zazen and cycling

Sitting Zazen Just Like Riding a Bicycle (14)

 “Zazen,” says Robert Aitken, “Is just like learning how to ride a bicycle. You have to steer, pump, keep your balance, watch out for pedestrians and other vehicles—all at once. You are riding a pile of parts with your pile of parts. After you learn to ride, however, what then? You are free of those parts, surely. You are one with the bicycle, and the bicycle keeps its own balance. It steers and pumps itself, and you can enjoy your ride and go anywhere, to the store, to school, to the office, the beach. You have forgotten sprockets and handle bars. You have forgotten that you have forgotten.”