionment is great. The clearing away of the illusion allows clarity of mind and clear sight, focused intention. And zazen as a practice is the most direct way to disillusionment and self-realization. But, while walking the path of self-realization, there is much to explore! This is why I study psychology, philosophy, anthropology, theology etc. This is why I follow in the footsteps of the shamans through the ages who have been mapping the paths of the subconscious mind. The sights and sounds of the astral realm may be illusions, but they are illusions which tell us more about ourself and our journey. Couple that with a deep grounding in dharma, and a strong zen practice, and you have a rather special recipe for success and personal happiness.