Practical Wisdom

What keeps a meditation practice going for 25 years? Renowned author Natalie Goldberg offers some insight.

By Natalie Goldberg

And my final rule is this: No matter how far your meditation diverts from the cushion or the chair, don't forget to return again and again, as much as possible, to that immobile sitting position, where everything runs through you. Think of it: If a writer is a writer, she eventually, even 30 years later, must pick up a pen again and write. A Zen student, no matter how much he or she chops wood or carries water, must return to the zafu. Each practice has its one essential activity. For Zen, it is sitting. This is good. Otherwise we might wander off, get lost forever, and never find the beginning.

Natalie Goldberg is the author of seven books, including most recently Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft (Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, 2000). She teaches workshops in writing and Zen practice.

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