Fifty years

On the fifth of July 1970 Jiyu ordained her first group in the US, Mokuri and Myozen had been ordained before that in Japan. A day of joy, hope, eagerness and promise as we started our training and practice. Sadly much went awry, but much went well too.Some of us found the ‘genjokoan’ of our own lives, and for my part, however feebly, I’m  with it still. The trainee may offer their life to their teacher. It is the teachers job to help the trainee understand what they are offering. To accept the offering is a mistake, to demand it a cult. 
Your life is, by definition, ever and always yours. Our practice and training is to explore our life, one second at a time. St Fracoise Lasalle would say that if you became distracted in your hour of prayer you should gently come back to god in your heart, and if you did nothing else for the whole hour but repeatedly do this you would not have mis-spent your time. Our formal practice is very similar, we sit and when we get distracted we come back to our own life, just as it is, just sitting... till we wander off in distraction, or dullness, or sleepiness then when we notice it we return again to our own life, just sitting, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, 50 years by 50 years, a lifetime not mis-spent.

not mis-spent.....

Mark and Josh, well said! 

I too am, "with it still".