working in the dark


 

I had

dokusan with Suzuki Roshi

during sesshin. I felt lost and far from home

at that point in my life, and I asked him

if big mind was lost in the

dark, too.

 

He said,

“No, not lost in the dark,

working in the dark!” and he moved

his arms about, demonstrating. He said it was like

the many-armed statue of Avaloki-teshvara,

and he made the statue come to life

for a moment.

 

To Shine One Corner of the World

hard copy

 

with empty mind really penetrated

the entire sutra

 

The past is already past.
Don’t try to regain it.
The present does not stay.
Don’t try to touch it.

From moment to moment.
The future has not come;
Don’t think about it
Beforehand.

Whatever comes to the eye,
Leave it be.
There are no commandments
To be kept;
There’s no filth to be cleansed.

With empty mind really
Penetrated, the dharmas
Have no life.

When you can be like this,
You’ve completed
The ultimate attainment.

Layman Pang