By Sonic Mike

As a teenager skateboarding was my life. As I became less interested in competitive sports, the freedom of skateboarding and the lack of competition and rules was quite appealing to me. I skated throughout high school and eventually became pretty good at manipulating a piece of plywood with wheels to do a variety of flips, spins, jumps and slides. Ordinary architectural designs in the urban landscape of my hometown became a never-ending playground. Stairs and handrails were not just a safety precaution, but a challenge to find creative ways to use my skateboard to use them in unique ways.
Then, when I turned 16 years old and earned my license to drive a car I slowly became less interested in skating. I had a new-found freedom to go anywhere quickly and efficiently - I eventually left behind what would become my personal yidam years later in favour of the social possibilities now available to me. I went directly to university after high school, and choose psychology as my major. The subject was a nice, natural fit for my personality and interests. I also enrolled in many philosophy courses as electives - again, basing these decisions in my interest in the subject, and critical thinking in general.

I was an athiest
One of the course, in particular, peaked my interest in buddhism and eastern philosophies. Prior to that point, I identified as an atheist, but recognized the truth of the buddha-dharma as self-evident. This common sense philosophy I took an interest in was based primarily on the 4 Noble Truths outlined by the buddha. I could identify with them, it all made sense - and as the buddha encouraged, I found these truths for myself through introspection and everyday life experience.
I read many books on the subject, and began practicing meditation as a means of attaining enlightenment. I used the methods outlined in many books - from the scholarly to the more simplistic - trying various methods of meditation. The ideas made complete sense, but I didn't get the results I had expected and was thus a bit let down. I continued meditation throughout college, with varying results, and decided that although I agreed with the premise, I had trouble finding a sense of enlightenment sitting in a lotus position and focusing on my breath.
A bit discouraged with how meditation provided me such random results, I slowly stopped the practice altogether for a period. During this time, I had graduated university and returned to my parents' home for the summer to relax after 4 years of hard studying - it was time for a little break, I told myself. One day while cleaning in the garage, I came across an old skateboard from my mid-teen years. It was in good condition, likely the last board I used before I starting driving. I didn't know it at the time, but this piece of plywood and wheels would become my teacher, my guru, and my own personal meditative device.

A couple hard falls on the way to understanding
I took the skateboard for a spin around the neighborhood and was delighted by the familiar feel of the grip tape beneath my feet. Going to a local park, I tried some of the tricks I had previously mastered - only the balance and skill was not there as it had been. I took a couple hard falls, and realizing that, although I was still young by most standards, my body felt much older - I no longer had the rubber body of my teenage years, in which a fall to the concrete may have hurt, but not to the point of discouraging me. Now, in my mid-twenties, I realized that such spills had a stronger impact than they did not even ten years prior. I was sore, unhappy, and grumpy - about to toss the board in the garbage, but realized that the ride home would be much easier with a little help from the wheels.
On that ride home, something clicked inside me - it was familiar, but hard to pinpoint exactly what it was. I suddenly felt completely at ease, despite my physical discomfort. The feel of concrete sliding beneath me was soothing. I started to curve left-to-right, back-and-forth through the streets. I was just traveling home, so any flips, tricks, slides or grinds were not what I sought after. I wasn't even seeking anything, when it just happened - awareness. That was the familiar feeling I couldn't quite figure out at first, but without question I had reached an enlightened state. I didn't recognize the feeling at first because it came in an unfamiliar way - through motion and balance - rather than sitting still and focusing on my breathing. It was an amazing realization for me: I didn't need to be sitting quietely and force nirvana into my head, simply rolling along and paying attention to the world around me brought the experience to me.

The skateboard become my guru
I continued to skateboard again from that moment on, but in a different way. The skateboard itself became my yidam, my teacher, and my guru all at once - and this realization seemed so natural that I was amazed I had not found it before. In deep thought about this enlightened state that randomly ocured, I realized what was different about that ride home as opposed to previous riding: I was not focusing on trying to do tricks and stunts, I was riding for the easy transportation it provided. I realized that the frustrations and disappointment only hours earlier were a direct result of my desire to ride with style and skill, as I previously had. This desire disappeared in the journey home, by simply riding and navigating my way through the concrete jungle on my hometown.

Skateboarding is now meditation
Skateboarding is now my means of meditation. The skateboard itself became my yidam and a representation of my own path to awareness. I don't do flips down stairs, or slide handrails anymore. I skate for the sake of skating and what it offers me now - a path to achieve attention and focus, a personal harmony in navigating through urban landscapes. There is no purpose other than being aware with I ride. Instead of focusing on breath, I focus on balance. I look ahead and pay attention to the surroundings and navigate through accordingly. I take notice of the brief sensation of gravity as I roll off a sidewalk curb, the different sensations of riding on various surfaces - click and clacking of bricks, the smooth concrete, the gritty pavement -  I feel the wind push around my body, the sun on my face, and the sensation of balance and control. By paying attention to the physical nature of simply riding I found that enlightenment is achieved in more than one way, and simply sitting cross-legged in silence may not work for everyone the same.

Buddha by accident
I found the way of the buddha in my own way and entirely by accident. Had I not previously studied buddhism I still would have felt the same sense of inner peace riding on a skateboard, but may not have recognized the value of it. An everlasting value that is now a part of my daily routine. I have no purpose, I simply ride. The buddha nature of skateboarding is more common the more I continue to ride - without any expectations. As skateboards are made primarily of wood, I feel a connection to nature - even in the most unnatural urban settings. I know that the growth of a tree, and the wood it consists of, allow me to take nature into my hands and explore the world. It allows me to set aside my thoughts, feelings, and desires and just ride. The pleasure of skateboarding without any attachments to fancy tricks or stunts has given me a new way to look at the world, pay attention to it, and move forward through it. No two rides are the same, and something new is always experienced. The frustration of meditation, I found was in my approach. I actively sought liberation. Through zen skateboarding, the sense of liberation finds me - there is no search, it comes naturally and on its own terms. I willingly accept this as the nature of zen skateboarding - you cannot find liberation in riding the skateboard, but if you pay close attention, such liberation may find you. The rewards are great, and the freedom and inner-peace I attain are priceless experiential moments of liberation. The skateboard has become my personal vehicle and yidam. With a piece of plywood with 4 wheels underneath, I become a rolling buddha that is aware and accepts every moment for what it is - nothing more, nothing less. Zen skateboarding is my yida and I personally cannot imagine a better teacher or guru - the skateboard itself does it all so well.