Twenty First Century Morality

Given it's Friday, I thought it might be nice to share and remember part of a teisho from John Daido Loori, Roshi. He easily reminds me about what is most important in life.





Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

The Policy of Caring

The recently reported occurrences of gang rape of the Richmond High School student in California and within the past month the beating death of Derrion Albert should give us a reason to stop and deeply contemplate some serious issues. Putting perhaps a bigger exclamation point on behavior which is tragic, a group of United State Senators voted against Senator Al Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment. We have to at some point not only ask the question or what's wrong with people, but how do we resolve issues of violence that have been with us for thousands of years.

When people say we need more police, more jails, more this and more that, I'm feeling like that's a band-aid on something that is awaiting surgery. We need to go to the root causes and begin apply solutions broadly rather than in narrow swim lanes. I hear people every single day say, "I want to be rich," "I want to be famous," "I want to be popular." What I don't conspicuously hear is people sincerely talking about wanting to be better people. We have to be honest and admit that we are a very sick society. We have maintained this illness, because we have only been applying quick fixes and knee-jerk solutions that on the surface seem "right," yet upon deeper investigation are like a strainer incapable of holding water.

If we really, really, really, really, really wanted, we could do better, as a society. We could if we wanted re-evaluate, re-value and change the things that we prize and hold dear to us. We could make a commitment to internal and external policies and values which enhance everyone. In it's most primitive or basic form, it would simply be "The Policy of Caring."

A personal policy of caring is about, not withholding our heart. It's about being a good steward of our life and deeply knowing that we really are our brother and sisters keeper. It's not about standing on the sidelines, merely empathizing with how terrible an incident is. It's engaging and doing something about it.

There are times when I'm lost in the weeds of my day-to-day life. I'm not being attentive. I'm not being aware. But then there's just a momentary flash that says, "This moment could be different for me, if I wanted it to be. I need to take care of myself and make it back to the present moment, if I want to be authentic, taking the necessary steps to unify This moment." And when I connect and act with that frame of mind, the weeds disappear.

We have a choice, with what we do with our life. Are we content to be on the sidelines, waiting for this life to be over or will we use it fully and as my teacher says, exhaust It? Many, many, many, many thousands of people are in need of help. If we can help or comfort just one, that's a beginning. That's perfect. That's grace. The decision is up to you and can only be made by you. For me, I will choose the policy of caring.

With Deep Bow,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Overwhelmed with the Task

This morning a friend posted a tweet that said, "At the desk. Overwhelmed with the task." That's what they were doing or who they were being at that moment. And then I thought, "We're at this life. Overwhelmed with the task," and I laughed. True is true.

This morning as I sat zazen, in my right palm I laida small picture of John Daido Loori, Roshi, as I've done everyday since his transition. As I sat with my breath, I heard the droplets of rain which descended from the clouds, bouncing off the roof, the ground and the leaves... encouraged by thunder.

I heard my own teacher, Genjo Marinello Osho saying, "When the dragon calls, mists and clouds arise. In Chinese mythology, it was thought that when great clouds clamor, rise up and thunder with lightening and rain — a dragon was calling. The dragon was thought to fly up to the heavens through the mist, the clouds and rain making a bridge between heaven and earth, a pathway for the dragon to climb."

I could really feel the imprint of these words. It was at that moment I remembered "All the Way to heaven is heaven." True is true again.

There have been a lot of times that I've felt confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, disappointed, insecure, doubtful, uncertain, alone and perhaps even depressed. Why? Because I can feel as though I'm failing my life. There's no one that wakes up and says, "I want to fail..." And despite our best efforts, we may not be able to fulfill our personal standards and goals in the way that we would prefer and then we criticize ourselves.

At the moments that I allowed my heart-mind to be eclipsed by negative emotions, are the very same moments that my heart shuts and I can go deaf, dumb and blind. We can become hypnotized and put to sleep, forgetting who we truly are. I like to think of it as a kind of amnesia, as we walk around in our life, asking people where we are, what's our true name and feeling like we're in the so-called wrong place and time.

As I've practiced, I've noticed that every thing and every one has consistently has been pointing in a singular direction. That direction for me is that We are infinitely and fundamentally Buddha (Awakened). It's all here, if I stop averting my eyes and heart.

In "The Song of Zazen," the very first line reads "Sentient being are primarily all Buddhas. It is like ice and water. Apart from water no ice can exist. Apart from sentient beings, no Buddhas can be found."

In a short text of what's called, "Bodhisattva's Vow," is reads "When I, a student of Dharma, Look at the real form of the universe, All is the never-failing manifestation of the mysterious truth of the Tathagata (the Awakened One). In any event, in any moment, and in any place, none can be other than the marvelous revelation of its glorious light. " Put another way... everything and everyone is in fact no other that Buddha... Awakened Mind.

I'm really intrigued by people being so sure they are not Buddha. I sometimes want to ask, how do you know that you're not? How is it that you're so sure? We don't even bother put a check or filter on all the negative, self-condemning thoughts, feelings and emotions, believing them without question. And yet someone says', "You're Buddha" and the person says, "Prove it to me. I think your full of crap and putting me on." And that's when I reply, "I okay with it. Prove it to yourself."

There are many difficult things in our life. Okay. I agree. But we have the ability to be resolute in our fortitude to dissolve the difficult... the negative... and overwhelming emotions, that would paralyze, harden and freeze us. Zen practice is the unification our heart, mind and body. Zen softens the hard places. Zen is the moment when we spontaneously smile or laugh, because we see "It." Though it's awkward to say it like this, "Zen is you and me, without the seams. Unifying our life doesn't have to be the overwhelming task.

There is something else other than being at the desk, overwhelmed with the task which faces us. There is something other than being at this life and overwhelmed by that task, as we face each other. Snow melts and water nature transforms and releases. Live and be well.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Including or Excluding

I was talking with a friend the other day about "Google Wave," which is a new technology that I'm evaluating for use in my business and personal life. A part of being given the opportunity to try it out want the ability to offer 20 invitations to others, to build a group of people I could test it with. I decided to offer invites among some of my friends on Twitter and Facebook, including them, but something interesting happened. Most including my friends hadn't heard of it, not knowing what Google Wave is.

