Zen is a practice of reflection and intuitive reaction. Seung Sahn would use “situation, relationship, function.” When we are context with a situation—reality as-it-is—we react to it appropriately given the set of circumstances. Questions arise, however. How do we accurately perceive the situation? Do we correctly understand the relationships among the people, places, and things present and interconnected? Do we understand what our correct function is—what do we do—given the situation and relationships?
Conventional wisdom often thinks of “response” as superior to “reaction.” That idea is not without merit, as quite often reactions are just shoot from the hip, spur of the moment, fly off the handle, while response is a considered course of action. Sometimes we don’t have the time to ponder before taking action. While pausing to consider what to do, the opportunity to be of help may be lost. Letting the first thing that enters our heads to be said or acted upon without a filter may cause harm, which is something we don’t want to do. We even see this on a national and international level, we see it in politics, we see it in the streets, and at the dinner table.
When we calm our minds through meditation, our minds become clear. When our minds become clear, the world becomes clear. Our direction becomes clear. When our direction is clear, correct action is clear. “How may I help you” is reflexive, requiring nothing—no thinking, no additional pondering, no second-guessing. It’s the unquestionably the obvious course of action. We react reflexively.
This doesn’t mean that response is the incorrect action. There are times when unintended consequences have to be taken into account. There may be times when some thought and consideration may be required. The thought and weighing options before a response is often done well in advance of the action via our meditation. Our direct experience of reality as it happens and changes from moment to moment is honed through our ability to pay attention to it. What once may have taken much thought and time becomes intuitive, before thought. Our direct experience of reality becomes our meditation, and correct action just happens.
If you’re walking across a bridge and you see someone hanging over the edge, what do you do? Every millisecond spent wondering how to respond is a millisecond closer to a jump. Correct action in this case requires no thought at all. Paying attention to the situation as it unfolds leads to your next move, whether it’s trying to talk them down or grabbing their legs before they drop.
On the other hand, what do you do when a newborn cries virtually constantly for two days? Thinking that “babies cry, that’s what they do” isn’t unreasonable, but possibly not through the second day. What about when they’re getting lethargic, yet still crying? At what point does clear mind manifest? When is cuddling not correct and a trip to the hospital is?
Or you’re on a basketball court, and the defenders are covering the outside shooters, but are leaving the paint relatively open? Do you stubbornly cling to shooting 3’s, or do you drive to the rim? The deck on one side how to act must be instant, intuitive, and before thought.
We’ve reflected, are reflecting in the instant, and we react reflexively. How may I help you? Answer quickly!