“Many of us use spiritual practice as a transaction. We say to ourselves, ‘if I log in enough hours, I will get something.’”
In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison draws from one of this year’s practice texts, Bendōwa, in which Eihei Dogen exhorts his disciples to engage in continuous practice under the tutelage of an authentic teacher. While discussing this passage of the text, Koshin also speaks on the transactional mindset of some practitioners, finding and maintaining a student-teacher relationships, and the different shades that any healthy relationship should have.
ZenTalk Notes:
Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
Music: Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
New York Zen Center Publications:
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
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One Response
Please, I love your talks….is it possible to post and share more often your gems of dharma?
endeavor, investigate, and walk out the dharma.