Teaching

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Please Note: Today at Clear Mind Zen Temple: 7:00 AM Zazen, 9:00 AM Zazen, 2:00 PM Zazen, 4:00 PM Tai Chi Chih, 7:00 PM Zazen.



From Uchiyama’s translation of Tenzo Kyokun, “What are the characters? 1,2,3,4,5. What is the practice? There is nothing in the world that is hidden.”



Here in as succinct a fashion as was ever written is the definition of Zen as life. Everything is Zen; nothing is hidden. In whatever you do, wherever you are: that is it.



On the one hand, we make a big mistake separating this from that, teaching from learning, teacher from student, zendo from kitchen, and so on. We add meaning to these words; we conceptualize them, and in so doing, take ourselves away from our experience of life itself.



On the other hand, teachers have an obligation to teach. Teachers are, monks are, doctors and attorneys are, sanctioned by both their sanctioning bodies and the public, to be somehow separate from their students, patients, and clients. This separation, while artificial, is powerful and, as a result, can lead to serious issues in understanding.



If we do not know each other, communication will be compromised. We get to know each other through sharing. Sharing involves a degree of self-disclosure. The moment you meet a religious leader who will not share something of himself, or who cannot seem to be an actual human being in your presence, run. Indiscriminate sharing is also a problem. Be wary if the sharing does not bear on the teaching.



Be well.