Hōtō, Winter 1978 — calligraphy and shorter pieces

January 1978 · Haiku Zendo, Los Altos

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This entry is not a single continuous talk. It gathers the shorter pieces printed across one issue of the newsletter, which appear here as they were found rather than stitched into a whole.

Calligraphy: Buddha

Buddha — beautiful person who wakes me up

Calligraphy: Dharma Joy

Dharma Joy — To have friends who practice and seek and realize the truth

Calligraphy: Sangha

Sangha — symphony of praise for life

On Nature — pull nature toward you

To get in contact with the nature which we came from, or which we are standing on, and somewhat to flourish that nature around us, is I think the best way to be close to nature, instead of everyone going to remote places and making those places into another kind of town or city. Instead of that you pull nature toward you, if that is possible.

On Sitting (I) — moving with every being

Sitting is not something which is very still and comfortable. It is a real feeling that you are moving with every being.

On Sitting (II) — not Man's business

Eventually, year after year, you come to understand that this kind of sitting is not Man's business; it is simply because it has to be done, so it is happening. It's not your sitting, nor anybody's sitting: just what it is, is sitting.

On Seeing the Truth

Sometimes it is just fun not to see the truth. But if you wish to see things really as they are, you cannot carry your understanding about what they are.
← Hōtō, Summer 1977 — shorter piecesOn Mind and Body in Zazen →
Zazen as Non-Doing (Shikantaza)  Sangha and Community  Monastery vs. World  Perception and Awareness  Buddha Nature / True Self