"The Beginning of Practice" number 49 of 200 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.
When is the beginning of our practice? Is it when we first take up the notion of Zen? Is it when we begin a zazen practice? Is when we find a sangha? Is it when we go on our first retreat? Is it when we find a teacher? Is it when we are assigned our first koan? Is it when we take jukai? Is it when we pass our first koan?
Yasutani Haku'un Roshi once said at a dinner party he threw for one of his students who had completed his formal koan study, "Now his practice begins."
Even before all of that, I was was still beginning. You?
I had thought that this morning's miniature was going to stiff and stuffy. Yet it slipped out so smooth. Before the question - there was the answer. On first reading it seemed too casual, just record of some dinner party. Yet the last line says in part "...but now I offer incense and bow in gratitude to my old teacher." This beginning touches me deeply and I'm surprised by that.
When is the beginning of our practice? Is it when we first take up the notion of Zen? Is it when we begin a zazen practice? Is when we find a sangha? Is it when we go on our first retreat? Is it when we find a teacher? Is it when we are assigned our first koan? Is it when we take jukai? Is it when we pass our first koan?
Yasutani Haku'un Roshi once said at a dinner party he threw for one of his students who had completed his formal koan study, "Now his practice begins."
Even before all of that, I was was still beginning. You?
I had thought that this morning's miniature was going to stiff and stuffy. Yet it slipped out so smooth. Before the question - there was the answer. On first reading it seemed too casual, just record of some dinner party. Yet the last line says in part "...but now I offer incense and bow in gratitude to my old teacher." This beginning touches me deeply and I'm surprised by that.