Matthew Kozan Palevsky: Living Out Absolute Life

Quoting Zen Master Dogen, Matthew Kozan Palevsky reads, “To carry the self forward and illuminate myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and illuminate the self is awakening.” This dharma talk focuses on what is perhaps the most famous of Dogen’s essays, “Genjokoan,” or as Kosho Uchiyama translates it, “The Ordinary Profundity of the Present Moment Becoming the Present Moment.” Kozan begins by noting the importance of seeing through the dualism inherent in language and looking beyond dichotomies in our own personal narratives. How do we do this, he asks? Well, we can begin with the direct experience of the present moment. When we let go of our sense of control, our sense of self, the world penetrates us and the myriad things illuminate the self. This is when practice can occur.