"Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes." ~Alan Watts
That sounds so appealing (no pun intended) it is no wonder confusion abounds. Sensei teaches us to watch the mind while peeling potatoes or anything else we are doing - right now even, what is the mind doing, is it just reading or is it also distracted by other things, does it maintain a story/sensation of pleasure, irritation, sadness or a to-do-list? Can you feel the effort of that?
For Sensei's students we know that just peeling the potatoes means being aware of what the mind is doing while we go about the activities of daily living. This provides us a seatbelt of sorts when the unexpected arises, we already have the practice of awareness so we can make a choice of how we would like to respond to events, of how we interact with life.
Then the sensory perception of what it is like peeling potatoes can be enjoyed and relished for the miracles it represents without grasping or holding onto the experience. Life becomes a series of adventures.
