Siddartha Gautama is said to have been born from Mayadevi’s side. He then took seven steps towards the North, a lotus flower appearing to support, or commemorate, each step. It is said that he then pointed one hand towards the heavens and the other hand towards the earth and proclaimed “Heaven above Heaven below, I alone am the world-honored one.”
The second picture above is a “chip” of pottery. Its origin story is unknown by me. And I know that it is a prized possession of Issan’s.
Are these pictures the same or different? If you say different, I give you 20 “chips” of pottery. If you say same, I will take away 20 Buddha birth stories. If you say both same and different, I will greet you laughing at the fish market. If you say neither same nor different, I will bid you farewell at your funeral.
Recently, I asked of the connection from emptiness into potency. These pictures, these scenes. What about these pictures, these scenes? These pictures, these scenes.
Today, I ask “Buddha took seven steps. What about the 8th step?” “And what does the 8th step have to do with emptiness and potency?” “This potter’s chip? One chip, seven chips?Emptiness? Potency?”
“I had dreams in Technicolor of the vast cosmos as if I were looking through the James Webb space telescope as dream consciousness was exploring your question and wrote this down: That which is never really was That which was never will be Nothing in between No here or now Just this”. Issan
SCHEDULE 2/19- 2/26
MONDAY, 6:30AM, ZAZEN AT TEA HOUSE, BRING YOUR OWN KEY AND OPEN
MONDAY, 7PM, DREAM KOAN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81182899201?pwd=UVU4MnJhMG1ZUGJaOHhaSndwQ2dYQT09
TUESDAY, 6:30AM, ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM, WITH ZENHO. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86265616603?pwd=WHZEQWNDQnZPS1VicDl6VVlEdmxFZz09
WEDNESDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM WITH ZENHO
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89605039197?pwd=VTVubW5pUnBCNFBqQjBieERvNDd5QT09
THURSDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE WITH ISSAN
DOKUSAN WITH ISSAN SENSEI
FRIDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN & SERVICE WITH ZENHO AT THE TEAHOUSE
DOKUSAN WITH ZENHO SENSEI
A moment, careless in one direction, precise in every other facet, cuts a finger, No cuts my this finger. Eyes wide, sucking in bright red tang, forge a sword and a green meadow as I tumble Down wide chip-strewn boulevards – Zenho
8 Deep Bows,
Issan and Zenho
No Gate Zen Center 
Tricky dicky you be!
Barky snarky you see!
Dare the bear right there!
Started the heart ended the art…
Chips in the fire, just my desire,
Steps on the path?
You face Sensei’s wrath!!!
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I’m at Epcot and even one more step seems like agony on my feet at the end of the day. Looking forward to taking 7 more seems like an impossible task. But maybe, just this one right now I can do. I’m doing it!
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