Rev. Ando Mueller quotes a piece of writing by Rev. Master Jiyu from the book 'Zen is Eternal Life' where Rev. Master Jiyu uses the traditional Buddhist image of a lotus flower to talk about spiritual practice. The lotus is a traditional symbolic image in Buddhism because of its specific qualities of growing in and being nourished by pond mud and then rising above the water in order to bloom. As Rev. Ando points out, we do not disparage the mud, which is all the conditions of our daily life, but make use of it with gratitude for helping us to deepen our practice and nourish our own blossom of Awakening. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 16, 2024.


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