"Riding-a-bicycle Zen"

[John Rinker]

In a talk called "Zen Reconsidered", Alan Watts relates a conversation he had with Horace Blyth about sitting meditation (zazen). Just a couple of Zen scholars shooting the breeze, I imagine. The gist, as I understand it, is that those who practice Zen and fixate on sitting meditation miss the whole point of Zen. The practice of Zen can be found in anything we do. Or, to be more precise, in any doing. The most intriguing example Watts (or Blyth) gives is 'riding-a-bicycle Zen'.*

I'm curious, does this resonate with others here? What is your experience of 'riding-a-bicycle Zen'? And, per the 'Buzzy Hubs' thread, does the noise your hub makes detract from or enhance your 'riding-a-bike Zen' experience? ;)

Cheers,

John

*The reference comes around 1:35:25 in the talk.

[brendonoid]

Riding a bicycle on my own in a forest and the quiet that isn't quiet at all, but the constant birdsong, rustling of leaves and crunching of gravel beneath tyre.

About two hours in when my body has relaxed into the effort of it and the rhythm of the pedaling has replaced the burbling inner monologue that fills most of my waking hours.

When the crunching and the pedaling and the euphoria of no thoughts at all and this is why I ride a bicycle.

Brendon M.

[Joe Bernard]

That's an interesting question (the noise one related to my thread). My Rohloff hub makes various noises that I find soothing, the freewheel buzz on my WI hub is somewhat intrusive. So yes, I do have "Zen rides" but they're not necessarily achieved through quiet. There's lots of sounds external of the bike out there that contribute, too. 

Joe Bernard

[Richard Rose]

Nice!

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 12, 2022, at 3:06 AM, brendonoid <bre...@areyoualert.com> wrote:



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[Philip Barrett]

My "bicycle zen" is an incredibly important part of controlling stress around what can be a very demanding job. Sometimes it can take quite some time to get to the zen point but it does happen eventually, always.

I'm also a testament to the fact that you don't always need a calm external environment either. My typical route includes gritty industrial streets, huge pot holes, commercial trucks and a couple of homeless encampments (we wave at each other) yet the zen can still be gotten even here.

[Patrick Moore]

Traditional expounders of the Zen form of Buddhism describe something
a little more rigorous than a couple of scholars shooting the breeze.
From D.T. Suzuki:

"Unless we agree to suffer, we cannot be free from suffering."

"The ego-shell in which we live is the hardest thing to outgrow."

"Zen teaches nothing, it merely enables us to wake up and become
aware. It does not teach; it points."

"Until we recognize the Self that exists apart from who we think we
are, we cannot know the Zen mind."

"The Kingdom of Heaven is for none but the thoroughly dead," said
Meister Eckhart, who also said, "This death is the soul's eternal
quest."

Ultimately, the spiritual life -- "not the acquisition of a
non-pre-existing result," as the Upanishad says -- is, in the words of
Plotinus, "The flight of the Alone to the Alone."

None of this to be take lightly!

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Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[John Rinker]

You paint a lovely picture of your ride, brendanoid! To me, the crux of the matter is here: "When the crunching and the pedaling and the euphoria of no thoughts at all..." In my experience, the 'no thoughts' is more about letting the thoughts come and go as I pedal along and open my attention to my surroundings. Riding a bicycle seems to provide the right balance of flow and attention that makes the focus on my breath and the non-attachment to my thoughts somewhat easier...sometimes.

"...yet the zen can still be gotten even here." I agree, Phillip. There's no place like the present, no matter where that may be. I ride in similar environments here in Yokohama (minus homeless encampments). No matter the place, pedaling along, paying attention to my breathing, and encouraging an awareness of my surroundings is an enjoyable part of my riding experience.

"Traditional expounders of the Zen form of Buddhism describe something a little more rigorous than a couple of scholars shooting the breeze." For sure, Patrick. I'm not exactly sure of the nature of Watts' and Blyth's conversation, 'shooting the breeze' was my own interpretation. I just loved that bicycles and Zen came into it. Tradition can be illuminating and it can be calcifying. Certainly, rigor is demanded in scholarship and the definition of terms like 'suffering', 'death', 'ego' and 'non-pre-existing results' require it. (If only the neo-Platonists had bicycles!) But, I am of the mind that perhaps, 'lightly' can offer another way in which to approach the practice (rather than the scholarship) of being attentive to the distinction between our thoughts arising from experience and our experience itself. 

