Hesitation

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Yesterday's mail brought an envelope that My Little Honey thought was a piece of junk mail.  I opened it and found our contract for our house loan all ready to be signed. The new house is completed and we have but to wait for a closing date to be set.  We are already anticipating moving the furniture and books and kitchen things and clothes from our condo garage. We have appointments with a landscaper and gatemaker for tomorrow morning.

 

We are also anticipating an open house and a series of parties.

 

Mostly, however, I am looking forward to a room of my own, my small Zendo, with alter and cushions and plain barren walls.

 

My friend and fellow priest, Alex, donated a small Manjushri statue which I hope to mount at the entrance door to the Zendo.  Manjushri is the bodhisattva of wisdom.  He possesses a sword which is used to cut through delusion. Of course he is often seated and this suggests to me that the sword is the sword of zazen. We all possess the capacity to cut through duality and see the universal oneness of nature, our nature.

 

What is required is simply the willingness to open our eyes and see without reference to our mind. We see our cup, but we don't "think" cup, we experience cup. Thinking "cup" separates us from the experience of cup and can often impede our actions with dire consequences.

 

Case Fourteen, "Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two" of Mumon's Gateless Gate is a lesson in this.   Nansen discovers two large factions of monks bickering.  He grabs a cat and says, "If anyone can say a word of Zen, I will spare this cat!"  Everyone is silent.  Nansen immediately cuts the cat in two.  Hesitation is the hallmark of living in dualism.  The Zen way is to live in non-dualism and know immediately what needs to be said and done.   When we are truly one with the Universe, one with the precepts of our Way, there should be no equivocation.

 

I realize this is a challenge in a complex world. Yet our world's complexity is of our own making.  Strip it away in the fire of zazen. What is left is Vast Emptiness constantly manifesting itself.  Do no evil; do good; bring about good for all beings.  How complex is this?

 

Be well.

 

PS:  Thank you Doret for your generous donation! And to Rev. Alex, a deep bow.