She lays carpeting; an old brass bowl
will teach by singing— it tells her
she may stop thinking, or may
even stop stopping thinking
In
2013 she experienced a crisis of gloom over perceived diminishing
likelihood that most species, including humankind, could survive the oncoming exponential increase of environmental degradation. A friend advised her
to take up some form of meditation. She joined a Soto Zen Buddhist
sangha. The hut was now repurposed as a zendo (meditation hall) of
sorts. “Stop thinking, or even stop stopping thinking” is a reference to
Eihei Dogen’s "Fukanzazengi."
Think of not thinking, ‘Not thinking —what kind of thinking is that?’ Nonthinking. This is the essential art of zazen.
— Dogen (tr. Tanahashi)