The more we wake up

Zen meditation and awakening often lead us into vulnerability, not as weakness, but as a deeper strength.

June, 2025

The more we wake, the softer we become.

Not strong like stone – but strong like water

reaching toward a burning world
with nothing left to lose.

Veils fall, one by one – armor slips from the heart.

Not because we are weak,
but because truth has no use for shields.

At first, it feels like breaking.
Then we realize –  it is the breaking “open”.

All that we are is vast sky.
All that remain
is the pure heart of vulnerability.

 

Note

In Zen practice, vulnerability is often misunderstood.

Some people hear the word “vulnerable” and think it means being weak. To me, it means the opposite. When we’re truly open, when the heart is undefended, there’s a strength in that that can’t be broken. It is real relaxation. It is real freedom.

Here we begin to see that we are not a separate self that needs to be defended or maintained. What we call “me” is a contraction, formed by fear, survival, and habit. When we see this clearly, something opens. Freedom isn’t a feeling; it’s what remains when we stop tightening around identity.

Life has these two sides: the feeling of being an open wound, and at the same time, being free and boundless. Both are real, and they are not two. This is simply what it is to be human.

This is what Zen practice reveals over time: a softening that is not fragile, but deeply alive.

 

If this speaks to you, you are welcome to explore this work more directly.

You can join:

• Meditation Practice & Zen (weekly sitting and foundational practice)
• CoreWork sessions (1:1 inquiry into patterns and deeper emotional work)

Or simply reach out here: cjuul@me.com