I have heard it explained by some Zen teachers that "...continuity of training is more essential than the length of the time we devote for sitting Zazen. In our modern times, when everybody is so busy, many can not find half an hour for themselves. But 5-10 minutes everybody can find and those moments of silent practice can make a difference in our life."

I’ve been trying to following this guidance for months now and it is still difficult to sit zazen at least once a day. My old habit of plopping down in front of the television in the evenings is so strong that I just go on auto-pilot after dinner’s done, the kitchen’s cleaned up, the dog’s walked, the kid’s in bed. Plop. “Wheeew, I’m beat!!” I say to myself. Then before you know it it’s 10pm and I’d better get to bed cause 5am comes WAY too quickly these days.

The word “Mindful” comes to mind in this situation. I need to be more Mindful of when I feel myself going on auto-pilot with my old habits, and try to bring some different energy to the situation (to help break out of the old habit). But you know, that seems like too much work sometimes. Then again, change takes work. When will I learn to accept that?