Calmness

For Zen students a weed is a treasure.

There is a Japanese saying, "For the moon there is the cloud. For the flower there is the wind."

So actually you will find the value of Zen in your everyday life, rather than while you sit.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

The meaning liew in the effort itself. We should find out the meaning of our effort before we attain something. So Dogen said, "We should attain enlightenment before we attain enlightenment." It is not after attaining enlightenment that we find its true meaning. The trying to do something in itself is enlightenment.

But with right understanding you can make some progress. Then whatever you do, even though not perfect, will be based on your inmost nature, and little by little something will be achieved.