We say
to practice zazen
without any gaining idea,
without any purpose. Let things work
as they do, supporting everything as your own.
Real practice has orientation or direction, but it has
no purpose or gaining idea, so it can include everything
that comes. Whether it is good or bad doesn’t matter.
If something bad comes: “Okay, you are a part
of me;” and if something good comes,
“Oh, okay.” Because we don’t have
any special goal or purpose
of practice, it doesn’t
matter what
comes.
There is no distinction
between heaven and earth, man and woman,
teacher and disciple. Sometimes a man bows to a woman;
sometimes a woman bows to a man. Sometimes the disciple bows
to the master; sometimes the master bows to the disciple. A master
who cannot bow to his disciple cannot bow to Buddha.
Sometimes the master and disciple bow together
to Buddha. Sometimes we may bow
to cats and dogs.
In your big mind,
everything has the same value.
Everything is Buddha himself. You see something
or hear a sound, and there you have everything just as it is.
In your practice you should accept everything as it is, giving to
each thing the same respect given to a Buddha. Here there
is Buddhahood. Then Buddha bows to Buddha,
and you bow to yourself. This is
the true bow.