In this episode, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner explores Mumonkan Case 31, where a monk asks an old woman for directions to Mount Tai. She tells him, “Go straight on.” But as he walks away, she remarks, “This good honest priest goes off that way too.” When Jōshū investigates, he simply says, “I’ve seen through the old woman for you.”

What did the monk miss? What was the old woman revealing? And why does seeking so often blind us to what’s already here?

This teisho dives into how our grasping for certainty obscures direct experience. When we let go of expectations and stop searching for confirmation, what remains?

✅ The nature of seeking and how it blinds us
✅ How labels and assumptions obscure direct perception
✅ The role of upekkhā (equanimity) in seeing clearly
✅ Why Jōshū doesn’t explain—he simply sees through
✅ How to approach Zen practice without clinging to "knowing"

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