In the tradition of a true Zen master, Bassui always assisted his questioners to return to the origin of inquiry itself, “Who is the one who sees, hears, and understands?”

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It probably doesn’t get much more essential than this piece elucidating the path of Zen practice. We all are cultivating the mind that seeks the Way and can easily accept that “Sentient beings are replete with the wisdom and virtue of buddhas; they are not two and not separated from one another.”

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Sometimes it’s hard to know when to stop; other times you just have to stop somewhere to reorient yourself or you get lost.  However, when it comes to following the Way, there is really no resting place.  In this piece, we bring up a sensitive topic in training:  getting one’s realization verified by a teacher respected and trusted to do just that service. 

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There are several translations of the Shodoka, and this is just the beginning of a very long poem translated as Song of Realization of the Way. With a commentary and translation by Nyogen Senzaki, it’s as if we are listening to two teachers, as it was intended to help his own students understand the depths of Yoka-daishi’s message.

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Like a good friend attempting to warn us of a hole we’re about to step into or a cliff we’re about to fall off of, Torei offers very practical advice for us.  Who hasn’t known someone who disdains the study of sutras as examples of dogma and practiced their own version of Ma-tsu’s “everyday Mind is the Way?”

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The beauty of Buddhism is that no matter where we are in our understanding, we are given a way to proceed.  We are also given instructions that depend on our own efforts, not someone else’s.  With most of us not living in monasteries, we face the task of bringing these principles alive in our daily lives.

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Yuanwu is best known for the very well-known collection of 100 public cases,  The Blue Cliff Record, which in reality consists of notes taken from lectures he gave to his students who collected their notes and printed them out as block prints. 

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When the vastness of the experience of our true nature seems simply beyond comprehension,  similar to when we try to “grasp” a sense of the expanding universe or infinity, it is reassuring to remember it’s always there whether we are aware of it or not.

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This is a topic we have discussed often, but it can’t be emphasized enough as it is easy to fall into the trap of confusing intellectual understanding with the complete turnaround of realization. With the concern for direct apprehension beyond words and letters, all too often a goal-oriented mindset can take over early in practice.

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There are countless schools of Zen and Buddhism, each offering their own entry into practice.  Koan practice or “just sitting” practice appeals to different people’s sensibilities, but any practice can fall into extremes of spiritual “one-up-manship.”

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