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While we’re on a zen roll, we might as well take a look at another practice from Seung Sahn. Last time, we reviewed “Put it down.” Next up is “Don’t check.”

Not checking means not spending your time policing everyone else’s behavior. Ah, freedom! You don’t have to decide whether someone is acting the right way, you don’t have to “punish” them if they do the wrong thing. You can keep your dristi and just go about your business.

The Cop has to watch people’s behavior, because that’s his job. Interestingly, though, he does not cultivate much moral outrage — he has to verify that people’s behavior aligns with the laws, and if they don’t, he arrests them. It’s impersonal, because the law is the issue at hand. Black and white.

In regular life, though, the black and white comes from our selves. Someone may do something I disagree with — the laws of Karen have been broken! I must exact retribution! LOL! You see how silly that is.

Someone isn’t keeping dristi! Someone said something inappropriate in a meeting! A salesperson was rude! All of these things break Karen’s laws!

Whatever.

Instead of acting as judge and jury, go ahead and observe your judgment, and then put it down. The universe takes care of everyone according to the laws of karma (“you reap what you sow,” etc.), so if someone is being a jerk, you can rest assured that their life reflects their habit of being jerky to other people. You don’t need to do anything — you don’t need to point out their jerkiness, you don’t need to punish them for their jerkiness. You don’t need to judge and you don’t need to punish. You don’t need to do anything. You can observe behavior and then carry on with your own life. Because you are better off spending your energy attending to your own behavior.

In other words, swim in your own lane.

Astangis are pretty much guaranteed a good foothold in these practices. We already have established practices — using breath, bandhas and dristi to still the mind. Most of us have at least tried a bit of sitting practice. So these zen practices are just continuations, or variations.

And a quick note about these practices: you know how sitting in meditation, the whole point is to “put down” whatever pops into your head? Same deal here. Don’t deny the thoughts, don’t berate yourself for having them, don’t imagine they’ll ever go away. But as they arise, put them down. Thought by thought by thought, moment by moment by moment.

It’s a practice. That’s all.