“Moments in extremis point us to what is important, what is real.” – Koshin

How do you come to know who you really are and what you truly care about? Opportunities to learn are constant. 

In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei speaks to us from within the waning moments of an unpleasant physical experience. Exhaustion, he teaches us, is a great place of practice. During any given day, or minute, of our life, we experience all kinds of sensations, feel all the feels, and are gifted myriad chances to learn something. “How do you avail yourself to receive teaching?” Koshin asks. He pays close attention to the way his fatigue can trigger a familiar response, the thought to cancel whatever is on the schedule for the day. But is tiredness the only feeling? What else is true? A liveliness, a quiet softness, and curiosity are also present. We are never just one thing. Whatever we ‘know’ we can always understand more deeply. This is why the student/teacher relationship is so important in Soto Zen. Through intimate relationship, our minds are turned to see more of reality – internally and externally. In this talk, we hear about Bodhidharma’s teacher, Prajnatara, and about how Prajnatara was instructed by her teacher in such a manner as to inspire these lines of poetry. 

Moonlight reflected in the bottom of the pond is bright in the sky;

The water reaching to the sky is totally clear and pure.

Though you scoop it up repeatedly and try to know it,

Vast, clarifying all, it remains unknown. – Keizan Zenji     

ZENTALK NOTES

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.

MUSIC

Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji –  Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.

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The post Exhausted, Emptied, Lively, and Curious | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.