I decided to email and send links to a short video that explained it. I figured this would give a thumbnail of what it can do. Despite this, I noticed that some made clear cut judgments about Google Wave without even having received the official invite or or what other people wrote about it. My own Mom, "I not a business person anymore, why would I need it." I asked, "Do you use email?" She said, "all the time." Do you like your email?" She said, "of course I do." I then asked, "Did you know email has not changed in 40 years?" She said, "I hadn't, thought about that." I then told her, "Google Wave is exploring what the Next-Generation communication and collaboration could be. After 40 years, we should be able to improve upon it." My mom softened a bit, laughed and relaxed after that.

After this happened a few times, I was able to (clearly) noticed that we can make hard and fast judgments without ever having tasted, touched, felt or personal experienced something. In fact some of the judgments and decisions seemed almost authoritative. I was very surprised. Don't people like cool gives any more? I actually asked myself at one point, "How can people be so decisive about what they don't know?" It didn't feel open, curious or available.

I've been taking care of digitalZENDO for some time. I have a habit of exploring books, articles and Buddhist teachers. Though iTunes I came across teisho's by Genjo Marinello Osho. As I listened to Genjo Osho, connections were taking place in my heart and mind, moving me forward in my practice. One day, much to my surprise, I received a comment from Genjo Osho on my blog. I was pretty surprised, because I don't feel like people notice me (which is the typical life of a nerd). I often feel like I'm kind of like a waiter, bringing you the food and drinks but hardly noticed (unless the service is really bad).

From that one comment and interaction, much has expanded. Because Genjo Osho was open and being who he is, he had no trouble saying "Hello, I noticed you." I was included and not excluded, from thoughts on that day. It was kind of like receiving an invite. Instead of judging and having all the answers, he was opening opportunities to my own personal growth and development. Had he judged me by my so-called "Cover," my life could very well gone on, unchanged. All it took was not excluding but "Including."

Today my mind is focused on, "Am I including or excluding? Am I judging based on guesses, being perhaps lazy and going by the information of others or taking the time to find out about something or someone for myself?" If I'm excluding and creating possible gaps, between myself and others, I can explore why I'm doing that. The best way to know the self is to study the self. Based on what we learn and experience, I can rethink, revalue and reconsider some of choices, altering the quality of my experiences.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Not Ready For Zazen

Graciously and compassionately Updated by Rev. Genjo Marinello Abbot | Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji... | 10/26/09 - 12:03PM

On the fifth day of Autumn Sesshin, Genjo Osho gave a teisho called "Ten Bodied Heardsman." During the teisho, he made a very powerful point, that I thought would be good to share. The practice of Zazen is not for everyone.

Genjo Osho related, "As we know from mythology, a dragon keeps a jewel in its lair, a precious treasure, this jewel is symbolic of the key or source of reality itself. In Zen, this jewel is vocalized as Muuuuuu. Our job is to steal this treasure, but we fear that it lays deep at the bottom the ocean, kept within a locked chest, protected by a fierce dragon. Sounds difficult! Scary! Treacherous!

This journey and path of awakening feels like it is all these things. It is quite scary to go into the depths and vastness of multidimensional True Nature. It is difficult to face the rigor of arduous training, which strips away the walls of our defenses. Our fences segregate self and other, bumpkin from Buddha, right from wrong, life from death. To take down these barriers —artificial as they may be— is to lose the self and that can be problematic if not sufficiently ready. It’s odd but you must have a positive sense of self to lose before you can dynamically and positively lose your self. And it’s very true that, for someone who —because of karmic circumstance or biological imbalance— is schizophrenic, zazen is contraindicated. Schizophrenics don’t have the ability to distinguish self from other, dream from waking; therefore, they don’t have sufficient confidence in “self” to lose it.

Also, anyone who has been severely beaten down, abused or abandoned possibly doesn’t have a firm enough grasp on a positive self-image to maturely fully release self. Remember zazen is stripping away the barriers between so-called self and other, if you are not ready for this release; it will be frightening and confusing. Whether or not we are fearful, if the boundaries of self are released prematurely, we become overly vulnerable, sensitive, suggestible and susceptible and this can be outright hazardous. It is also possible that some in this category relish the familiar feeling of loss of self, and essentially hide from their past in this familiar feeling, never really fully facing their history or wounded personality.

In any case, it is very likely that how tenaciously we hold on to a sense of separateness is directly proportional to how much we need to hold on to our sense of self. There is something right about how tightly we hold on. We hold on as long as we need to hold on. We are all here trying to let the barriers and defenses drop away, but we must realize that we naturally hang on as long as we must, because if we were to let go prematurely, it can be very messy and actually lead to one or more kinds of mental breakdowns rather than breakthroughs.

Occasionally, when someone is attracted to serious Zen practice before they have developed a sufficient dynamic “self” and has a breakthrough or even gets close to a breakthrough, it can manifest as a nervous breakdown or even a psychotic break. This is far from a funny situation, it is not to be taken lightly and may be dangerous. Because once you’ve lost self prematurely it can be so frightening or confusing that we lose touch with reality, we may perceive that others are against us or out to get us. We may feel we are immaterial or even invisible, and we may become forever fearful that we will lose self repeatedly. For such a person, they may never be able to return to serious Zen practice in this lifetime

While traveling deep into the dragon’s cave, at first the trek appears to be a great distance, a highly guarded pathway, arduous and fraught with danger, but in reality this journey is none of these things. The jewel we are looking for is already as bright and unmistakable as the morning star, as immediate as a flash of lightening, as embracing as the morning wind, as ubiquitous as the morning dew, and as unavoidable as the rays of sun or the sound of rain. It’s so close, there’s no distance at all! And yet, as close as this jewel is, our defenses can be thick. And, to the extent that it takes a long time to wear them away, that is just what’s necessary. This process can’t be hurried and it shouldn’t be hurried, even while we remain quite persistent about it. It will take as long as it takes, and for good reason."

Reflecting on Genjo Osho's words, I instantly remember what his Dharma Brother Junpo Denis Kelley, Roshi once said to me. Junpo said, "If you look at the Noble Eightfold Path, Zazen doesn't come til near the end of the list. The first thing Buddha encourages is "Right Understanding."

