Zen & Buddhism

Presence as Practice

Every moment an opportunity to return to presence.

We can't be present all the time, but we can return again and again. Each return strengthens presence. Washing dishes, walking, talking - every activity becomes practice when done with full attention.

Written about in

• What Zen says about habit and discipline

  The concept concedes outright that you cannot be present all the time; you can only return. That concession is what makes the discipline survivable, because the measure becomes the number of returns, and a return is always available.