Saying For Today: The walk, step by step, little by little, gives us new eyes ...
The Day After
Inn Along the Way/Chapman Farm
Damariscotta, ME
* * *
Labels prevent looking.
*Toni Packer. The Wonder of Presence: And the Way of Meditative Inquiry.
Then he [Jesus] spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
*Gospel of John 9.6-7 (NLT)
* * *
* * *
Toward the latter part of [Shunryu] Suzuki-roshi’s life he realized that he didn’t have much time, and when he gave talks, he would strike his stick on the lectern quite often. Sometimes people would ask him a question, and he would say, “This is the answer,” and then he’d strike his stick down sharply. Nyo! [Japenese, "as it is, just like this"] You got it! But I didn’t necessarily understand what he meant every time he did it. I thought, “Maybe Roshi has gone mad or something,” because what happens is much more subtle than we can think.
*Jakusho Kwong Roshi. No Beginning, No End: The Intimate Heart of Zen.
* * *
When reading the above anecdote, the following stood out: "because what happens is much more subtle than we can think." Something is always happening that is too subtle for us to think. Accordingly, the Way leads us to rely less on thinking. We rely on thinking for many things, but thinking hinders seeing the subtle - "seeing" refers to insight, direct knowing; in spiritual work, this often refers to "realization." Finally, there is no sense of a you seeing, only seeing happens. The seeing has taken you into itself.
* * *
By attachment to thinking, we miss the most obvious. Hence: Drop thinking and see. Finally, we realized we needed to push thinking to its limit; after our dropping it again and again, it dropped like ripe fruit from the tree.
* * *
"You speak about pointing to something you can't teach," she said, "but I don't see your point." "That's because it's so close," replied the Sage.
On another occasion, someone spoke to the Sage ...
"I don't understand what you speak to us of." "Neither do I," said the Sage, "I've never understood it. That's the way."
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
* * *
We say we believe certain things. Sometimes we use "see," like, "I see your point," "I see what you're saying,' or even "I see you."
Usually, we mean we believe in or understand what we think about certain things... we see what we expect to see or have assumed we saw in the past. This clinging to our thoughts hinders seeing afresh. There is nothing new there, no opening for revelation; we overlay what is present with what we thought previously about it.
We were conditioned not to see. When we were born, people began telling us what we were to see, understand, and believe to be true. So, we have a well-engrained template through which we meet all things, at least until we meet something confusing, challenging the auto-pilot assuming. And this one event of confusion can lead us to begin questioning our assumptions generally. We can move, at least some, from the basic ignorance; to move even a little is an opening that can open further.
* * *
A disgruntled follower complained to the Sage. "I can now see I'm lost in ignorance, and there's nothing I can do about that. I think I'll just quit." "Why?" asked the Sage. "That's a great place to begin, isn't it?" "But," said the man, "I've been practicing for years." "Yes. And due to that, don't you see you're now ready to begin?"
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
* * *
We daily walk the Way, and that walk, possibly often feeling aimless, tedious, and fruitless, even sometimes boring, gradually unfolds wisdom already present. The walk, step by step, little by little, gives us new eyes ...
Actually, when you give yourself to practice through and through, which means through and beyond feelings and thoughts, little by little you begin to allow something great to surface, something without beginning or end. That’s as it is! And if you stick to your vow and stay with it, to your surprise something in you will naturally open.
*Jakusho Kwong Roshi. No Beginning, No End: The Intimate Heart of Zen.
* * *
That is a key point... "will naturally open." When you keep your eyes open - what I have called eyes of the heart - the truth will appear to you. No one will give you the truth - not the best of guides or teachers or books. You will never get the truth; you will be given the truth to the extent you are prepared to see - to receive it. So, we walk, trusting this natural unfolding.
How does the opening scripture relate to the writing for today? You may wish to consider Jesus and the blind man who came to see as signifying aspects of our awakening spiritually. Have you observed with yourself and through your spiritual walk a transformation? A more subtle insight? What other changes indicate this conversion?
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and title and place of photograph.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