Pointing the mind inward in such a focused way, is not easy. It's not a game or to be cool. Zazen is a part of a process to know and experience Zero. As I stated yesterday to some friends, it's like climbing Mount Everest. If your going to make the climb, it's best to be as prepared as possible. Zazen comes with the readiness of time. We have to be conditioned so that we can withstand the journey into the blue dragons cave. Otherwise we might not survive. No kidding at all.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Not Missing the Moment

I felt that perhaps a nice way to close the week would be to share this video I wanted last evening. John Daido Loori, Roshi talks on "Not missing the moment." It's a wonderful expression of Mind.



In Gassho,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

We Become What We Think and Feel

Eido Shimano Roshi, once beautifully wrote in his book Points of Departure, "Feelings arise - love and hate, jealousy, envy, fear, feeling, feeling, feeling. Of course we are animals of feeling. Likes, dislikes. But because of feelings, "wisdom is barred" says Master Rinzai.

Today is a beautiful day, sunshine, blue sky. It is a peaceful day. But when emotion comes, there comes a great cloud and the world becomes dark. Even the sunshine cannot penetrate that great cloud. Then wisdom is hidden.

I don't think Rinzai is saying, "You must not feel, you must not think." What he is talking about is that we don't become a slave of emotion, what we don't become slaves of thinking.

This is where zazen comes in; this is where Mu comes in. This is where backbone and discipline come in. Zazen is training. Feelings appear, disappear, return, leave. This is natural. But remember that feelings are impermanent and train not to become the slave of feeling.

Otherwise, "...(wo)men transmigrate through the three realms and undergo all kinds of suffering." We have had enough of that suffering and we would like to be free from it. Master Rinzai is saying that when we are not slaves of feeling, we don't have to undergo all kinds of suffering."

These words have been very important to me, as of late. I've feel very cloudy and under the weather, psychologically and emotionally, facing some difficult life challenges. Within what I term "Unfavorable circumstances," has been consistent Zen practice. As I've faced each moment, like a mantra, I've said to myself, "Remember the Precepts... rejoin your vows. No gaps... no separation... live them as best you can, even when you feel cloudy, Seiho."

Though I can get cramped by my ego, it's the Precepts and Vows that have been a "Magnetic North" for me. They make very good solvent. Though I received them from Genjo Marinello Osho, not once has he said, "... and this is how they are to be follow." He actually said, "You're going to have to work that out for yourself..." True is true. The best way I've found to "work them out," has been by making an effort apply them to my life and see how they work out. Trial and error. It's the nature of being not just human but humane to oneself.

In working with my mind and sitting zazen, though I have countless thoughts, though I have feelings over my (temporarily) "unfavorable circumstances," I'm making the effort to do what Eido Roshi encouraged. I'm refusing to be their slave. I've been taking actions to be free, by "returning to the breath," coming home to my True self. It's not an elegant process, but it works, nonetheless.

It's useful to remember the words of the Buddha. "We become what we think and feel." If I'm thinking and feeling people are bad, cruel or unfair, that's all I'll see. Good people will just be filtered out. If I give in to thoughts and feelings of being overwhelmed my frustration, anger or disappointment, I will become their slave and victim.

The mind can be a wild and rampaging elephant or tiger. This is why it needs to be trained. If it's not, we may get injured, trying to "live" with it. I don't think that's how our life was meant to be lived.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Growth and Relationships

More times than not, growth has been a choice in how I processed, filtered and made friends with my experiences, using them to better my life. To make substantive change, while not usually complex has required a certain amount of conscious commitment and working with my own mind.

A few years ago I had relapsed into smoking. I made a million and one excuses. I claimed anything from work stress to pressures of family life, to low self-esteem. When I made the decision to quit, I found something out. Even when I was telling myself that I didn't want cigarettes, I wanted them. To quit, I had to do more than say "no." I had to apply real pressure and leverage with myself, using the opportunity of a run-in with bronchitis to seize a moment and get off nicotine and stay off.

As I mentioned before, quitting smoking is not rocket science, you just stop. But it does take a high level of commitment and behavior modification, to stay stopped. The same principles apply for growth with ourselves and the relationships that we have with each other.

The most basic policy or value to hold if I want to have an opportunity for a healthy relationship is to be honest. We're not deflating or inflating occurrences, experiences and facts, just being straight ahead, as my teacher likes to say. No more and no less. The reason is simple. If I have a high degree of honesty with you, that can result in credibility. Credibility can contribute to comfort. Comfort can lend itself to having a deep level of intimacy and bonding which is really important to sustainable relationships. Without these principles, I don't recall or haven't seen a relationship that has been able to survive the ups and downs that occur in our day-to-day life.

Zen can help us realize the interconnected nature of our life, especially as it applies to relationships with other people. In that process we can notice that if there's no open-hearted, sincere commitment to growth, that we injure and weaken the connections that we have. We wound and poison our relationships, which undercuts the purpose of our life.

The principles and values that we hold important are not static. They are capable of infinite expansion and refining. By consistent, determined effort we can plant positive seeds within ourselves and growth is given an opportunity. We can know ourselves and others in an honest and open-hearted way, but as I said, that kind of life is a choice... and a personal one at that. On top of that, as I was painfully reminded recently, no one can make that choice for us. Though others can influence us, the fundamental call to growth must be within our heart-mind.

In every moment, each of has a choice about the person that we are willing to be. That choice determines our experience. Our choices can lead us towards growth improving the relationship that we have with ourselves and others, or we can simply go the other way hurting ourselves and others. Which way we decide to move is up to us.

May Your Life Go Well,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Sine Cera

Sincere is a word that has some value in all societies. It comes from the Greek-Latin root "Sine cera," which means, "Without wax." According to one popular explanation, dishonest sculptors in Rome or Greece would cover flaws in their work with wax to deceive the viewer; therefore, a sculpture "without wax" would mean honesty in its perfection.

Yesterday, I received an alert on my iPhone that the so-called "Balloon boy," and his family would be charged with fraud. The pretended that he had been trapped in the balloon to gain publicity for some future television show they were hoping to secure.

My first thought was, "How insincere," those people are. My second thought was, about the "Second Noble Truth," that because of our out-of-control desires and attachments, we can easily cause ourselves to suffer. Whenever we pretend to be something we're not and by extension are insincere, we could very well be planting a seed that might later cause us some sort of pain and suffering.

