What if freedom isn’t something to seek but something that quietly appears the moment we stop interfering? In zazen (sitting zen), we’re not trying to fix or chase anything—we’re invited to let everything be. This reflection explores the subtle, transformative power of non-doing in daily life.
The posture of zazen is to simply let everything be, no matter what arises—internally or externally. It's a gentle invitation to yourself: “Don’t do anything. Just be SONOMAMA (stay as you are).”
As you sit in this way, eventually, you come to see that what’s truly happening is just the pure activity of “seeing,” “hearing,” and “feeling.” That’s all. No matter what thoughts or emotions arise, there is no “me” chasing after them. They simply arise and pass—just like a fart. Nothing is added or interfered with. And because of that, the tendency to grasp at them and inflate them into imaginations, delusions, or interpretations naturally fades away.
At first, when you’re told, “Just stay as you are,” you might try hard to do nothing. Or when someone says, “Be in the now,” you may start repeating “now, now, now…” in your mind. But even that isn’t necessary. It’s enough to simply, quietly, be SONOMAMA (as you are).
As this way of sitting becomes familiar, zazen is no longer limited to sitting time. It becomes a 24-hour practice. Whether you're walking, sitting, eating, cleaning, or cooking—at any moment, you begin to live by letting the body’s natural functions take care of things without interference. And then, whatever thoughts arise, they’re just momentary. Since you’re not grabbing hold of them, nothing becomes a problem. There’s no room for suffering to take root.
And that is exactly why quiet freedom is found there.
Words and PHoto by K E I K O
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