Koan
In the stillness and solitude of the Zen Temple, with the subtle rustling of Katsura leaves and the gentle murmur of flowing water in the garden pond, I often contemplate a Zen koan. The koan doesn't interrupt my current state of mind or transport me to another place; it opens me fully to where I am.
A koan is an enigmatic story or phrase used in Zen teaching, often derived from ancient dialogues between Zen masters and their disciples. Koans serve as a tool to awaken a deeper understanding of our true nature and the immediate experience of reality.
My Zen teacher has encouraged me to dream into koans. Indeed, engaging with them can be like stepping into a dream, a dream that guides me beyond the confines of logical thought and into the boundless realm of direct experience. When I dream into a koan, I allow it to permeate my consciousness, to live and breathe within me.
Despite what the word "dream" may imply, I do not escape to dreamland; I open a doorway to an aspect of my life that seems hidden from a conventional perspective, yet it is always present and accessible here and now.
The koan becomes a mirror reflecting my innermost thoughts and feelings. It brings to light the veiled aspects of my consciousness, the subtle layers of my conditioning and attachments.
Through this process, the true nature of reality reveals itself as something not distant or separate from me. It is right here, in this very moment, ever-changing and elusive, yet always within reach.
Working with koans reminds me that the present moment is all I have, and within this moment lies the entirety of existence. In the fleeting now, I can find the timeless truth that Zen points to—the unity of all things, the interconnectedness of life, and the profound peace that arises when I awaken to my true nature.
As I navigate the dream-like world of koans, I learn to see beyond the surface of things. I can touch the essence of life itself.
I’ve come to understand that the hidden and the apparent are one and the same and that the path is not about attaining something new but about remembering and realizing what has always been present.
- Sokei
