Read time 3 minutes. See how presence and perfect composure dissolve ego’s clouds, offering both daily relief and lasting transformation
Some of us arrive at practice with a burning hunger for enlightenment. Others simply want to find a way through the difficulties of the day. Both positions are valid. Both are human. From the stance of acceptance, how could it be otherwise?
The gift is that we need not choose between them. Whether our goal is profound transformation or simply surviving until evening, the path to perfect composure is the same. Each moment of composure invites presence, shifts the seat of awareness, and, if only for an instant, loosens a lifetime of conditioning.
Disperse the clouds
Jack Kornfield writes, “In Buddhism enlightenment is called the unconditioned, that which shines naturally when the heart is not entangled in the forces of grasping, hatred and ignorance.”
Perfect composure begins here, in the simple act of dispersing those clouds. Regret and self-pity are nothing but grasping at an imagined perfection. Self-loathing is hatred turned inward. And ignorance is forgetting our true identity—the I am of Tao.
Every flash of letting go, however brief, is an act of not-doing. Each glimpse creates a clearing where perfect composure can step forward, unforced.
Presence as practice
So why do the teachings return, again and again, to the power of presence? Why speak of composure as the ultimate remedy? Because whether we seek to permanently transform our experience of life or just make it through the afternoon, the way is the same.
The truth is that our goals—whether lofty or small—often become obstacles in themselves. The teachings insist there is really only one problem: our identification with the restless ego. Presence dissolves it.
Perfect composure requires no striving. It rests on faith—not faith that everything will work out, or that events follow some hidden reason, but faith that we are connecting to the wisest and most creative version of ourselves.
Perfect composure in any moment
Each act of composure is more than survival. It is transformation. Our fearlessness, our faith, and our experiential understanding begin to reorient the world’s perception of us.
Moment by moment, composed action gets us through the day. Step by step, it also shifts the deeper current of our lives. Composure in the face of irritation, fear, or loss does not just steady the moment—it redirects the entire undercurrent that flows through us.
And so perfect composure is not reserved for monasteries or mountaintops. It belongs to us, here, in every situation. It is presence revealed, Tao unclouded, the all-embracing remedy waiting quietly in each breath.
Explore more:
In today’s featured image I have included a quotation from Suzuki Roshi. Suzuki Roshi was a central figure in introducing and popularizing these traditions to the west.
This article from Lion’s Roar presents two teachings from his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Consider this excerpt in relation to our recent discussion on the topic of our true nature. “Each one of us has our own name, but those names are the many names of one Buddha.”
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🌀 From the GZM Archives – Polished, Preserved, Still Relevant
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