Dear Friends,
Our koan group last Sunday enjoyed the following koan:
Book of Serenity, Case 94 DONGSHAN IS WELL
Dongshan was ill. A student asked, “You’re unwell. Is there someone, after all, who isn’t sick?”
Dongshan said, “There is.”
“Does the one who isn’t sick take care of you?”
“I’m actually taking care of that one.”
“What’s it like when you take care of that one?”
“Then I don’t see that there is illness.”
We’ll be returning to this koan at the start of our meeting this Sunday afternoon (3:00 to5:00 PM, 7528 Jenkin Place). What has been your experience, keeping company with this koan? Some of us explored what the conversation is like if we substitute another word, like “angry” or “tired” or “sad” for “sick.” We’ll see where the koan has taken us over the past week, or what it’s like for you in your life if you are just meeting it now.
Then, we’ll take up one that always seems to come of itself, this time of year:
Case 27 : Yunmen’s Golden Wind
A monk asked Yunmen, “When the tree withers and the leaves fall, what’s happening?”
Yunmen replied, “It’s revealing the golden wind.”
You might simply spend time with this conversation. Carry it around with you, let it invite you in. In your meditation, drop it in once in a while and see what happens.
What’s happening?
What’s showing itself for you?
What is it like, being this right now?
For more info or with questions about koans and how we might meet them, feel free to contact me: sembender@gmail.com
It’s fine to come to any one of the koan sessions. Everyone is welcome. No special preparation is required.