“What do you need to set aside?”

How often do we get stuck on ‘rightness’ and ‘wrongness’?  These judgements separate us from actually experiencing our lives moment by moment. Keizan Jokin invites us to free ourselves from such considerations and rest comfortably in our true nature for the sake of all beings. In this new year, what entanglements will you set down to enliven your practice, your life? 

In this recent dharma talk from the final days of 2024, Koshin Sensei continues his series of talks on Keizan Jokin’s “Zazen-Yojinki”. A line-by-line study of these “points to keep in mind when practicing zazen” allows the clarity of Keizan’s teachings to impact how we function in the world. Koshin begins this talk with a tender look at the perfectly imperfect rituals and forms of zen practice. As with our lives and relationships, we are encouraged to invite everything in. Can we give dignity to what is worn out and make way for new things to emerge? When we get tangled up in our preferences, get enamored by our ideas and feelings about everything; when we are certain that we are ‘right’ and they are ‘wrong’, Keizan reminds us to “…put aside all affairs, and let go of all associations.”

The new year presents an opportunity for all of us to align our values and actions. May our aspirations guide us into the full, messy, beauty of life.    

ZENTALK NOTES

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.

Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji –  Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.

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The post Untangling the Mind: A New Year’s Invitation | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.