BOOK OF EQUANIMITY - Case 57

[Tairin]

Case 57 keeps invoking this story copied from "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones"

Muddy Road

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl" said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

I frequently remind myself of this story when I find that I continue to carry something that has happened in the past into this moment.

Lucy's comment today in Insight Timer feels related. She said she woke up with "an unusually still and quiet mind" yet as she sat her mind couldn't resist making a commentary on how still and quiet it was. I can appreciate that comment. It is amazing how the mind insists on actively engaging.

Ekido couldn't put down the girl.
Genyo couldn't put down "not one thing".
Even with a still and quiet mind, we can't resist the internal commentary on our still and quiet mind.

Gassho
Warren
sat this morning


P.S. I hope Lucy doesn't mind my referring to her Insight Timer comment but if so I'll remove it.

[Eishuu]

Not at all Warren. I really like the story about the girl. Thanks for sharing it.

Gassho
Lucy
Sat today

[Toun]

Case 57 keeps invoking this story copied from "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones"

Muddy Road



I frequently remind myself of this story when I find that I continue to carry something that has happened in the past into this moment.

Lucy's comment today in Insight Timer feels related. She said she woke up with "an unusually still and quiet mind" yet as she sat her mind couldn't resist making a commentary on how still and quiet it was. I can appreciate that comment. It is amazing how the mind insists on actively engaging.

Ekido couldn't put down the girl.
Genyo couldn't put down "not one thing".
Even with a still and quiet mind, we can't resist the internal commentary on our still and quiet mind.

Gassho
Warren
sat this morning


P.S. I hope Lucy doesn't mind my referring to her Insight Timer comment but if so I'll remove it.

Thank you Warren for sharing this story with us.

Gassho
Mike

Sat2day

[Risho]

Thank you all . The Muddy Road story is one of my favorites.

I really like this koan; the more we go through these koans, I feel more and more humbled. I feel as if they just sort of beckon us and motivate us to practice.

Theres so much to say yet none of it can ever hit the mark; the difficulty and also beauty of this practice is being able to sit amongst all sorts of thoughts of ego inflation, ego crushing stuff, boredom, restlessness and stillness and being able to watch and not grasp or push away.

By seeing this stuff on the zafu its very interesting to see certain habitual reactions occur in daily life. For example I struggle with boredom, but zen has taught me, what struggle? Boredom is a gift, when bored be fully bored not worried about being bored.

I'm constantly humbled because I'm no good at this sitting; it takes practice, and so its really nice to have a sangha here to practice with. I think thats just another barrier to practice, sticking with it, and these koans and discussions we have really keep me going when I'd just rather do something else (that Id rather not really do but my ego tells me I want to do to avoid this boredom).

Although this practice seems like its letting go or throwing away, it fills me up in a way that I cannot explain. When I stop sitting sometimes, I'm reminded of why it is so important to me.

Gassho

Risho
-sattoday

[AlanLa]

Very nice koan. It reminded me of the Heart sutra. It can be dangerous to hold on to ideas, though sometimes it is also certainly important. The commentary talks about how we like to define our ideas, how we like to be right. Is it right of me to not mind being wrong? I will gladly give up one idea for a better one. That's how I came to Zen in the first place. Now I practice letting it go, and I suck at it. So much holding on just in this paragraph. I will go sit now...