Looking back over my life, I've noticed that I and most of the people I know have been taught to project "strength," over so-called "weakness." But to do that with any consistency we are placed in a position that we cannot admit when we err or are just plain wrong. We deflect, deny, rationalize, intellectualize and minimize the places where we aren't at our best, often choosing to gloss or fill in the cracks with something that isn't true. The most common for of wax that people use is lying or misinformation towards oneself and others. The only problem with that is that just like wax melts under heat, our false projections dissolve under the serious pressure of day-to-day life and the reality is frequently exposed.

One of the oddest places which can expose the greatest insincerity is spiritual practice. It's easy to want to speak and verbalize that we are so-called "better" than what we actually are. More than once people have been surprised when asked about my zazen and I replied, "My mind got stuck in a tar-pit and at least for that sit, I couldn't get out." One person actually responded, "Maybe you're doing the wrong practice, because I never have those type of problems."

Had I been inexperienced, I might have doubted myself and the practice of zazen itself. But as soon as they said it, I knew they were projecting something that was insincere and something they truly are not. To make the point, I asked, "If your practice is so solid, then why do you still continue to practice and have a teacher? Having one exposes you may not have everything wrapped up." They didn't respond. My response to them was, "I'm okay with not-yet being complete. There's a lot to unlearn." The wax melted and the flaw exposed. To build *real* support, honest communication needs to flow both ways.

Though some are fond of saying "Life is a test," it's not. It's real. Gravity works 100% of the time. This moment will somehow influence the next and the next and the next. Do I prefer my life based on sincerity or the insincere?

As I engage in the practice of my life, these days I focus myself on being "Straight ahead." Be honest and don't pretend, though the use Zen practice. When I feel a smile, I smile and when I feel a frown, I frown, melting the psychological and emotional wax to expose my character, for better or worse. In this way, I have the opportunity to work with what's really happening in my mind, rather then pretending I have nothing to address or work on within myself. It's being authentic.

It's in This authenticity, that I find people are truly approachable. It's in the authenticity that I'm not able to feel or sense gaps. There's an equality amongst all Being... No one is outside the circle of Being... Every thing is Sine Cera... without pretense, disguise or filler and a true work of art.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Where the Wild Things Are

Last night, I took my oldest daughter to see, "Where the Wild Things Are," based on Maurice Sendak's classic book. Spike Jonze directed the film and weaved an impressive narrative from the book, that left a strong imprint in my heart-mind. Know that there are no "spoilers," in this writing, dare I say, even if there was, there's nothing that could ruin this movie for anyone. It's very warm.

What struck me is that the movie, from the very start, tells the story of every human-being that has ever lived. It's the endeavor to reconcile the realities of our life, with the thoughts, images and feelings that we construct within our mind. It's at the point that the two narratives don't match that the sparks can begin to fly.

In an effort to cope with the mis-match of reality and the way we think and feel things "should" be, Max (the central character) creates an elaborate inner world. It's the inner world which most if not all of us construct as both children and adults, attempting to find a shelter from the storms and awkward moments that can appear in our life. It's that moment of feeling lost, lost, lost.

For me what was most dazzling special effect in the movie had been the very familiar memories and emotions of Max. There was no varnish or plastic wrap. The clear circumstances and immediacy was just right there. It was both laughter and tears, which is as life should be.

So, where are the wild things? If we look into our own Heart-mind, they won't be hard to miss. We made them. The wild things are right there, sitting out in full view, for only us to see. It's private and capable of helping us make sense of This very life. But that depends on how we decide to use them.

I hope that you get to see it. My daughter says she enjoyed it very much, as did I. It's worth the effort. It is genuine entertainment. But if you have the mind to hear It, you might glimpse something more. ahhhhoooooooowwwwww!

Happiness Everyday,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Deflating Depression

Because of where I work, there's the fairly regular experience of someone saying to me, "Before I came here, I was thinking about killing myself." Yesterday that happened to me three times. In one particular situation I asked the person, "How come the hospital didn't keep you, so that could work with your depression?" They responded, "They didn't ask me, so I didn't tell. You asked and seemed sincere, so I told You."

Before we parted I told them, "Though we may feel broken and defective at times, there's something about our fundamental nature that's not. There's something in us that's connected, whole and unbroken... Because of that, there is always hope. That's why I like to say, don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens." They responded, "I wish I really felt that way." My response was, "You can if you apply yourself and share honestly with the people who are here to help you. It's up to You."

The truth is I could easily relate. When I was a teenager, I felt an incredible despair that I couldn't seem to shake. Though people called it depression, I would refer to it as "The black hole." It was something that I carried within my mind that removed light, love, compassion, trust, friendship, self-esteem and self-trust. But what changed for me is someone connecting to the fundamental okay-ness that resided within. This person who later became my friend said, in very sincerely, "I will love you, until you can learn to love yourself." I said, "Oh yeah, and after that, what happens?" He smiled and said, "You'll learn to pass it on." My friend Keith was right.

In zazen this morning, I remembered that it's so easy for us to see and believe the worse within ourselves, yet so very difficult to see and feel what is best about us. Our ego can distort or block the view to This truth, forcing us to doubt our inherent worthiness to have happiness, freedom and a sense of purpose. As I've heard said, ego, the self-centeredness and self-obsession that goes with it can be cunning, baffeling and powerful. Despite this it can be dissolved, through an Awakening of Mind.

Though the word Zen has been kind of abused and diminished within our culture, almost turned in to a characterature of itself. If "I" learn how to move three inches to the left or right, "I" can see past the fog and directly into the "Heart of Being." It takes time and effort, but It's all right here. It's not far away, distant or remote. That fundamental correctness to being is 100% available and open for business.

Because of hope and finding my footing that fundamental correctness that we all have within, I'll be sharing time with my daughter this evening. I'm taking her to the movies to see, "Where the Wild Things Are." Will we laugh? Will we cry? Who know's. What I am sure of is that I have the intention to keep my "appointment with life," as my teacher and Thich Nhat Hanh always encourage. Smile, We are alive!

May Your Life Go Well,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Soak and Then Scrub

This morning as I did Zazen, it was a process of constantly bringing my mind back and back and back, to my practice. I knew why it was happening. Someone at my office is going on vacation, starting today and while their away, I'm tasked with covering their position, as well as my own. Hench my brain was in planning and strategy mode, figuring out how I might proceed. I guess I felt like I needed to do that because as I woke up this morning, I noticed I had been grinding my teeth. Stress.

