Norman Fischer: Norman Fischer: 10-06-2013: Beyond Thinking: Dogen's Teachings on Zazen (Part 5A)

Summary: Episode Description: In this episode, Roshi Norman goes through the final section of "The Point of Zazen." This section of the essay centers around a poem by Chinese Zen master Hongzhi entitled, appropriately, "The Point of Zazen." Several topics come up in Roshi's ddiscussion, including: How zazen is not simply a compartment of life but is life itself, and that to practice zazen is to access the "deepest way of being alive." The role of "ancestors" in Zen comes up. Also included in the discussion are different ways of "knowing," the idea of "making progress" in practice, the usefulness of words and concepts as means to "go beyond" words and concepts, and the idea that, ultimately, life is without boundary. When we sit zazen we are everywhere, and nowhere, and right here all at the same time. Dogen's essay concludes with a poem written by Dogen himself in response to Hongzhi's poem. He concludes the essay with the beautiful injunction: "All descendants of Buddha ancestors should practice zazen as the single great matter. It is the authentic seal, transmitted from person to person." For Series Description and teacher BIO, please see Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Beyond Thinking: Dogen's Teachings on Zazen Series: All 8 Parts