I do enjoy many activities that give me the space to try and notice these things, but I do enjoy riding a bicycle most of all. 

Cheers,

John

[John Rinker]

What a pleasure it was to read of your experience, Erik! Much of what you wrote resonates deeply with me. Perhaps this is because we share something of a history with San Francisco Zen Center and a particular approach to both Zen and riding a bike. 

My formative experiences with Zen occurred when I lived in the City in the late 80s/early 90s and sat at the Zen center regularly during this time. This and S.Suzuki's 'beginner's mind' approach to Zen flavored my view of the practice as a way to "engage with every activity with the same energy as you do your sitting". I was a runner at the time, and my early morning runs to the Zen center from my 16th/Guerrero place and home again were a way to extend the practice beyond the zendo.

Your description of your ride today puts into words so clearly my own experiences on rides that challenge me, and how I return to my breathing as a method of focusing on the ways in which my body reacts to a tough hill, frozen hands, thirst, or fatigue. There always seems to be another pedal stroke at the bottom of that gaze. And, when the riding is easy, as I mentioned above, breathing is a wonderful way to bring my attention to the moment where brendanoid's 'constant birdsong' echos across Phillip's 'gritty industrial streets' as my wheels spin effortlessly. 

Cheers,

John

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 4:07:55 PM UTC+9 Erik wrote:

An interesting thread.  I've been involved with Zen practice for a long time.  I'm fortunate to live the greater Bay Area, one of the places where Soto Zen first took root in America back in the 1950s and 60s as the Beat generation started attending services at local Japanese temples in pursuit of new experiences.  Between San Francisco Zen Center and all of the other temples and practices centers that branched off over the years around here, we have a lot of teachers and places to practice.  I've been a student at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center for many years now and have spent a lot of time sitting on a cushion and staring at the wall inside the zendo.    

A fundamental concept in Zen practice is that there is no distinction between sitting (zazen) and other activities. Zazen is just one way to bring your attention to the present moment.  A big part of the practice is that you approach and engage with every activity with the same energy as you do your sitting practice and that whatever you are doing should be done fully and completely.  When you sit, you sit.  When you walk, you walk.  When you rake, you rake, When you ride a bike, you ride a bike.   Even during intensive training periods, we intersperse zazen with walking meditation, work practice, cooking, cleaning, meals, and other tasks.  Sitting practice is only one part of a larger whole and the constant is the act of paying attention to whatever is in front of you at that moment.    

But without going down a practice discussion rabbit hole, I would say that riding a bike--particularly when I'm alone--requires attention that is akin to zazen.  It's one of the things that I have always loved about riding.  Zazen can be brutal.  It's just you and the cushion and the wall and your attention.  Nothing to distract you, even though your brain desperately wants something to feed it.  And so the focus on breathing, dropping thoughts, posture.  The need for this sort of focus comes up a lot when I'm riding.  

Just today I was out riding and was climbing up a decent grade near my house and had to keep reminding myself that the only thing I need to focus on is the motion of my body and bike in each moment, THAT pedal stroke, THAT revolution of the wheels, etc.  My lungs were straining and I wanted to stop, but once I got into the rhythm of just paying attention to one moment at a time, my body settled down and I was able to keep climbing one pedal stroke at a time.  It's not much different from the experience of sitting through what feels like the 100th hour of zazen on a hot afternoon when your legs and back are aching, your arms feel like they are going to drop off, your thoughts are popping off and you are convinced that the timekeeper died or forgot to ring the bell...just returning your focus to the present breath, over and over again and all of the discomfort, anxiety and thinking will eventually go quiet and you can settle down into something deeper. Nothing lasts, everything changes.  It's a lot like riding in that way.  

I'll end my long response now, but thanks for the opportunity to consider the connection between practice and biking again.       