At the end of the sit, when the meditation timer went off, I was right in the middle of "Oh, and I need to do, this this and this." I was thinking, "The clear peak, feels a little cloudy today." Later as I dedicated the merit of the sit, to those who are suffering, I felt a little "I know this sit was not very strong, but what little energy I was able to focus, I give it freely to all Being."

Moments later, I was in the kitchen scrubbing out a pan that I had left to soak from last night. The baked food left in the bottom wasn't planning on coming out easily, so I put some soap and water in and left it, hoping cleaning it would be easier. It definately was.

As I finished by rinsing and wiping, the pan became my teacher. I clearly remembered and rejoined the truth that Zazen is exactly the same way. Zazen, Zazen, Zazen... Soak, soak, soak... Soften the hard places, within my mind. The anxiety, fear, sadness, depression, the feeling of at times being overwhelmed, whatever the negative emotion might be.

What might seem or feel like a stiffness or hardness, within my mind and body, allow the process of Zazen to soak and soften it throughly. By daily attention and practice, I can make it easier to remove the crud and malware within the mind. This enables me to be far more friendly with myslef, than when I'm not practicing and training.

It's in these moments that it can be good to remember that Zen is not a competition, to get the "Best Buddha Nature" award. It seems silly to say that, but that's what people frequently do. Zazen is about life and death. It's about, "Keeping it real," with myself and others. We are human beings, not human doings. Lets remember to gentley soak and then scub our life clean. Then we can be fully present to This moment.

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Not Content to Wait

When I was a kid, I played Little League Baseball. One of the lessons that Coach Hunter Nelms stressed was, "You always have two choices, when your on the field. When the ball is moving, you can either wait for it to come to you or you can go to it. To play this game well, most of the time you're going to have to go to the ball. That's what I want you all to do, whenever necessary. I've seen a lot of games lost, because the players hesitated and didn't meet the circumstances of the game. If you're not willing to meet the circumstances of each play, You're gonna cut you from my team."

It wasn't until I was 24 or 25 years old that I realized we kids should have called him, Zen Master Nelms, because of the tools he gave us to face our life. Coach Nelms' guidance wasn't just applicable to baseball. It expresses the nature of our day-to-day life which is meant to be lived well.

If I need to eat, I'm not content to wait for a meal to appear, I'm going to have to take action. If dishes are placed in the sink, they won't wash themselves. If the clothes need of being washed, someone is going to have to take the time to do it. If the clothes are folded and in the laundry basket, they won't put themselves away. If our job sucks and we're miserable, we don't have to wait for some job to come to us. If we're having a difficult relationship with someone, waiting to see if it will mysteriously get better, that really doesn't happen. A life lived well requires the right effort.

To have a fulfilled life, we have to show up not just physically but psychologically and emotionally as well. We are not meant to be bystanders in the unfolding mosaic of particles that is called our life. Instead of waiting for our life, we need to go to It and be with It.

It's timely to remember and rejoin the words of Bassui Zenji. "If you want to realize your own Mind, you must first of all look into the source from which thoughts flow. Sleeping and working, standing and sitting, profoundly ask yourself, "What is my own Mind?" with an intense yearning to resolve this question. This is called "training" or "practice" or "desire for truth" or "thirst for realization." What is termed Zazen is no more than looking into one's own mind...

If you don't come to realization in this present life, when will you? Once you have died you won't be able to avoid a long period of suffering in the Three Evil Paths. What is obstructing realization? Nothing but your own half-hearted desire for truth. Think of this and exert yourself to the utmost."

We can be fully engaged in our life. We can do what we need to do, rather than procrastinate, hoping that our so-called, "Real-life" with just show-up without the exertion of true or right effort. We can have the faith/confidence and trust within ourselves that we can become-complete.

When the Buddha held up the flower on Vulture Peak, he was showing right at that very moment, "Look here! This flower is not content to wait! It blooms, seamlessly! Wake up!"

Please do not be content to wait. This is Your life, not someone else's. We can drop the half-hearted efforts. You're not alone. I working at stopping the pattern of being a spectator in my life too. With patience, courage and right effort, we will fully bloom. Just don't give up on You.

Your's In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Joshu's Mu

Genjo Marinello Osho has posted a new teisho on "Joshu's Mu." He gave this deeply moving talk on September 26th, on the very first day of Autumn Sesshin (trans. Practice to gather the mind).

Immediately and without hesitation he begins by saying, "Two people who were intending to be here, could not be here at the last moment. Whatever the circumstances that arose to that necessity points out the transitory nature of our lives. It always seems something unexpected is coming up. There's always a new challenge… or trial… or tribulation. And we're here together in this room, in this zendo, to learn… relearn… more deeply learn how to make the skillfulness… how to develop the skillfulness to be less distracted and disturbed in the midst of this volatile and transitory experience called life.

We can only really be skillful at being not distracted or disturbed when we unite or realize again that we are always united with what we call Dharma or Tao or Buddha nature. And I think it's simplest to say, Just nature. You could say, with your true nature, but it's just simpler yet to just say nature."

My sense is that Genjo Osho, without any trouble at all is pulling back a veil. In his own way he is asking, "Now that the curtain is pulled back, don't tell me what You think or see, what is it that You feel?" Listening to the full teisho of Genjo Osho weaves a narrative and path that is truly heart lifting and provide a beacon for our mind, pointing towards a truth we need to experience for ourselves.

If you'd like to hear the full teisho please to the Choboji Podcast Website or visit iTunes. Genjo Osho provides these talks in their entirety and free of change. It's my hope that You will take the time to explore and use them as a support to your life and practice.

May Your Life Go Well,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Fear of Failure

The other day, I went to the grocery store to take care of the shopping for the week. The last section I went through was the bakery. As I looked around, I saw some fresh apple pies and decided to get one. Last evening after returning home, I thought it would be good to have a slice. But when I looked at the container, it said, "Peach Pie," not apple.

How'd that happen? Sure I could give you the standard trademarked answer of "problems with not being mindful," but this is not always the case. Sometimes we can reach out, clearly thinking that we are picking up one thing and another thing is mysteriously put in it's place. This happens all the time and it can serve as a great metaphor for our lives.

