Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi
Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 06/19/2022
From The Book of Serenity, Case 70 – Jinshan Asks About Nature
“What happens in the moments when the self has been seen through and we are still being held back? In that moment, that which has been seen is not being actualized. Having tamed the untamed, having freed the buddha from its entanglements, those entanglements still have energy, still have life. That’s why the idea that we can practice, apply effort, have an experience that we call enlightenment and be done is a false idea. What is this whole idea of being ‘done’? If you’re an artist, when are you done? If you’re a school teacher, a parent, when are you done? Not just done in the sense that there is something more to do, but done in the sense of strengthening your strength, refining your skill…”
