Dharma Talks

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?

Koans help us release our baggage about awakening. Seido discusses Case 41 from the Blue Cliff Record—how does a person who has...