Minding Our Own Zen-ness
In her daily reader, “The Three Mountains Way,” author and Zen Buddhist Futsatu Apriel Jessup-Searcy offers us a mindful path for the week. We will start this one today (Sunday August 16, 2024) and run through the end of the week. The bigger picture for this week is as follows:
· Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics: I circulate energy with care and balance.
· Zen Buddhism: I allow things to arise and pass away.
· Taoism: I trust the quiet intelligence of nature.
· Summer — I offer myself fully while honoring balance and sustainability.
How do we go about our week honoring this set up?
🌄 1. Begin the Week with Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics
Start Monday with the intention of shared flourishing. This doesn’t have to be financial. It can be energetic, emotional, or communal.
Shared effort — Ask: “Where can I collaborate instead of carry alone?”
Mutual support — Offer help where it creates ease for others.
Energy exchange — Notice where your energy flows and whether it’s reciprocal.
This sets the tone: you are part of a larger ecosystem.
🌬️ 2. “I circulate energy with care and balance.”
Midweek, practice intentional circulation.
Balanced giving — Give only what you can offer without resentment.
Mindful receiving — Accept support without guilt.
Energetic boundaries — Pause when you feel overextended.
Think of your energy like breath: inhale, exhale, pause. No part is rushed.
🪷 3. Zen Buddhism — Allow Things to Arise and Pass Away
This is your daily anchor.
Non‑grasping — Let moments be temporary.
Soft witnessing — Notice emotions without needing to fix them.
Impermanence practice — When something feels heavy, remind yourself: “This too will pass.” Contemplating permanence versus impermanence is a good way to move through challenges.
The teaching of Zen helps us to stop forcing outcomes and begin trusting timing.
🌿 4. Taoism — Trust the Quiet Intelligence of Nature
Let Thursday or Friday be your “flow” days.
Natural pacing — Work when energy rises; rest when it falls.
Observation practice — Step outside and let nature set your internal tempo.
Effortless action — Choose the path that feels least forced.
Taoism reminds you that life organizes itself when you stop pushing.
☀️ 5. Summer — Offer Energy Fully, Honor Sustainability
Summer energy is bright, generous, outward — but not reckless.
Full presence — When you show up, show up wholeheartedly.
Sustainable effort — Don’t burn through your reserves.
Seasonal alignment — Let warmth guide you toward connection, creativity, and joy.
Summer teaches that abundance is natural — but so is rest in the shade.
🌞 Putting It All Together: A Week That Breathes
Here’s how your week might feel when these principles are woven together:
Monday: Collaboration and shared purpose
Tuesday: Balanced energy exchange
Wednesday: Zen spaciousness and non‑attachment
Thursday: Taoist flow and natural pacing
Friday: Sustainable offering and wholehearted presence
Weekend: Integration, reflection, gentle replenishment
Circulate energy with care, offer yourself fully without depletion, and trust the natural rise‑and‑fall of each moment. The week becomes a cycle of giving, pausing, noticing, and returning.
Know that you are loved.
John Karn, D.D.