[Philip Barrett]

I'm learning so much here - is there an equivalent of Grant's "Just Ride" for Zen?

[John Rinker]

"And now that I'm completely off the topic of bikes, I'll stop before my posts get pulled!"

Often the most enjoyable rides are the ones that take us to unexpected places. 

Cheers,

John

On Monday, February 14, 2022 at 2:35:49 AM UTC+9 Erik wrote:

The best equivalent to that would be the book that introduced a lot of people to Soto Zen, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" a collection of talks by Shunryu Suzuki-roshi, the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center.  The book is a transcription of lectures and talks he gave at the Zen Center over the years and starts with the line, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."  

A few others I would recommend for their direct style and plain talk:

- "What is Zen" by Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. Just published a few years ago, but a great introduction.  And Norman Fischer is a fantastic writer and teacher.  

-"No Beginning, No End" by my teacher, Kwong-roshi.  He was part of the original group of students at SF Zen Center. The book is a great reflection of his personality.  I can see him rolling his eyes at me for writing these lengthy responses about Zen.  He frequently chides me for living too much in my head.  :)

If you want to hear / watch a talk, I always like to recommend this one because it was written for a lay audience and connects the principles of Zen with ordinary life.  It's Zoketsu Norman Fischer giving the graduation speech at Stanford in 2014.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN9p__BHHDs

And now that I'm completely off the topic of bikes, I'll stop before my posts get pulled!

[Philip Barrett]

Before you ride off to the unexpected, I ordered Fischer's book on the most un-Zen like Amazon as my local library apparently don't have this title. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Rob Kristoff]

Erik,

+1 on thanks for your thorough response. 

We (cyclists, not necessarily this group) don't talk nearly enough about the spiritual component of cycling, so thanks to John for starting this thread. 

Rob K. in MA

[Jared Wilson]

I appreciate the sentiment of this topic and am now on the hunt at local book shops for a couple different titles.

The Stanford Baccalaureate speech has been replayed a handful of times already, so thanks for that Erik.

I'd also like to throw into the ring The Pocket Thich Nhat Hahn, this compact book covers the basics and fits in just about anywhere with ease, including your saddlebag.

It's covers the basics and is very palatable, 10/10 worth keeping a copy around.

Best,

Jared

[Joe Bernard]

I originally answered the "buzzy hub" component of this topic which I think hues close enough to the purpose of the list to get away with, but I'm less comfortable (one person's opinion, I'm not a moderator) with the extensive exploration of spirituality. Some of us pray while riding, too, which I'm not sure is a Riv Bunch discussion. 

Joe Bernard

[Paul Clifton]

I don't have a lot to add, but since I think about this kind of a lot, I'll add my experience, but try to keep it short. I often recite/perform Thich Nhat Hahn's breathing poem when I ride: "In/Out, Deep/Slow, Calm/Ease, Smile/Release, Present Moment/Wonderful Moment". I've never been big on listening to teachers, so I never got into Zen or any other sort of formal practice, but I did take a bunch of psychedelics with friends who enjoyed talking about the nature of reality as much as I did, and ended up having some conversations with Buddhist teachers about following the path of the Buddha or finding one's own path. For me, many different experiences have led to me to where I am now, and cycling has been an important one - along with love and drugs.

But after all of that, I find that without some sort of consistent practice, maintaining presence in my day-to-day life is a real struggle, exacerbated by the typical responsibilities of middle age. It may not matter how I practice, but doing it every day, one way or another, with intention, seems to be important. Inconsistency aside, maybe this is the year for a real bicycle day blowout.

Paul in AR

[John Rinker]

Hey Joe, Your point is well received, and I do appreciate that we all ride in our own ways and for our own reasons. I'm delighted to have a forum like this to learn about how others do so. 

Perhaps a better title for this post would have been: 'Breathing, attention and other practices that enhance your ride' 

Cheers,

John

[John Rinker]

I hear you on the 'consistent practice' notion, Paul. This is why I find cycling such a wonderful medium. I enjoy it, it's something I don't really need to motivate myself to do, and I do it every day. As long as I'm sitting on the bike, I might as well breathe and enjoy my surroundings. 

