Date: 01/03/2026 01/04/2026
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
Meeting the World with No Clinging: Practicing Zen in Daily Life
“Meeting conditions with no clinging” does not mean emotional detachment or indifference.It means responding to life without being trapped by judgment, reaction, or attachment.Zen practice is not confined to sitting meditation or monasteries—it unfolds fully in daily life.True Zen is revealed when one meets every situation without being pulled away from awareness.
1. What Does “No Clinging to Conditions” Mean?
1. Not numbness
Awareness remains vivid and responsive.
2. Not avoidance
Life is handled directly, without inner struggle.
3. Not dwelling
Conditions arise and pass without fixation.
2. Why Daily Life Is the Best Zen Training Ground
1. Life presents real challenges
Emotions arise naturally in daily situations.
2. Practice in action reveals depth
Daily reactions expose true habits.
3. Zen is inseparable from ordinary activities
Eating, working, and relating are all practice.
3. Common Patterns of Clinging to Conditions
1. Immediate judgment
Good or bad, right or wrong.
2. Identification
“This is happening to me.”
3. Mental proliferation
One event triggers endless thoughts.
4. Step One: Notice the Mind Reacting
1. Notice emotions arising
Without suppression.
2. Notice bodily sensations
Tension, breath changes, heat.
3. Notice thoughts appearing
Seen thoughts lose dominance.
5. Step Two: Neither Follow Nor Fight
1. Do not follow
Stop feeding the mental story.
2. Do not resist
Resistance strengthens entanglement.
3. Let experiences pass naturally
Like wind through trees.
6. Applying “No Clinging” in Daily Situations
1. In conflicts
Pause, observe emotions, then respond.
2. Under work pressure
Return to breathing to stay grounded.
3. When praised or criticized
Notice inner movement without attachment.
7. Signs of Practicing Successfully
1. Emotions pass more quickly
Less lingering and rumination.
2. Actions become clearer
Responses arise from awareness, not impulse.
3. Inner stability increases
External change no longer shakes the mind deeply.
8. The True Meaning: Living Awakening in Everyday Life
1. Zen becomes natural
No longer a technique.
2. Practice and life merge
Every moment is the path.
3. Freedom amid conditions
Wisdom grows as clinging fades.
Conclusion
“Meeting conditions with no clinging” does not mean withdrawing from life,but engaging fully without being bound by reactions.When awareness remains present amid daily situations,Zen moves off the cushion and into living reality.True practice is tested and matured in life itself—when the mind is not carried away by conditions, awakening is already unfolding.
