Noiselessness

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

There is a koan Nyogen Senzaki addresses in his book, The Iron Flute. Senzaki is, with Uchiyama, one of my favorite Masters. He lived a quiet life as a clerk or dishwasher in the United States. He had no temple, save what he referred to as his "floating Zendo." And yet, he was a powerful Zen Master.

The koan is the case where Hui-Chung expells his disciple. In this case, Hua-Chung is sleeping, A visitor to the Temple asks if Hui-Chung is in, Hua Chung's disciple says "Yes, but he doesn't want to see anyone." The visitor inquires further, by saying, "You are expressing the situation profoundly." Where upon the disciple says, "Don't mention it. Even if the Buddha comes, my teacher does not want to see him." To which the visitor replies, "You are certainly a good disciple. Your teacher ought to be proud of you." When Hui-Chung woke, the disciple repeated the dialogue to him where upon, Hui-Chung promptly drove his disciple out of the Temple.

Senzaki says: "The attending monk was displaying his newly attained Zen on the first occasion that presented itself, instead of keeping it colorless. The visitor took in the situation immediately, and his words should have shamed the monk into silence. Instead, the monk proudly repeated the dialogue to his teacher, who drove him from the temple."
Later, Senzaki says, "When one thinks he has Zen, he loses it instantly. Why does he not practice the teaching colorlessly and noiselessly?"

Pride and arrogance are not qualities we associate with Zen. If we realize awakening, we are to be quiet about it. We are never to refer to ourselves as 'enlightened' as that in itself, is evidence otherwise.

We are practice. We are always works in progress and in every moment complete as we are. To be without being, become without becoming, and to do so without announcement is the aim. No bulls in chinashops allowed. No blairing horns. No fancy clothes.

The true enlightened one is invisable, yet like water, changes everything.

We will practice streetZen at the Veteran's Park rotunda at 4:00 PM today.

Be well.