Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘I mention constantly, if you really practice spiritual life, you cannot carry the spiritual life in terms of your understanding. If you want to practice spiritual life for the long run, you should live in vow. Vow means you should live your life. In peace, in harmony, with deep, profound aspiration. Living in peace and harmony with all sentient beings.

Living in vow is not the big expectation, big things you can do. You cannot do big things. You cannot expect big things from your life. What you can do is just a little bit, just little, tiny things. When you get up in the morning, get up in the morning. Within the activity of getting up in the morning, there is a hallway to go through a door [into] the peaceful world. That’s why we have to take best care of the activity of getting up in the morning, doing zazen, having breakfast.

This is a tiny activity for us. Everyone does it in that way. It’s not unusual. It’s not outstanding human activity. It’s very usual. But these kind of small details in human life can be seen in your everyday life all the way, always.’ (from Katagiri Transcripts)

I found this the week before I left for my trip, and might have used it in my talk to the Hebden Bridge group.