Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Zen practice is not abstract, it’s deeply relational. There is the relationship with a teacher, but also the relationship with our own inner teacher, our heart-mind. We need both. If it’s only about the outer teacher, we risk turning practice into idol worship. If it’s only about the inner teacher, we risk self-indulgence. Practice is the dynamic dance between the two; receiving guidance while also cultivating a deep trust in one’s own capacity to see clearly.

Even the morning I woke up ill, when I wanted to crawl back into bed, I heard my inner teacher whisper, “Show up.” Not to look good. It was an opportunity to be emptied out and full at the same time. Everything felt viscerally real.

When I sat down to teach that Sunday morning, I noticed how alive the practice can feel, even through exhaustion. There was a tenderness, a quiet attentiveness. Softness and vigor at the same time.’ (from Slow Down. Help Out. Wake Up.)