Zen

[Precision40]

I had my first "Zen" moment several months ago at a match. Someone asked me how I just did what I did and I couldn't explain (or remember) how I just did it. It just happened. It's a strange, mysterious feeling.

[m.e.t.]

Have you ever dropped something and caught it? How did you catch it? Did you make a concious decision to try? Now try to duplicate it using your consious mind. You can do it but not with the mindless ease that you acheived it before.

We all pocess a thought process that is so fast and buried so deep that we can only access it by accident. Or with a great amount of searching for its source. Zen is the process some use to perform the search.

I have experienced it on a couple of occasions. It is rather amazing to be relaxed enough to just react and acheive. The buzzer starts the object falling and you just catch it.

Edited January 3, 2006 by m.e.t.

[benos]

It is rather amazing to be relaxed enough to just react and acheive. The buzzer starts the object falling and you just catch it.

Yes, calm and SHARP!

[m.e.t.]

Wow, Brian quoted me in his post. I am very humbled by this. Maybe I can get your thoughts on how I discovered my own Zen Place.

I was lucky enough to be squaded with Kert Gaskill at the Area 5 in 2004. I won C Limited at that match. And I owe it all to Kert taking the time to help me. He told me to take my mind and set it on my shoulder when I got into the shooters box. To do this I would have the stage set in my mind and then just before the Shooter Ready to focus on something else. Such as a blade of grass or a spot on the berm. And during that focus time to imagined my consious mind setting on my shoulder. And let it be a spectator to the stage. Best shooting day of my life. I made up shots on several occasions that I never would have. I saw things that day in away that I had never seen before. I had no time to distrust or trust what I had done. I reacted to my mistakes on a level that up to that point I did not know existed.

I hope that I am not rambling. But the power of this took me to a level well above what I considered my ability. And I have found that though this does not always work for me the way it did that day. It has taken me along way to where I want to go. I now have to find the same stillness at local matches that I find at the bigger ones. Shooting with your friends can distract you from the task at hand.

Longest post of my life, I had better go....

[benos]

Wow, Brian quoted me in his post. I am very humbled by this. Maybe I can get your thoughts on how I discovered my own Zen Place.

I was lucky enough to be squaded with Kert Gaskill at the Area 5 in 2004. I won C Limited at that match. And I owe it all to Kert taking the time to help me. He told me to take my mind and set it on my shoulder when I got into the shooters box. To do this I would have the stage set in my mind and then just before the Shooter Ready to focus on something else. Such as a blade of grass or a spot on the berm. And during that focus time to imagined my consious mind setting on my shoulder. And let it be a spectator to the stage. Best shooting day of my life. I made up shots on several occasions that I never would have. I saw things that day in away that I had never seen before. I had no time to distrust or trust what I had done. I reacted to my mistakes on a level that up to that point I did not know existed.

I hope that I am not rambling. But the power of this took me to a level well above what I considered my ability. And I have found that though this does not always work for me the way it did that day. It has taken me along way to where I want to go. I now have to find the same stillness at local matches that I find at the bigger ones. Shooting with your friends can distract you from the task at hand.

Longest post of my life, I had better go....

I can't add anything to your great story! Except please tell Kert hi for me the next time you see him.

[m.e.t.]

Brian,

I was squaded with Kert by chance. We had not met up to that time. I did not even know he was a GM until after the match and saw his name on the scores. His help was even more exciting to me at that point. Because he took the time to share with a total stranger and a very lowly C class shooter. I did see him at the Nationals this year and though I am sure he did not remember me. I thanked him for his help. He gave me a great gift that day.

Something that happens on this board everyday.

Thank you for this place.

Mike

Edited January 10, 2006 by m.e.t.

[MattBurkett]

""Zen" just means the statement of something that is fairly obvious in a round-about way that makes the speaker feel clever."

Actually that statement is almost very zen "for me" since it is simple and grasps a wonderful concept. hehehe I love it.

Remember that Zen is easy - you either have it and don't need it or need it and can't have it.

Cheers,

Matt

[AikiDale]

Remember that Zen is easy - you either have it and don't need it or need it and can't have it.

Cheers,

Matt

Now Matt, you know perfectly well one can not posess Zen.

KWATZ!

[Front Man]

I had my first "Zen" moment several months ago at a match. Someone asked me how I just did what I did and I couldn't explain (or remember) how I just did it. It just happened. It's a strange, mysterious feeling.

Exactly.

The late great Gaylon Mosier said the same thing about winning Nationals (Motocross).

You just get into what you are doing and it's DONE!

You don't remember a thing.

FM

[gotm4]

I had my first "Zen" moment several months ago at a match. Someone asked me how I just did what I did and I couldn't explain (or remember) how I just did it. It just happened. It's a strange, mysterious feeling.

For the last year or so I've been experiencing this while shooting as well, basically what I think is at the subconcious level. I'm shooting stages with not much more thought than 'shoot that twice, shoot that one then that one etc'. Most of the time I don't really remember hearing my shots or feeling the recoil but what I usually do remember is a very crisp front sight, blurry targets and slide moving and brass ejecting. I usually can remember my sight pictures very well and can remember whether or not I made any bad shots.

[AikiDale]

What you are experiencing is a performance entrusted to the subconscious. A step in the progression. Zen is awareness.