Summary: Episode Description: This short Dharma talk, offered by Upaya head priest Shinzan Palma during his Shuso Hossen ceremony, centers around a koan, or "public case," found in Mumon's koan collection The Gateless Gate. The koan reads: "[Zen master] Wakuan asked, 'Why has the western barbarian no beard?'" Shinzan explains that the "western barbarian" refers to the first Zen ancestor Bodhidharma and that the koan is confusing because Bodhidharma is usually depicted *with* a beard. For shinzan, this koan taps into two perspectives, the perspective of the "relative" and the perspective of the "absolute." From the relative perspective, Bodhidharma has a beard and from the absolute, he has no beard. And the question is, how do we move between these perspectives in our practice and in daily life? The talk is followed by a brief period of "Dharma combat," in which sangha members ask Shinzan rapid-fire questions about the koan and about practice. Bio: Shinzan Palma was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He has been practicing Zen since 1996. He met his former teacher, Korean Master Samu Sunim, in Mexico City and trained under his guidance for 8 years. He did a residential training for 4 years at the Zen Buddhist Temple in Toronto, Canada and was ordained as a novice priest by Samu Sunim in 2004. After leaving Canada, he was invited by Roshi Joan Halifax to come to Upaya in 2006. Shinzan asked Roshi to be her student and he was re-ordained as a Priest in 2007 by Roshi Joan Halifax. Since then, he has been at Upaya practicing with the community. He is now Head Priest and Temple Coordinator, giving guidance to the residents on Zen training. He became Dharma holder in March, 2010. He has a sincere and strong heart committed to the Dharma.
