Summary: Episode Description: This Dharma talk offered by Sensei Alan is essentially a commentary on a lecture given in 1971 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, found in the book Not Always So. The basic theme of the lecture, and this talk, is that we will always have "problems;" how we view and address our problems becomes a measure of our minds and our practice. Dogen Zenji, the founder of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism, advises us to "establish your practice in your delusion." In other words, we should recognize our problems, our "stuck places," and "dig in." For Suzuki Roshi, we always have "just enough problems." We are always getting exactly what we need to practice with, and we are always getting help. Often though, we don't recognize this. We need to develop trust in what is arising, trust in our practice, witness what comes up, and then go forth into the world. Suzuki Roshi advises, "just sit and be ready to go to the marketplace as ripe apples." So we sit, discern and appreciate our problems, allow ourselves to ripen, and take action. The talk concludes with a Q&A session BIO : Alan Senauke is vice-abbot of Berkeley Zen Center in California. He lives at BZC with his wife, Laurie, and their two children. Since 1991 Alan has worked with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, where he presently serves as Senior Advisor. He continues to work as a socially engaged Buddhist activist, most recently founding the Clear View Project, developing Buddhist-based resources for relief and social change. In another realm, Alan has been a student and performer of American traditional music for more than forty years.