Cheers,

John

[Erik]

Hi All, 

I've removed my posts out of respect for the primary purpose of the list.  Feel free to reach out directly if anyone wants to explore the topic further!  

Erik 

[Paul Clifton]

I agree, John. And I think there is something in particular about Rivendell bicycles, that encourage it, for me. Some people may find it freeriding machine built flow trails, but, here, what we all have in common is a an appreciation of the ineffable ride quality and a connection to the aesthetic experience of owning and riding Rivendell bicycles. For me at least, the thing that makes a particular bike good for Just Riding is probably what makes it good as part of an "activity that does not require much discursive thought," as Watts put it.

Thanks for sharing the talk.

Paul

[Rob Kristoff]

If anybody in this discussion would like to continue discussing bicycles, riding, and spirituality (of all types) "off list," I'd be happy to host such a thing in the comments section of my blog: https://robkristoffwriting.blogspot.com/2022/02/on-bicycles-and-spirituality-of-all.html if that helps. Hope to meet some of you there.

Rob

[Jaden Salama]

Thanks to all who have participated to this thread. Wanted to throw in my two cents (also as a reader, not a moderator), and say that I've really enjoyed learning more from this thread, and am inspired to ride more harmoniously and with greater mindfulness and intention. 

I personally like climbing hills because I find it easier to achieve that "zen state" that Erik wrote about earlier; I'm definitely going to read some of the resources mentioned above to try and cultivate more experiences like this.

Jaden Salama

Feeling grateful in rainy Eugene, OR

[Surlyprof]

I just re-read Eugen Herrigel's "Zen and the Art of Archery" the other day (one of my favorites).  That, and Thich Nhat Hanh's meditations on dishwashing, are two of the best things I've read on understanding Zen in the context of a common activity.  Now I'm going to be pondering this on my next ride.  Thanks for raising the topic.

John

[Tom Palmer]

Hello all,

I agree Zen can be in anything we do. For me it is about connecting with myself in the activity, or inactivity. Fixed gear cycling on road and dirt, especially very early or late in the dark is excellent. I also really connect by single speed mountain biking on flowy singletrack. Remote bow hunting is also a great way to get in the zone. I did not comment on the buzzy hub thread, but quiet is good for the zone. I had a very nice Chris King MTB hub that I could not stand and an equally nice white Industries rando wheelset that were equally annoying. I have been doing more fatbike snow rides this winter and no zone in that, at least not yet. Maybe a fixed fat drop bar build is in order.

Thanks for sharing,

Tom Palmer

Twin Lake, MI 

[John Rinker]

If we can see our way to elevating bicycle riding to an art form (probably not a stretch for many here), then it is plausible that we can have some fun with a way of thinking traditionally applied in Japanese culture to many of the arts: that the goal seems to be to lose the distinction between one's self and the performance of the art. A famous Japanese saying regarding horsemanship goes something like this: 'No rider in the saddle, no horse under the saddle.'  Since our bicycles have saddles (and many often refer to their bicycles as 'steeds') we can make a simple substitution. 

What would it be like to ride when there is neither the rider nor the bicycle ridden? Could we then, without fear, leave the spare tube and patch kit at home?

Cheers,

John

[John Rinker]

I really appreciated coming across Will's quote from Stephen Shores' Modern Instances in the newsletter this week as I think it's hits the proverbial nail on the head with regards to 'Bicycle Riding Zen' and the role of attention in creating the indelible impressions from our experience, whether they be on a bike or not. It is actually a quote from an architect, Louis Sullivan:

"For attention is of the essence of our powers; it is that which draws other things toward us, it is that which, if we have lived with it, brings the experiences of our lives ready to our hand. If things but make impression enough on you, you will not forget them; and thus, as you go through life, your store of experiences becomes greater, richer, more and more available. But to this end you must cultivate attention-the art of seeing, the art of listening. You needn't trouble about memory, that will take care of itself; but you must learn to live in the true sense. To pay attention is to live, and to live is to pay attention; and, bear in mind most of all, that your spiritual nature is but a higher faculty of seeing and listening- a finer, nobler way of paying attention."

Right on, and ride on!