Balance

Bicycle Race, Schenectady, New York, 1991

The state of natural balance we experience when making effort without an intentional aim  (jijuyō-zanmai) is not at all unlike riding a bicycle.  

We experience a state of balance and equilibrium when riding a bicycle, but it doesn't come about as a result of bike riding - it is the state we achieve in order to ride.  In fact, if we thought about riding in terms of "First, I'll get on the bicycle, then I'll find my balance, and then I'll start riding," or "First I'll get on the bicycle, then I'll start riding, and then achieve a state of balance," we'd surely crash and fall.  This is exactly why it's so hard for children to learn to first ride - they don't understand that the motion and the balance are all one thing, they over-think the situation, and they fall to the ground.

It is the same with shikantaza (sitting meditation without an intentional aim).  The balance between making the effort (sitting on the cushion) and letting go of intention is as natural and necessary as the balance of bicycle riding.  And like bike riding, you might not quite get it the first couple of times, but with just a little practice, the balance is as free and easy as a summertime cruise.