Dharma Talks

Water streams through this trio of koans from John Daido Loori’s book featuring the koans of Zen Master Dogen. The first koan evokes spiritual thirst and hunger—a longing and a feeling of separation—that inspires us to seek the way. The second koan ponders the deep stillness at the heart of movement that can be touched in zazen. The third koan illustrates the free and spontaneous flow of practice: just pouring, just tipping the jar; no-one pouring, no-one tipping the jar.

How do we practice the dharma in busy lives filled with relatives, coworkers and friends? Three modern selections from The Book of Householder Koans by Nakao and Marko ponder waking up amid family, rather than monastics. Whether in ancient China or 21st century America, the invitation is the same. When we unknow labels, accept not-knowing, and drop attachments so that we can show up whole-heartedly—we open to the call and response of our relationships.

In this tender koan (from the Hidden Lamp) Quiyuan describes her awakening in terms of gestation and giving birth. It whispers quiet questions for everyone: what is meditation like for you? How do we take care of the embryo inside ourselves, and in each other? What is that moment when we feel completely stripped bare? What is that presence, pulsing and alive, that we hold and are held by?

The odd exchange between Tianping and Xiyuan in this koan (Blue Cliff Record, Case 98) has the power to liberate. Even if we do not have the kind of arrogance that Xiyuan demonstrates, many of us show up in Zen feeling as if we’ll never get it, never understand. Both ways—to be full of one's attainments or to lack confidence completely—close off learning and growth. If you want to walk with this koan, try carrying around the mantra, “Mistake!” Notice all the times we set out

Today we are invited to enter the element of water, the sense of touch, and an image of rare togetherness. To get into a bath, we must be vulnerable, unadorned, unclothed. The usual ways of orchestrating the world drop away. In this state of relaxation, where is the boundary between self and other?