‘Acting in tune with our original nature means that we are not restricted by all of the buildup of information. There’s no hesitation in our actions because we don’t reference our long history of experience. When we train this area, we bypass every single piece of information that told us we couldn’t say or do this or that, that we weren’t good enough. Not only is it a fear of failure that holds us back; if we have long believed the myth that we are not good enough, we can even become frozen by a fear of our success. There is a place that we find when we look deeply into ourselves that allows us to be completely free of our histories, our stories, our hang-ups. Once we realize that we cannot really control the outcome, we can let go of the procrastination that comes from being fearful of results.’ (Being Black)

‘If enlightened beings live, act, and think as we do, what is the difference between the enlightened state and the ordinary, samsaric state? The difference is attachment. The thoughts and actions of ordinary people are projections of a notion of self; the thoughts and actions of enlightened beings emanate from wisdom.’ (There Is No Suffering)

In the Dogen Study Group recently, we dealt with the lines ‘Buddhas and ancestors of old were as we, we in the future shall be Buddhas and ancestors.’ What will make us like them? Just what he says here.

‘When Xuefeng, Yantou and Qinshan were traveling together on their Zen pilgrimage they lost their way in the mountains. It was growing dark and there was no monastery to ask for the night’s lodging. At the time they happened to notice a green vegetable leaf flowing down along the stream. By this they naturally inferred that there was somebody living further up in the mountains. But one of the monk-pilgrims argued; ‘That is quite probable, but a man who does not mind letting go the precious vegetable leaf is not worth our consideration.’ Before he finished saying this, they saw a man with a long-handed hook, running down after the lost leaf.’

This was a story I remember reading about in my very early days of practice, and it took me a while to find it again. Now I don’t even remember where I found this version. But the moral of the story is still good.

‘Xuejian asked, “All Zen worthies at the capital say that we must practice zazen and learn samadhi to be able to understand the Way. There has been no one who had attained liberation without practicing zazen and samadhi. I wonder what your opinion about this is?”

Huineng replied, “The Way can be realized by the Mind. What does zazen have to do with it? In a sutra it is said, “If you view that the tathagata sometimes sits and sometimes lays down, you are walking in the evil way.” Why? Because the Tathagata never has a place to come from and to go away; is never arising or perishing. This is the pure Zen of the Tathagata. All dharmas are empty and quiescence; this is pure sitting of the Tathagata. Ultimately speaking, there is neither verification (awakening) nor sitting (practice).”’