We continuously reach out, intent on getting one thing and almost always ending up with something other than what we were hoping for or intended. At times we end up with better than expected and other times... You know how that storyline can go.

There's a koan that asks, "You are at the top of a hundred foot flag pole, how would take one more step?" My intuitive answer, when I heard this was, "Step into the heart of being." I once asked my teacher about this and he replied, "Jump off into the ten directions." Agree, agree, agree. Though this expression can be figurative, sometimes It's literal.

I've been struggling with something I inadvertently picked up for about 3 years. I had been thinking and going back and forth in my head with, "Stick with the situation, it will probably change and get better." At other times I say, "Maybe this situation is your koan. Perhaps there's something that you're supposed to learn from this situation." And at other times, I hold on to it, acting like Linus from Peanuts, sucking my thumb and holding on to it like a blue security blanket. It's been vexing, to say the least.

Yesterday, my teachers words resurfaced. "Jump off into the Ten directions." Sometimes when we pick something up that's not what we meant, the simple no crap answer is very, very, simple. Let go... drop it... release it... All the mental gymnastics that I want to put myself through is not helping me. To unify one's heart, we must often times drop dead weight. In this way, we have an opportunity to fulfill our true purpose.

In order to pick up something that might be a more useful alternative, we might have to drop what we are currently holding. It's like holding a screw-driver and hammer at the same time, trying to make them work correctly. It has to be one or the other, but not both at the same time.

As I've sat and looked at the situation, the reason i have not made the change that I've needed to make has been a deep sense of fear. I hate failure. I hate to disappoint myself and others. But all that it just as my teacher says, "Crap!" A life based on fear is no life at all. In fact it's death itself.

I will be interested to see how I apply my current feeling and understanding of this lesson to my life. Wish me good skill!

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Thinking of Daido Roshi

In my experience, Zen requires a consistent disciple, effort and focus, to even get a tiny opening within "Awakened Mind." I know that it can feel like there are a million things that can mislead us, yet very few things that contribute to harmonizing with our Heart-Mind. Such is the way of, "egoistic delusions and attachments."

Sunday, Ocotber 11th 2009, there will be something very special happening. John Daido Loori, Roshi will be descending the "Mountain Seat," within the Mountain and Rivers Order. He does this as his relationship to his very temporary form comes to an end, due to cancer.

When I think of Daido Roshi and his strong effort, contributions, the extraordinary compassion, focus and disciple in nurturing the sapling tree of Zen in America, my hands easily come palm to palm. No reservation. No question. No doubt. Just thank you.

In the Spring of this year, Genjo Marinello Osho gave a teisho called, "Zen Master Yakusan's King of the King Deer." Genjo Osho at one point yelled, "Watch out!!! Don't you see the speeding arrow that is heading for you?" I'm 100% sure Daido Roshi see's it fully. I know a few Zen teachers have seen It completely. I might have only glimpsed it whizzing by. That's why there is the need for so much focus and effort, in our Zen practice. We all 100% need to see and feel This arrow clearly. I'm sure of that.

Since hearing the news earlier this week, at every morning and evening sit, I place a picture of Daido Roshi, in front of me, doing what my own teacher has taught me to do. Sit with strong "Nen," not for oneself, but for the sake of This so-called "Other," who needs our support and assistance at this very moment. This is no mistake. This is not delusion. This is just have a caring heart.

Today and the days ahead, I ask they You use disciple, focus, effort and a caring mind. Go to the Mountain and Rivers Order website and print out his picture. Carry it with you. Sit with it, consider what his life of service means at this very moment. Consider the words that Daido Roshi recited from the poet, Henry David Thoreau. "I hear beyond the range of sound. I see beyond the verge of sight." That's what This moment is. I feel that Daido Roshi meant It, when he used those words. He hasn't been practicing just for himself, but all sentient being. That's *Real* Love. Daido Roshi's actions fill me with gratitude.

With Profound Appreciation,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Twitter... Benefit or Detriment to Zen Practice?

This morning @Lawrencejiko asked me on Twitter, "Serious Q Do you think that tweeting is or can be detrimental to zen training or possibly a benefit? Good question.

During the Shiho Shiki ceremony, when Eido Shimano Roshi formally recognized Genjo Marinello Osho as his Dharma heir, Eido Roshi asked an interesting question. It was something to the effect of, "What is your motivation?" Genjo Osho replied, "Shu Jo Mu Hen Seigan Do" (However innumerable all beings are, I vow to save them all). Eido Roshi then asked him, "And from this time forward, what will be your motivation?" Genjo Osho replied, "Sho Jo Mu Hen Seigan Do." That moment was telling. It reflected a story which has been told, since the time of Gautama Buddha.

The expression, "Social Media," gets kicked around a lot, but what does that really mean? For me that's simple. Community. I live in an area where I'm very far away from actual Zen centers and temples. While I'm aware of a group that sits near by, it's like "theoretical physics zen," and I'm not really in to hyper-analytical posturing. That's not Zen. That's getting lost in the dark and you might not make it back.

The above being said is my motivation for using twitter. I'm looking help expand and support my practice and that of others. My teacher is in Seattle, Washington and though I have regular conversations with he and a few of the Sangha members there, I recognize that I find it useful, to have a steady and consistent group of people that I can share practice with, supporting each other through the grinds over day-to-day life.

The advantages of twitter are what's most obvious about it. Connecting to others. Mutual support. Friendship. Learning. Sharing. Clarifying. Embracing. The exposure to other serious practitioners, that I might not meet otherwise. Having the opportunity to hear the experience, strength and hope of others.

Though it's nice to operate from a position of strength and certainty, for me that's not always so. Dare I say, I have moments of frustration, troubled emotions and even depression. Twitter helps me when I'm not at my best. I can get on twitter, Direct message a friend I see it on and say, "Hey, this is where I'm at." Boom, I have someone I can talk with and they help to guide me out of the mud pit and I'm back on track.

A few weeks back, I was feeling particularly compressed. I felt kind of dead on the table, by a confluence of tough situations. That person helped to resuscitate me spiritually. I was able to get up from where I had fallen down and continue on.

