In this teisho from sesshin, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner explores Case 67 of the Book of Equanimity: The Avatamsaka Sutra’s Wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims that all sentient beings are already endowed with the Tathagata’s wisdom and virtue—but due to deluded thoughts and attachments, they fail to realize it.

Topics covered in this talk include:

The liberating power of wonder over mere knowing

The vision of radical interdependence found in Indra’s Net

Karmic momentum and how it conditions our experience

Dōgen’s teaching on traceless enlightenment

The parable of the hidden jewel from the Lotus Sutra

How even confusion, pain, and delusion can be gateways to awakening

The importance of practice-enlightenment in everyday life

“Your life, just as it is, is that jewel sewn into your robe.”

Let go. Sit down. Realize what has always been yours.

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