The Challenge

With palms together


Good Morning Everyone,



Last night was a delight at the Temple; two people came, new to us, and attended the Zen 101 group and then sat with us. This couple has been a part of an interfaith discussion group for some years now. I attended a meeting of that group a few months ago with my Teacher and close friend Soku Shin.



It is always good to see new people come to the Temple and begin to learn something about Zen as it is actually practiced. We get so much of what we know from books, movies, TV, and the Internet, rarely actually experiencing the thing itself.



Master Dogen says, “You must…abandon a practice based on intellectual understanding, running after words, and clinging to the letter. You must turn and direct your light inward to illuminate your true nature.” (Fukanzazengi)



Most of us today fail in this abandonment, so easy it is to believe we know through our mind’s eye, rather than through the Dharma Eye of practice. Knowing is not realization, just as eating is not digestion. To realize, we must set aside knowing and allow realization to come out. Our True Nature is there, inside, deep, serene, and always present. We must but turn our self inward to see it. But, to experience it, we must let go of everything we think we know. This is our challenge and greatest obstacle in practice.



Meet the challenge.



Be well.