Daoxin to Farong (Farong of Oxhead Mountain school of Chan)
“The hundreds of thousands of Dharma-gates all lead back to the heart and the wonderful virtues, numerous as the sands of the River Ganges, all have their source in the heart. All the entrances – of discipline, of meditation, of wisdom and of spiritual transformation – are entirely self-sufficient and not separate from your own heart.”
“Circumstances are neither beautiful nor ugly, for beauty and ugliness arise in the heart. Yet if the heart does not habitually label things, from where could those deluded feelings arise? When deluded feeling cannot arise then the true heart can be trusted to be everywhere correct.”
18 bundles of asphalt shingles. Hauled slowly by this old body. Onto the wind scraped roof. Those that dwell in emptiness. Do not hear the whisper of the rain, Nor the clamorous of the soaked roof, Nor this beating heart response. Surely the mice prefer to be dry. Who is laughing louder?! Yes
I have recently been reading the Record of the Transmissions of the Lamp, translated by Randolph Whitfield. Dreams feature prominently in many of the transmissions. And something else about these heart-to-heart transmissions. It may be worth your consideration.
It is not unlike when I ask us to “go to sleep.” Resting in naturalness. There we are, just for a moment. Just this. And then the labeling begins, tied closely with thoughts of “no it can’t be this easy,” and “I have to work really hard to achieve this enlightenment credential.” Feelings of shame and anger and greed and confusion, driving all kinds of labeling stories.
We are one of those collateral schools. Emphasizing dream consciousness as we do. The dream consciousness exposing the labeling that arises from our wounded hearts, as effortlessly as mist arises from ocean. We should not confuse that mist for the ocean. That confusion allows mist to be fueled by shame and anger and greed, coalescing as our personal hurricanes. Scraping my roof. Resting in naturalness, there is also the arising of working upon this roof. Dream on sailors.
Now time for a hot shower. Who is laughing louder?!
SCHEDULE 10/9/22-10/16/22
MONDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE
MONDAY, 7PM, DREAM KOAN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM
TUESDAY, 6:30AM, ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE
WEDNESDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM
THURSDAY, 6:30 AM: GREEN TARA AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM
DOKUSAN ALSO AVAILABLE
FRIDAY, 6:30 AM: ZAZEN AND DOKUSAN AT THE TEA HOUSE
8 Deep Bows
Zenho and Issan
No Gate Zen Center 