Shared by Dongmin
For the past year, I’ve been working on finding balance in my life—between work, daily responsibilities, and the elusive sense of “me.” I’ve tried many approaches, like carving out time for walks or runs each day. While these activities helped ease the stress, I still felt as though something was missing.
Life in this fast-paced environment is being constantly pulled in multiple directions, striving to achieve more and more. But is this truly the right way to live? Are we so focused on working harder that we’ve lost sight of life’s deeper meaning? Have we neglected ourselves in the process? These questions lingered, and I realized I needed a different way to find balance. That’s when a friend introduced me to Zen meditation.
I attended my first session on a rainy morning, the last session of 2024. As I running to the 7:45 a.m. orientation, I rushed in, treating this experience like just another task to cross off my to-do list. During the orientation, Kaz mentioned that five or ten minutes into the meditation, I might notice sounds I hadn’t before.
As the session began, I found myself settling into the stillness. About ten minutes in, I heard the soft patter of rain and the gentle trickle of water outside. To my surprise, these sounds had been entirely absent from my awareness as I hurried in earlier. I focused on the rhythm of the rain and my breathing, and slowly, my mind began to quiet. By the end of the session, I felt a calmness I hadn’t experienced in a long time. That sense of peace stayed with me throughout the rest of the holiday break. I was more present—both with my family and with myself.
Now, as I’ve attended my third session, I can feel my ability to be present improving. Zen meditation has become more than just a practice; it’s a skill I’m learning to nurture—a quiet but powerful tool to help me find balance in the midst of life’s chaos.
Hakone Zendo 