The Best Buddhist Practice is the One You Are Already Doing

As a perfectionist, I am often plagued by self-doubt about my Buddhist practice and frequently question whether I am doing it right, whether I am doing the right practices to begin with, and so on. I’ve talked about the fundamentals of Buddhism, and how they apply to any sect or teaching on follows, but when you get into the finer details of how to put these into practice, it can feel daunting.

Recently I was reading an article in Japanese by the Soto Zen center in Kinki¹ Region that I found very helpful. If you can use Google Translate to read it, I think it is well worth it. But the quote I really liked was:

おつとめの手順としては「信は荘厳（しょうごん）から」といわれるように、まず、お給仕からはじまります。

As for the process of doing a home Buddhist practice, It is said that “faith begins with solemnity” and in the same way Service [at a restaraunt] begins with waiter.

I think this is important because Buddhist home practice (otsutomé おつとめ, in Japanese) isn’t meant to be something you do to show off, because you are obligated to, to get relaxation from, or to get a spiritual thrill from either. The form of the practice isn’t so important as the spirit of solemnity.

As the article points out, we Buddhists (focus on Zen Buddhists in the article, but it applies to all of us) are trying our best to put the historical founder, Shakyamuni Buddha’s, teachings into practice according to our circumstances. We are not given much instruction in life, and each has our own partial understanding of things, not to mention the conditions we grow up under. So, we have to adapt the teachings of the Buddha accordingly. But if we do it in a spirit of solemnity, not frivolity, obligation, nor conceit, then we will make progress.

Thus, I realized that whatever Buddhist practice you are already doing is probably the right one, as long as you are doing it with the right attitude.

Similarly, I was watching a video in Japanese by a Soto Zen monk who often provides very practical advice, but also hides his identity:

Around 5:00 onward, he talks about how people who first get into Buddhism, or a particular teaching or sect are often very overeager and want to dive in and do a lot of practices. Or, they see the official liturgical format and feel that they have to do everything (I am one of those people).

Instead, he uses the analogy of a restaurant, with a menu of choices. All the choices are great, but can be overwhelming if you try to order everything, so he suggests you start small. In his example, reciting the Heart Sutra daily is a good foundation. If you do this for a while, and it feels like something is missing, you can add additional liturgy or practices based on what’s recommended. Or if it feels like too much, pare back a little.

The key is daily practice. It’s not super important how you do it, just consistency and right attitude. If you are already doing this, then keep it up, and don’t get bogged down in details.

Namu Shakamuni Butsu

¹ The “Kinki” region in Japan is just another historical term for the Kansai region of Western Japan. The first time I heard this word in Japanese, I was very confused. 🤦🏼‍♂️