Friday, June 21, 2024

Everyday Mind Is Dao

Joshu asked his teacher Nansen, “What is dao?”

And his teacher Nansen answered, “Everyday mind is dao.”

And Nansen asked his teacher again, “How to follow the dao? Tell me how to accord with the dao.” That was Joshu’s question.

And Nansen said, “The more you try to follow the dao, the more you will lose the dao.” [Laughs.] That was his answer. And he continued, “The true power does not belong to the matter of aware or not aware of it, or attaining or not attaining it. If your practice goes beyond the matter of attaining it or not to attaining it, your mind will be like a boundless blue sky. And you will have no problem in your everyday life.” That was his answer.

cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-03-10 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.