Taking Part in the Gathering, Term 2, 2024.

Taking Part – Winter Term of Practice:  The practice of ripening

Just as Zhaozhou said, “I do not dwell in enlightenment”, and then asked, “Can you value this without reservation?”, a bodhisattva finds themselves standing firmly in the place of ‘no special ability’.  Otherwise, clearly hearing and agreeing to hear the cries of the world becomes subtly dimmed, distanced, muted.

In Autumn, we followed a rich thread that opened from the ‘found’ koan, “Good grief!”  To reconcile “good” with all the many sorrows of the world, what state of mind is it that lets the two heal into each other, a mind of not-two… and even less than one?

Is this mind to be regarded as some special ability? Or may it be most natural, and continually disappearing into that fact --- and if so, how should we offer ourselves to this subtle business of letting naturalness carry us?

The Buddha named the four truly ripe states of heart and mind as loving-kindness, compassion, unqualified joy in the joy of others, and … equanimity: the equitable mind at the base of each of the other three ‘immeasurables’.  The mind of holding all things equal.

So let’s look deeply into equanimity to see if it may be the fundamentally ‘ripe’ ground of mind and heart.  And if so, may a continual quiet interplay between Great Doubt, Great Faith, and Great Persistence be the well-tested way of ripening, itself?

In fact, could the practice of ripening - and of acting closely in accord with that – continually come to light in the place that lies somewhere between the deep challenge of Shantideva’s “May all sorrows ripen in me” – and Hongzhi’s disarmingly simple request, to “Graciously share yourself”?

Let’s find out!

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Roshi Susan Murphy.

Note that each term of practice will culminate with a separately scheduled full Day of Practice led by Kynan and I -- a deep dive into the waters of zazen, Sutras, dokusan, and Teisho.  This will be on August 25th.