Tambankan

We call someone who understands things from just one side, a “tamban-kan.” Tamban-kan means “a man who carry a board on his shoulder.” Because he carry a big, you know, board on his shoulder this way, he cannot [laughs] see the other side [laughs]. He is always, you know, carrying big board on his shoulder. Almost all people are carrying big board [laughter, laughs], so they cannot see the other side. They think they are just an ordinary person, but, you know, if they take off the board, they will understand, “Oh, I am buddha, too [laughs]. How can I be a buddha and ordinary person? It is amazing.” That is enlightenment.       --------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki  lecture - 69-03-30 - as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC  - Going through Suzuki lectures and posting anything that can stand on its own. Not looking for zingers or "the best of." I find that following these excerpts daily provides another way to experience Suzuki's teaching.