Images

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,





There are notions regarding how Zen Buddhists are supposed to act, think, and believe. These notions set us apart from reality. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the phrase, “well, that’s not very Buddhist!” As if to say, I am not conforming to some idea of Buddhism and therefore am stepping out of Buddhist practice in that instant.





Ideas such as we are to be gentle creatures, vegetarian, serene, and unattached come to mind. Its as if people have shaped heir view, uncritically, from television and movie images. It certainly isn’t from study of Zen itself or people would know better. We can’t say too much about this however, as indeed, some of us do put this image on and wear it as if it is part of the nature of our robes. This is posturing. It is inauthentic.





While we practice the Way, and allow through our behavior buddha-dharma to come into the world, this buddha-dharma is not an idealized image. It is not we sitting like the Buddha with a golden halo around us. It is, rather, the Universal arising in the Particular. Nothing more, nothing less.





When we realize the Universal, we can behave seamlessly in the Relative. The skunk in my alpaca pen was the entire universe; it was not separate from me, yet it was exactly separate from me. It has its nature, as I have mine. On one level they are the same. On another level they are not the same. I should behave toward it in accordance with both of its natures or risk being quite stinky.





Be well.