“Associating with a good person is like walking through mist and dew; though you will not become drenched, gradually your robes will become damp.” From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard" 4-4.

What is the Big Thing? And how do we not lose sight of it?

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 2-26: "As long as we only think about the buddhadharma with our minds, we will never grasp the Way, even in a thousand lifetimes or a myriad of eons."

An explanation of what we call the "private ceremony," a service we can perform at home every day.

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 2-17: "You should spend your time carrying out what is worth doing. Among the things you should do, what is the most important?"

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 1-15: "A student of the Way must cool his mind as if he were giving up his life, and consider if what he is about to say or do is in accordance with reality or not. If it is, he should say or do it."

From "Record of Things Heard" (Zuimonki) 1-13. Dogen: "You should believe your teacher if he says that buddha is nothing but a toad or an earthworm, and throw your former ideas away."

On the motivations and expectations we bring to practice—and what we actually find.

What's the gap between what we see and what's really there? On the Zen imperative to look beyond simple appearances.

How do we open ourselves to being inspired by our heroes without losing sight of them, and ourselves, as three-dimensional beings?