Where twitter can be a hassle and hindrance to Zen practice is there's people with what I might call "wayward," motivation. The endless marketing can be a nuisance. The over-reliance of quotes can be disappointing. I feel like if you're using a quote, tell me how you applied it to your life, so that I can learn from you. Otherwise quotes are just dead words to me.

All that being said, the "Benefiting vs. Detrimental" boils down to who you are "Following?" I tend to follow most off the bat, unless it's blatant marketing. I want to hear their voice and see what they have to say. If it doesn't sit well, I "Unfollow" them to de-clutter my experience and dissolve the static.

Being straight ahead, here is a list of those that I find helpful to my life practice, love to share time and intentionally look for.

@NuclearDwight @HappiForever @Quiverymoments @InfiniteSmile @jhalifax @UpayaChaplains @MauraAura @Tobuno @Kwansahn @ZenStorm @c4chaos @mindonly @LaurieHawley @sondrafaye @christiekoehler @pixelsrzen @thinkingplace @journeyofnow @iDharma @sharingair @PennyStinkard @thebermuda @DharmaTalks @DrumsofDharma @ZenDirtZenDust @ljikob @BuddingBuddhist @BaltimoreZen @mindsatori @bobdobolina @EllenSka @Elfspear @dhammagirl @aquietmind @Niptuckbill @triggerwicked @MyFengShuiLife @ryderjaphy @NotOneNotTwo @BirdOnAZafu @cdashiell @MindDeep @DhammaLinks @ksclarke @seiun_hosei @holymonky @ljikob @Lawrencejiko @claudia_m @Buddhism_Now @rambonie @EarthLifeShop @Elfspear @tomotvos @anadanewsman @RSR108 @winsloweliot @binduwiles @tricyclemag @DivineMissWhite @12stepbuddhist @NaropaU

Twitter can be medicine for practice, depending on your motivation and how you use it to save not only your life, but that of all Beings. If we don't use twitter wisely, not only will it hurt our practice... it will surely kill us.

May All Beings Be Happy and Free,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Exhausting Mediocrity

"Active laziness," are the two words that came to mind as I hit the meditation cushion this morning. Active laziness is an expression that Sogyal Rinpoche once used to describe how we can sometimes waste time, appearing very busy, yet in the larger scheme of things, accomplishing little.

He went on to (half) jokingly say, "Even an unemployed person in California can still be very, very busy. I out culture we often waste time and so we waste our lives."

I've been that guy who's kinda "phoned it in," making enough effort to be a good guy, yet not enough to penetrate the matter of "life and death." It was like I had a "place holder life," and I was so caught in the distractions of life that I managed to put myself on the shelf on in the freezer. In fact at one point, I went an entire year without doing zazen at all. I had told myself, "I'm winging it for right now." The net result is that without the discipline of formal practice, I had opted for mediocrity. The lesson for me has been that every time I "just settle," I end up miserable, off and away from my "True North."

I feel very fortunate that Genjo Marinello Osho found and adopted me like a stray cat or dog at the "Humane Society" of life. I feel very sure that he rescued me from living in my own active laziness.

Though I've been in recovery from addiction for the last 22 years, I still attend a 12 Step fellowship once a week. Last week at the end of the meeting, a new comer came up to a friend and I and asked, "Why do you guys keep coming to meetings? Your lives are really good. What's the point, You've got to have this thing down by now?" My friend responded, "Now I come to meetings for You and help other new comers." He then looked at me. My response was, "The human heart and mind is vast. I'm still learning and growing. By coming, we mutually support each other." Put another way, I'm not phoning it in. I'm intent on taking care of myself, so that I can continue to take care of others too.

Regarding my Zen practice, some have asked me, kind of the same thing. "After practicing for 16 or 17 years, aren't You there yet?" No. I'm not yet complete... None of us are. There's no need for a finish line. We are in the process of being and becoming.

Given this fact, I feel like I owe it to myself to make genuine and sustained effort. When I stray from the path, though the distractions or moments of inattentiveness, I do the same thing when I lose hold of my koan. I return to the koan, given by my teacher. I don't bother arguing with myself about how I got there. Too late. I'm already off the track. I need just return to the path, once I notice I strayed. There's no need to beat-up on myself with the invisible baseball bat of disappointment or guilt. That's the most sure-fire way NOT to unify one's Mind.

It's really easy to be mediocre. All we have to do is feel like we are so-called "entitled," waiting for so reward to come. Other times we can and do refuse to live up to our personal values, policies, responsibilities and commitments, opting to let ourselves down or put off meaningful change. We are not always our best ally.

Are we, "Exhausting mediocrity?" Lets not say it with words. Lets express It through our actions.

YOU and I are truly 100% worthy and beautiful people. I have zero doubt in this. That doesn't mean that we don't need polishing. We can, can, can dissolve our mediocrity so that our "True Awakened Mind," can shine with no hindrance or restriction. We can to stop blocking our own light. In this way, we grow and transform from caterpillar into the butterfly. In this Way, we live our Awakened nature.

Love All - Serve All - Every Single Day,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Come Home Soon

"Blue sky, empty mirror, upon which all things pass, yet leave no trace." I enjoy this expression very much. True, true and true, no disputing it.

Over the last few days, I've really been contemplating and feeling what my teacher refers to as "Blue Sky Mind." At one point, I had said to myself amazed by the clearness and beauty, "Clouds, storms, hurricanes, sunshine, solar flare and radiation, meteors and still it just endures with no trouble at all. It's done that for thousands of years." Then I realized, it's actually been millions of years. That's when I realized that This sky will even survive us. That realization shook me, because it felt so vast.

There's a lot that I can learn on a personal level for the sky. Probably the best would be what is sometimes called, "Non-grasping mind." Anything that touches the surface of the sky, just continues on. Sometimes the circumstances and conditions allow clouds and storms to stay for what may seem like weeks at a time. Other times it's hours or just a few minutes. But no matter what, unfavorable conditions can, will and do move on. And because the sky doesn't bother to hold on, It remains free.

Despite the fact that our mind is exactly like the sky, there is something in me that love, loves, loves to hold on to stuff. There are times like I'm an intellectual or emotional pack-rat. I can easily rattle off 10-20 ways people have screwed me over in the past. I can also easily rattle off 10-20 things that I've don't that were stupid and that I regret very much. My mind can be like duck-tape... stuck to everything that I've come into contact with. And because I can be so stuck and attached, unlike the sky, I'm not actually free. I'm the prisoner of myself and the things that I've decided to hold on to.

