“… There is no self, no witness, and no world and it is marked by a sense of deep relief and joy …“
To reach satisfaction in all,
desire its possession in nothing.
John of the Cross
Description: This is the fifth and final talk from the Fall 2017 sesshin. To wrap up the journey through a map of Zen training, Henry begins by pointing out that John of the Cross, in the lines above, is talking about dukkha, about dissatisfactoriness. We chase things in the world, believing them to be dependable and lasting and able to bring us satisfaction; while, all along, right now, “there is a vast peace in the middle of every moment.” There are multiple routes to this place where all is well in spite of everything swirling around us and inside us. A “path moment” is a moment when it is clear that we never existed—we see through the self. There is no self, no witness, and no world and it is marked by a sense of deep relief and joy. We can trust the methodology of Zen training and we can trust the dharma.
Post & Featured image: Rocks by Dave Doe, CC BY 2.0.