A student and teacher were drinking coffee. The students asks, “Zazen, what good is it?” The Teacher responds, “Not much.” “Then why practice it?“ the student continues. “I don’t know,” the teacher replies, “drink your coffee.”
The student awakened.
Right. We’ve read many of such little vignettes. The gullible believe them. The wise set them aside assigning no particular meaning to them. Why? Awakening is not the point of practice; it is the practice. Master Dogen suggests our practice, the practice of shikantaza, is itself practice realization. Are these the same or different?
“(D)rink your coffee” is key. The coffee was in front of you, just drink the coffee. This is the essence of Zen.
On the other hand, you take your seat, gather your robes, and address your mind by setting it free: the entire universe is its home. You do what you do: breathe. Its what’s in front of you to do.
This also is the essence of Zen.
But neither matter much and if you come to it as if it mattered, you would be completely mistaken.
Why?
The student adds milk and sugar to his coffee; the Master takes it black.
So, why ask why? Is there any answer that would satisfy you? Of course not. Just more milk and sugar…
…and the coffee is no longer coffee.
Just so, Zen is not words. And life is not thinking about life; life is living life.
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