We often like to look at people and see how they have slighted or offended us. But what about how we can injure and do unfriendly things to ourselves as we cling to those instances, refusing at times to reset and recover the sky-like nature of mind? The result can be hurt feelings, resentments and sometimes long-standing grudges. That's clinging and grasping mind.

I can actually remember that once when I was around 25 years old and a person cut me off in traffic, almost causing me to crash my vehicle. I was mad for about a week and yet that person and his car had long since moved on. I on the other hand was stuck in resentment and acting like someone who had survived a nuclear bomb-strike. It was total silliness.

Sometimes I feel that practicing Zen is like alchemy. It's ceaseless transformation. There's an line in the Lankavatara Sutra that says, "Things are not as they appear, nor are they otherwise." By the nature of practice itself, we have the capacity to change our mind and by extension how we see and feel things in our life. Instead of holding on to things in a negative way and punishing ourselves, we can change the meaning of things and return to the state of freedom. Not high. Not low. Just in the Middle.

Many years ago, when I was accepted to train at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, Kongo Ji, Junpo Denis Kelley called called me to give me some details. Prior to ending the conversation, he said, "Come home soon." Initially I took that to me the monastary... that physical place. Now after 17 years, I understand he meant, "Let the clouds of your so-called life pass, returning to the sky-like nature of Mind."

Yours In Zen,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Understanding and Compassion to Self

Thich Nhat Hanh once said, "Ideas about understanding and compassion are not understanding and compassion." Our ideas and theories are just one step away from what is actually taking place, within our environment.

At times I've struggled like a fish on a hook with understanding and compassion, especially towards myself. Day after day, month after month, year after year, the nature of my practice is to come to understand who This elusive self is. Day after day, month after month, year after year, so to has been the nature of learning the art of compassion towards This self. The learning in beyond intellectual formulation, but rather intuitive... dare I say the nurturing, cultivation and practice of weaving the self into into a congruent whole wherein the head, heart and feet are all pointed and moving in the same direction.

Eido Shimano Roshi had a calligraphy which hung at Dai Bosatsu Zendo which read, "Unify Your Heart." That didn't just refer to the muscle which beats in our chest, causing blood to flow through our veins. Heart in this sense means our entire Being.

Breath by breath we are in the process of becoming. But the question is, "Becoming what?" Am I practicing my life in a way which enables me to be my ally and friend or am I doing otherwise? This is a very important question. It's not about what we say. It's about what we do. And if we are not mentally, physically and spiritually extending understanding and compassion towards ourselves, then genuine unification and the freedom that comes with It is not possible. It's more a dream. But the last time I checked, Zen Buddhism is not about day-dreaming. It's real Doing!

My personal focus today, will be directed towards expressing understanding and compassion towards self. Growing within this process changes not just how we treat ourselves, but others too, as we become more emotionally and psychologically available to life. Please, no matter what happens, lets not give up on learning to understand and have compassion for ourselves.

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator

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Use It Well

Some time ago, Genjo Marinello Osho gave a teisho called "Beautiful Snowflakes." During the teisho, he related a story of how he had caught a beautiful rainbow trout. He noted that as a boy, he was so excited that, "I could not let it go, but I couldn't eat it either, so I insisted that it be placed in a freezer. What a waste! Either eat it or let it go, but don't freeze It!"

Genjo Osho went on to say something to the effect of, "You have been given This precious life. Use and exhaust It. Exhaust It completely! Please, don't put it on the shelf."

Today that feeling of "Exhaust it completely," is very much with me. We are usually in edit mode, being and saying things that are not really who we are. It's like projecting an actor on a stage. Not the True person without rank, post, status, title, position or agenda. A stuffed teddy-bear that was won at a carnival, that you take home and put on a bed or the floor. It's an echo of something that isn't real or authentic.

Last evening I was talking with someone. I was being very much straight ahead. I related to them, "This life as we know it is really going away. Day-by-day It's dissolving all around us. My father is gone, my grand-parents are gone, friends are gone, my beautiful German & Belgium Shepard's... Leo and Peggy... all gone... Someday, You and I will be gone too... This particular formation will never ever happen again. Life and death are real... no illusion... Impermanence! Why waste something so precious and such a miracle? Let's not live our life in mediocrity. We could and should devote ourselves to making this the best life we will ever have, because in one sense It's the only one that we will ever have.

I recall that Zen Master Dogen once said, "Reflect quietly on whether your mind and actions are one with Buddhism or not. If you do you will realize how shameful they are. The penetrating eyes of the Buddhas and Patriarchs are constantly illuminating the entire universe." Put another way, Dogen Zenji and Genjo Osho are saying precisely the same thing, "Don't waste Your precious life! Use It well!"

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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Notes on Zen Practice

From Zazen his morning, I noticed that perhaps more than a million times, I've seen without seeing, heard without hearing, thought without thinking, felt without true feeling. When It happens, what I'm really seeing, feeling, thinking, feeling are just fragments. It's not the "Unified Whole," that Is Buddha nature Itself.

We are often guided to pay attention and focus on what the ego thinks is important or "really" matters. The truth is the mind is often distracted with bright and shiny things in our life. Maybe what we need to focus our mind on is that things which aren't so shiny or bright. What I'm talking about is that which is so-called, "Ordinary" or "Extra-Ordinary."

It's been said that "Not knowing is closest to knowing." Put another way, it's the areas that I avoid and reject that might give me the biggest opportunity to have a windows to know and see what's in my "True Mind." It's like I was saying on Twitter the other day. "We can know so much about so many things, yet know nothing of our True Mind," that we've carried with us all of our life.

May this is why Dogen Zenji said, "To study and know the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe." Not know Is closest to knowing. It's a "dead spot" in our consciousness, that isn't reflecting or refracting anything. It's "Clear, Quiet and Clean." Or as the Heart Sutra say's, "No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind." Just Zero.

You might not get what I'm saying. That's okay. Sometimes when we are reading someone else's notes, we might not get the entire point.... initially. But with Zazen and time focusing the attetnion on our practice, we can and will. In that I have no doubt.

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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