Shana begins by noting the concurrent and successive rainstorms both in her area of Florida and at Mountain Cloud in Santa Fe as an introduction to the understanding of oneness or unity of all phenomena in the essential that is realized through the practice of zazen. Recalling Dōgen’s argument that although all beings are inherently enlightened, practice is needed to realize it, Shana argues that “all of us do it according to our own unique capacities.” Enlarging on this point, Shana reads an excerpt from the Lotus Sutra on “Dharma Rain.” According to the sutra, the same Dharma is available to all but engaged in differently by different individuals, just as different plants consume different amounts of rain water according to species-specific needs. Along the way, Shana reads Mary Oliver’s poem “Mornings at Black Water” and discusses the three essentials of Zen: great faith, great doubt, and great determination.
