Why I practice zazen (just sitting meditation)
I sit so that, just once, I can say ‘yes’, with my whole being.
I sit so that, just once, I can say ‘thank you’, with body and mind unleashed.
I sit so that, just once, I can be grabbed, turned over, and spat out by the wisdom of everything.
I sit so I can say ‘sorry’, to someone I’ve hurt.
I sit because, when I have given everything of myself, with nothing left, what remains is perfection.
I sit because this trustworthiness is throughout whatever daily living brings.
I sit because the world isn’t divided into the unenlightened and the enlightened.
At any moment, I can always do something about myself.
I sit because there is no limit to sitting.
I sit because I am prone to selfish desires.
I sit because gratitude necessitates respect and diligence.
I sit because of the monumental examples of past and present teachers.
I sit because I can never give enough, never be grateful enough, never say yes enough.
I sit so that I can be free of the obsessions of idealism.
I sit because it is a fulfilling and vital participation in joy.
I sit because this life is an inexhaustible and unstained treasure.
I sit because this beauty is not without pain.
I sit because it is enough to sit.
I sit because it will never be enough.
I sit because I’ve had enough of doing harm.
I sit because, long ago, I tired of going round in circles.
I sit so that I can be good for others.
I sit so that I can love and be loved.
I sit so my heart can break.
I sit to be free of resentment.
I sit because today is priceless.
I sit because I am content not to understand what cannot be understood.
I sit because I don’t need anything.
I sit because of the exacting, penetrating honesty of stillness.
I sit because of its fearlessness.
I sit because of the futility of resistance and pretence.
I sit so that another can join me.
I sit because I will die.
Though all these explanations may be true,
I can never explain why I practice zazen.
I don’t need to sit.
I sit because I can.
Willard Lee August 2026