The following are excerpts from a teisho on Case # 19 of The Mumonkan, Nansen's
"Ordinary Mind Is The Way", given by Maurine Stuart Roshi during a sesshin in November, 1988. A complete teisho on the same case given by her in 1987, as well as other talks by her are available at the bottom of this page.
"We know that what keeps us from functioning well in our lives is this uncontrollable ego that's always popping up, so here we're melting it down, melting it down, melting it down. We're getting rid of this self-centered mind...
Not only are we sitting inhaling, we're also exhaling, there is inspiration, and there is expiration. All things are at this moment being created, and at this moment all things are passing away. And if you try to grasp this life and hold on to it for your own purpose you stop it and you interrupt its flow and then we get into trouble.
'How wondrously supernatural' a Zen poet said, 'How miraculous! I draw water, and I carry fuel.' Instead of trying to fix things into patterns, instead of trying to hold on to them and keep them in some little cubby hole or drawer, let go, and watch with wonder and amazement the whole thing unfolding moment after moment, when everything is becoming new moment after moment.
So during these days we are taking time to be true to ourselves, to really be aware of how much we're hanging on to, how much unessential junk we're hanging on to, how much we let go and how much we hold fast. This requires a lot of integrity and humility. To be humble, to be precisely the person that you naturally are... If you have this humility to be truly yourself, you then will be true from the depths of your being to all other beings without any self conscious effort.
Unselfconscious, just spontaneously responding. Every time you think you have achieved something or you think you have understood something, you think 'Ah yes, I know what it means to become a Buddha, I know what Emptiness is about, I have experienced this.' For goodness sake throw it away!"
"Ordinary Mind Is The Way", given by Maurine Stuart Roshi during a sesshin in November, 1988. A complete teisho on the same case given by her in 1987, as well as other talks by her are available at the bottom of this page.
"We know that what keeps us from functioning well in our lives is this uncontrollable ego that's always popping up, so here we're melting it down, melting it down, melting it down. We're getting rid of this self-centered mind...
Not only are we sitting inhaling, we're also exhaling, there is inspiration, and there is expiration. All things are at this moment being created, and at this moment all things are passing away. And if you try to grasp this life and hold on to it for your own purpose you stop it and you interrupt its flow and then we get into trouble.
'How wondrously supernatural' a Zen poet said, 'How miraculous! I draw water, and I carry fuel.' Instead of trying to fix things into patterns, instead of trying to hold on to them and keep them in some little cubby hole or drawer, let go, and watch with wonder and amazement the whole thing unfolding moment after moment, when everything is becoming new moment after moment.
So during these days we are taking time to be true to ourselves, to really be aware of how much we're hanging on to, how much unessential junk we're hanging on to, how much we let go and how much we hold fast. This requires a lot of integrity and humility. To be humble, to be precisely the person that you naturally are... If you have this humility to be truly yourself, you then will be true from the depths of your being to all other beings without any self conscious effort.
Unselfconscious, just spontaneously responding. Every time you think you have achieved something or you think you have understood something, you think 'Ah yes, I know what it means to become a Buddha, I know what Emptiness is about, I have experienced this.' For goodness sake throw it away!"