Not all Zen teaching is immediately easy to grasp.  This is classic Zen delivered to us by the very famous patriarch of Zen, Bodhidharma.  However, it is like riding through rapids down the River of No Return and holding on for dear life!

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Ah, the grand prize of enlightenment in its ultimate form is highlighted by Dogen in this talk. Who doesn’t begin practice without that goal-less goal of enlightenment?

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The simplicity of this piece, the clarity of expression gives a kind of accessibility that is refreshing and brings a breath of fresh air to our journey.  Who has not felt the balm of compassion?  

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I often marvel at how contemporary the ancient writings sound. You can see how students of all ages fell into the same pitfalls of practice we do. Teachers always seem to talk about students of “today” not having the same intensity or commitment to difficult practice.

Sometimes we are given too much to know what to do with it…sometimes we are given so little, we sit bewildered if we are proceeding “correctly.”

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The “worthies of former times” sacrificed to attain their true insights; it involved more than just hearing and parroting a teacher’s words.  They turned their own inner light onto the great matter at hand.

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Ah, to be able to sit and discourse with someone like Muso!   Suddenly everything is crystal clear…the traps we set for ourselves, the spirited way we manage to fool ourselves, and the limited great insights we have.  

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The response is down-to-earth and understandable for any of us.  To stay on track and not get overwhelmed by the illusions that surround us involves a lifetime of commitment.   

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Waking up is a great phrase to illustrate realization. In the beginning of practice when we are first learning meditation, and in some schools, the other techniques that have been used over time, it is easy to feel like what we seek is far away from where we currently are.

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Here we have several very different examples of Foyan’s skill as a teacher. The crystal clear teaching poem on sitting meditation juxtaposed with the conversational skill he has in communicating with his students. 

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