“It turns out that we don’t really change until we completely commit, especially when things are hard.” 

We all can feel lonely and isolated sometimes. And, at the very same time, we are often reluctant to participate and engage with what is all around us. Koshin Sensei encourages us not to hold back. Perhaps, when we commit to being fully in our lives, we can come home to ourselves and truly meet others along the way. 

In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei offers the first in a series of teachings on Keizan Jokin’s “Zazen-Yojinki”. Keizan, the dharma grandson of Dogen Zenji, is the recognized co-founder of Soto Zen Buddhism and the title of this text is translated as “Points to keep in mind when practicing zazen.” The opening sentence is striking. “Zazen means to clarify the mind-ground and dwell comfortably in your actual nature.” Koshin focuses on this line and encourages us to fully inhabit our lives.

When Keizan says that “zazen is like returning home and sitting in peace,” Koshin asks: why remain outside the gate? “Other activities and distractions are like being outside the gate. When we are not focused, we leave ourselves outside the gate.” The commitment to practice is about clarifying and dwelling, about being in your true nature and coming home.

The auspicious occasion of this talk is the morning directly after our sangha’s Rohatsu celebration, a sitting meditation practice that goes deep into the middle of the night to honor Shakyamuni Buddha’s steadfast sitting under the bodhi tree until he saw the morning star.  Rohatsu reconnects us to the urgency of practice and recognizes that we are here because of the dedication of myriad practitioners of the awakening way. Come in. Do not stay outside the gate. Join life.  

ZENTALK NOTES

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.

Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji –  Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.

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The post Clarifying the Mind-Ground | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.